Hey all! I'm brand new to the site but have been lurking around for the past few months. Trying to get as much information as I can.

A couple quick questions I really couldn't get a good answer on though.....

- as a beginner is it better to buy vintage or new? I've read that the older vintage straights were made of a better quality steel? Bit to find a decent one and then to find a honemeister(sp?) close by can be hard

- my beard grows in thick and hard like a wire brush. Because of this what to I want? A full/half/quarter hollow or a full wedge?

- I've been looking at the following razors to get as my first :
genco red cross
wade and butcher bow
dovo best quality
boker king cutter
boker edelvise(sp?)

with those 5 razors what should I be leaning towards? I will admit that even though the new razors are nice they don't have the same appeal as the old ones.

Thanks!