Thread: Hi and mabe some help?

First I want to say hi to every here. Hi.

2nd I would like to ask for some help if some one would be so kind.
I have never used a straight razor before and I have been looking for info on the use and purchase of a straight razor.
But most of what I have seen is that a good starter razor runs $100.00 and above.
Well at this time for me that is a little above what I can afford and something I'm not sure is for me is a lot of money. In time and some saving maybe but for now it is just out of reach.

So I will just get to the question and I know some one has asked before but I don't know enough about it to search for the answer.
I have a small budget. Lets say $50.00 or less for a razor. I don't care if it is new or used or something off of eBay that some ones grandfather used as long as it will help in find out if it is for me.

If some one knows of a blade that would work for a newbie please let me know.

Also what more do I need to get started?

Thank you for all your help in advanced.
Bob

Welcome!!

The classifieds on this site usually has a few cheaper razors, they might not be beautiful but are almost always shave ready

At minimum you need a good razor and a good strop. Good lather also matters and for that you need a good brush and soap. Later, you would also need a maintenance hone.

Now, you may or may not stick with the straight razor so if money is tight I would recommend that you start with the brush and soap. Add to that a DE razor, simply because they are relatively cheap and much easier to get great shaves with from day one. With that combination, you already can get better shaves and (after the initial investment) save money, as the blades are MUCH cheaper and the soap can be much cheaper than the canned goo.

Later when you can afford a straight and a strop, you can usually find a perfectly good $50 to $65 razor in the classifieds and there are several good vendors for strops. I can highly recommend the strops from both SRD and Tony Miller (aka TheWellShavedGentleman).

Hi Bob - welcome to the forum.



When it comes to straights, you can find many blades under $50.00 off of the ebay or in our classifieds here. But the key I have found, is that you'll want to stay away from cheap new blades coming out of China, Pakistan and the like.

Save some money to have the blade honed by a pro after you buy it.



Other things you'll need:

A strop - but you can use newspaper to strop with.

Other things that go well with a honed straight and strop is:

A stone to maintain the blade.
A shaving brush and some soap/cream.
Some aftershave.

I am probably not the best person to recommend how to do things on "the cheap," but believe me that many here have mastered it.

The best thing I can recommend you do is search this forum on how to do it with as little cash as possible. Maybe key in cheap or low cost or something in the search function. The more you read threads intended to master this - the better you'll ultimately be as you'll note themes.

I am sure others will pipe in - for some getting it done as inexpensively is a sport !!

All the best of luck!

Oh and just in case - not trying to be a smart *&^ - in case you don't know, when I say the search function I mean this:

Originally Posted by rodb

Welcome!!

The classifieds on this site usually has a few cheaper razors, they might not be beautiful but are almost always shave ready

I was just going to mention your barber's pet for $28. But seeing as I just pointed someone at one of your razor's yesterday it would seem like advertising.

Additionally there is a col conk round point for $66.50 shipped.

I don't know either vendor or much about either razor but people selling here are usually pretty reliable as the community is small and word would travel fast.

There are more there these are just the first two i came across roughly within budget.

A strop can be made fairly inexpensively or even purchased from some vendors reasonably cheaply, i believe whipped dog do reasonable cheap strops, i am sure others do too, but i haven't looked, i was given one and made the other one I own.

The VDH starter set is supposed to be acceptable, i cant speak for the brush or bowl but their soap is pretty good and not at all expensive.

A boar brush will set you back less than $20 for an omega or semogue, both are good makes.
I think you should come in at less than $100 in total with these suggestions.

I wouldn't worry about hones etc yet, but probably factor in $20-30 for a re hone in a month or two (assuming you can keep the edge ok with your stropping).

Speaking of stropping, grab a belt and a butter knife and practice before you get your razor, look in the videos section for some tutorials, afdavis' videos are pretty good.

Seems all good advise! Jump in!

Ed beat me to it with whipped dog. Many people have used him to start cheap and he gets good reviews. The cheaper blades aren't pretty but will be shave ready and a cheap way to start. Start looking through the library tab up top. Most of the questions you have will be answered in there or by a quick search. I would suggest you stay away from ebay. Unless you know what to look for you can easily be burned and many advertise shave ready and what you get is not a shave ready razor. If unsure of anything you find just ask and we can verify if it will indeed be a good buy or a dud. Good luck and feel free to ask if you need help

+1 on whipped dog. i started out using a 5/8 razor along with a poor mans strop and one of his silver tip brushes. Later on, i also purchased one of his 6/8 razors as well. Although, i recently i have replaced his strop with a nice TM strop i still use the razors and the brush. I have nothing but great things to say about Larry. When my scales broke on my 5/8 razor he replaced them for me at no charge!! He also hones all my straights as well and the charge to do so is very minimal.

Greg

The start up cost of straights may seem staggering...good razor (most of the cost), brush, strop, bowl and soap easily ran me 200 bucks. But I would've spent that and more on refills for disposables and shaving cream that costs more than a cake of shave soap and doesn't last nearly as long.

If I had known then what I know now, I probably could've cut that intro cost significantly by getting my razor from Whipped dog. I've seen nothing but good reviews about his razors.

I would avoid ebay razors until you get the hang of honing, unless you're willing to pay someone to hone your finds for you. Once you've passed that milestone it can be a great source though.

+1 for the double edge as a low cost start... You can get a nice DE and a sample razor pack (so you can see which blade is best for you) on Amazon for about $30. The Van Der Hagen starter kit has a nice bowl and brush with soap for about $20. So you could be DE shaving with nice new equipment that fits your budget. Use that and if you like it, it will give you time to learn about straights and decide if you want to try them.