Thread: help with razor I am ordering

Hey everyone,

New to the site, I will keep this short. I have always wanted to get a straight razor and learn to use it. I have been looking non stop I am leaning to ordering this one to learn for 6 months to a year.

Shave Ready - Gold Dollar Straight Razor With Premium Shave Kit - StraightRazors.com

Is this really shave ready? Is this good to learn on? All suggestions and tips will help. Thank you!

There is plenty of treads regarding the gold dollar razor. Most agree that's it's not a good razor.

I'll recommend a Dovo instead or a vintage shave ready razor from the classifieds section.

If you do buy a dovo, then you're set. Start with a cheap razor. The Dovo will shave, but if you want a great shave, you should have it professionally honed.

Many will do this for free the first time. And if you pay the postage I'll also do it for you. I just think that there's someone closer to you, as I live I Denmark ;-)

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ors-com-4.html
There are a few threads about these guys. I have never dealt wit them myself though. I would probably lean towards anything else (well, within reason)
From what I have read from other members gold dollars can be fine if you get one without quality issues, and their quality control is hit and miss.

Just found another http://straightrazorpalace.com/aucti...azors-com.html

Hi and welcome. Have had no dealings with them but seen a lot of guys come here after buying from them and finding that what they brought wont shave. Do a search for their site in the search and it should bring up a fair few results. The classifieds here or the site vendors are a sure way to get started properly. Good luck and any questions feel free to ask

If you want a good razor on the cheap then check out WhippedDog.com . Stay away from Gold Dollar razors as you will need to put a lot of time into getting it to shave properly and as you are new to SR shaving that means sending it to someone who could fix all of the defects for you.

The listing says shave ready so if it's not, send it back. Gold Dollars can be OK shavers but most need a fair amount of work to get them that way due to the very imprecise grinding in the factory. I think overall, the kit is far from premium.
Think of straight shaving like wine. If you were trying shiraz for the first time, you wouldn't (or shouldn't) buy a $10 bottle. You'd spend a reasonable amount to really taste it.

Thank you all for the advice and tips, I appreciate it a lot. Any suggestions where I can get a beginner blade to learn on? I know I will upgrade later on to something nice. Is this better since it is a dovo? I was scared off of the other one already haha. DOVO 6/8 Blades Grim Edition Razor With Premium Shave Set - StraightRazor.com

What other kits or sites are recommended?

Any Dovo 5/8. You can also choose a 6/8. Just take the cheapest, the blades are the same it's the etching and scales that change mostly.

Are you sure the one you found is a Dovo? All Dovos I've seen has clear Dovo stamps on the tang...

Straight Razor Design and Superior Shave I believe are your best bets to get a new, guaranteed shave ready razor for a reasonable price. Superior Shave usually has a better inventory for some reason, but SRD offers a free second honing. Either will sell you a fine entry level blade for about $100 that you can keep forever or later sell for most of what you paid for it.

Thank you all again. Are those the only good sites? I don't know of any stores in person I can find these. Anyone know of any places in San Diego that might them?