Thread: Is it really quiet on this site at the moment?

yep I'm with you guys, Tabac is another one of my favourite soaps. Arko and Tabac, could fully complete a mans shaving soap needs, but there are so many others to try….

Well, I have taken the leap and ordered the SRP custom, will be 3-4 months for delivery. I decided Im obviously going to get hooked on straight shaving and collecting a few nice pieces, so I figured I may as well fork out the money now to get as many years enjoyment as possible (even though I should be spending it on other things), hence making it easier to justify ($ per year) lol. Plus I figure I should spend the money now before Im married and have someone else telling me what I can and can't buy

Im also trying to buy "the purist" by Robert Williams... if I can get one reasonably quickly Im going to place an order, so I have a great razor to use while waiting for the srp custom (and to use after I get the srp as well of course). Any thoughts on "the purist" anyone? It looks interesting, and would be nice in a collection as something different to traditional razors with scales. I still want to get a Charlie Lewis at some point, but the price is just a little too high for me right now. $375 for the Robert Williams is certainly pricey, but the Charlie Lewis comes in $100 more, which is a little harder to justify with the current $AUD to $US conversion. Will look into that again once the $AUD improves.

When it/they arrive would love to have you try them Kev (or anyone else I end up meeting with), get your opinions and a few tips on using them

Now I just have to find a cheapie with similar smile blade to the SRP custom, so I can learn/practice stropping and honing techniques on it rather than the custom. I think it will be a long time before Id trust myself to hone the custom, will likely send it out to a pro.

Wow, both feet in then

Originally Posted by AndrewJM

Now I just have to find a cheapie with similar smile blade to the SRP custom, so I can learn/practice stropping and honing techniques on it rather than the custom. I think it will be a long time before Id trust myself to hone the custom, will likely send it out to a pro.

Don't discount the 'cheapies'! Well known name doesn't always mean good. Several of my top of the drawer shavers are literally 'no namers'. Not a maker's mark on them and I would pit them against any so called "name" razor you can think of.

Sorry, to clarify... cheapie as in dirt cheap that I dont mind ruining. Ive never honed a razor before, and Im sure I will destroy my first. I dont dare to learn on a blade of the srp custom price, and apparently its a bit more of a learning curve to strop and hone a smile-blade . I've ordered a sight-unseen razor from larry (non smile blade), and Im sure its actually a decent blade, but at a price I can afford to damage. I would also like to find a cheapie to mimic the shape of the srp custom to learn on. Im not saying one has to spend top $ for a good shave, just that one shouldn't risk learning honing etc on an expensive one (Well, one like myself as Im not made of money)

Yeah, I know I should spend my $ on other things, but its clear that Im going to end up buying a couple of nice blades eventually, so I figure I should just get them now and get maximum years from them. Besides, if for any reason I get turned off straight razors, I can always resell them.

I was just looking at the "purist". It's a bit different, I like the concept for sure. Not sure for beginning on, it's pretty big in one direction but small in another.

The SRP razor will be a good razor for you. Don't worry about honing just yet, stropping is the priority. Get some practice with you whipped dog blade and strop first and all will be good.

The Aussie guys are planning a meet up soon, so I'm sure one or two of them will bring their rocks and give a little demo or two. I have recently spent time with Mike and Jim and I learned a lot, they are great guys for sure.

It's good to be excited Andrew, I just think the guys worry. The probably want you to take your time and try a few things first, no one likes to see someone spending a lot of money and being disappointed (not that you will be). Like the old saying goes, you can't run before you can walk…

I'm enjoying your posts mate, and I like some of the razors your finding to look at, especially the customs.

Cheers Kev,

I guess what makes me slightly different to some newbies is my appreciation of art (in the traditional form of art - paintings etc... it is obvious most members here appreciate the art of a nice razor). With my limited budget I have acquired some nice pieces over the years, and once I started researching razors, I realised that they are art too, just in a different form. Even if I cant use them well to start, I can still enjoy looking at them

Just about 24 hours arter the initial post, so it's the same time of the day. Right now there are 936 users online. Perhaps they are not making a lot of noice, but there's lots of people about :-)

Originally Posted by AndrewJM

Cheers Kev,

I guess what makes me slightly different to some newbies is my appreciation of art (in the traditional form of art - paintings etc... it is obvious most members here appreciate the art of a nice razor). With my limited budget I have acquired some nice pieces over the years, and once I started researching razors, I realised that they are art too, just in a different form. Even if I cant use them well to start, I can still enjoy looking at them

It's true Andrew you don't have to be an artist to enjoy art, but getting inside the head of the artist gives us a different perspective. The great thing about all these beautiful custom razors is they are meant to be used and appreciated. When we use a razor like the purist we can understand from first hand experience what the artist intended (looks or function or both or maybe something else we had not realised)

from a practical side, I need to shave everyday…. and I want to enjoy that as much as I can, but its not always the things we expect to make us happy that do. Many a cheap razor and soap has brought joy to many a man (and woman) and be it customs or vintage or new, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and long may that be so….

Enjoy buddy Enjoy