Thread: New members with question

Hey Guys,

New member here from Ontario Canada. I am looking at buying my first SE razor which is a new Dovo Straight edge (either the Astrale 5/8 or the Flowing 6/8 but I was worried about the honing part of it before I could use it. I am in a small location nd don't feel giving such a piece of art to anybody to hone it. So can I just start with a leather strops? Or I should go full blown with a strops, honing stone, etc etc? I am about 2 hours from Toronto and don't know who to trust to hone the razor.

Also, last time I trusted a Professionnal for maintenance they blew up my motorcycle engine just for adjusting valve (motorbikes are my main passion... )

Soooooo What you guys think? Usually I go or don't go. I don't care spending the money and learning I really doubt I will back off from SE shaving anyway. But I am looking if I can get buy for now with a strops so I can get started...

Cheers!

P.S. For those grammar freeks, members of this forum, I am orignally from Montreal and grew up speaking French. I moved here for work 6 years ago and I've been learning English since so I apologize ahead of time if I screw up some of my sentences...

Hi Dave, and welcome to SRP!

You'll want to get your razor professionally honed. Trust me on this - my first few months straight shaving was done with a sub-par edge and it was a *miserable* experience.

The problem with honing it yourself to start out with is that you will have no frame of reference as to what the edge should be. You'll be aiming for a target you can't see.

Solution #1: buy your razor from a reputable seller who hones their razors by hand before shipping. Phil at classicedge.ca is a local(ish) option for you.
Solution #2: buy your razor from a vendor who does not do this step, and then send it to a pro for honing. There are a number of SRP members who offer honing services in the classifieds, and I would not hesitate to send a razor to any of them.
Solution #3: buy your razor from a vendor who does not do this step, and then get together with a local mentor who can take you through the honing process in person.

Where exactly are you located? There might be someone nearby who can help you out.

Either way, you WILL need a strop to maintain your edge on a daily basis. A strop will not however bring a sub-par edge to shave-ready.

Good luck!

Dave,

Welcome to the forum!!

What Cangooner said!!

with your adventure!!

Regards,

Howard

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

Dave,

Welcome to the forum!!

What Cangooner said!!

with your adventure!!

Regards,

Howard

Thanks Guys! Appreciate it

Also, What you guys think betweeen the Dovo Astrale and Flowing? I must say the Flowing is literrally a piece of art! Just wonder what the extra notches on the back of the blade does beside make me drool?

I believe their primary function is indeed drool inducement.

It's all personal preference. Go with the one whose look you like more. Some guys like bigger blades, some smaller, so the difference in size might apply to you too. But 5/8 and 6/8 are both pretty middle of the road when it comes to size, so neither would be an extreme choice on that front.

Basically, once you have good steel (which Dovos and the other reputable makers have) that is honed to a shave-ready state (which you will have, right? )the rest is really down to personal preference.

My advice would be to get the one you want!

Originally Posted by Cangooner

I believe their primary function is indeed drool inducement.

It's all personal preference. Go with the one whose look you like more. Some guys like bigger blades, some smaller, so the difference in size might apply to you too. But 5/8 and 6/8 are both pretty middle of the road when it comes to size, so neither would be an extreme choice on that front.

Basically, once you have good steel (which Dovos and the other reputable makers have) that is honed to a shave-ready state (which you will have, right? )the rest is really down to personal preference.

My advice would be to get the one you want!

Thanks for the advice. I think I will go with classic shave.ca They are all pre-hone and the price are great! I am hooked. Now I just need to make up my mind on which razor and the mug and and and and lol....tough decision.

Welcome Dave. Both shaving and honing have steep learning curves. Unless you were very knowledgeable to hones and honing already, I'd say just shave. Honing is best left until later. If you start with a shave ready razor and Phil at Classic Edge offers you one free honing afterwards, that will put you quite a ways into learning to shave before you need a refresh. There is a vast wealth of knowledge here. Use the wiki and the search engine and ask questions and I'm sure all will be fine.

Dave, bienvenue à SRP. Suivez les instructions Cangooner vous a donné. C'est la bonne façon de commencer. Achetez le rasoir vous aimez. J'ai acheté de bord classique avant. Phil va faire un très bon travail de rodage pour vous. Profitez.

post-scriptum vous n'aurez jamais à appologise pour l'apprentissage d'une langue seconde. Vous faites tout simplement génial.

Originally Posted by DaveL

Also, What you guys think betweeen the Dovo Astrale and Flowing? I must say the Flowing is literrally a piece of art! Just wonder what the extra notches on the back of the blade does beside make me drool?

Dave,

The spine is eye candy for sure, at least it catches my eye......no function. A couple of differences other than about $130.00 US are the grinds.

The Astrale is a half hollow which means the blade won't flex as much and it would weigh a little more if the blades were the same width. A lot of guys seem to like the heavier grind blade in the beginning because they seem to cut through the beard a little more effortlessly and kind of help compensate for some technique issues. Of course it doesn't really make up for a deficient edge.

The Flowing is a full hollow grind and also shoulderless and that means more flex in the blade and less weight for same width blades. The flowing also has a thumb notch.

I looked at SRD and their Astrale is a 5/8 and the Flowing is a 6/8. I don't know if the Astrale comes in a 6/8.

Just in case you might not be familiar with some of the terms, here's a couple of links that visually show types of grinds and shoulder types.

The straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki Grinds

The straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki Shoulder types

Hope this helps!!

Regards,

Howard