Thread: Whipped Dog for a beginner

The problem for a beginner like myself, we/I are looking for a starter razor, something cheap and shave ready that we wouldn't mind ruining on a hone or in an acident.
In an antique store we/I wouldn't know value and they wouldn't come shave ready.

Would "shave ready" gold dollars be a good option?

No,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

With respect to Whipped dog, I have just ordered the "Poor Man's strop" package. Personally, I agree with the notion that "sight unseen" purchases are a risk I would not take. This is not because I do not trust this particular vendor (he has a pretty good reputation among members of another site I frequent), but simply a personal choice. You may feel otherwise . . .

We all were beginners at one time. Some beginners may have gone out & made their first razor a $300.00 one; others may have been lucky enough to have one passed down to them & spent no money at all.

Many look at their current spendable cash on hand & try to fit a razor purchase into that.

Still others want to rush to the counter to buy a razor that they already know is sub-par,,why??

3 hours max. of reading in the library on articles related to straight razor purchases would help teach a beginners how to avoid 80% of the bad, junk razors that are lying around in antique stores & ebay.
There is a section here on SRP with literally hundreds of photographs of good/great vintage razors for you to examine & enjoy; use them as a guide when out purchasing.

I can't relate to this thought process of looking for a "cheap" razor to practice honing on.
I can relate to the practice of buying quality (,,,and price has nothing to do with quality) razors & following the well established guidelines on maintaining a razors edge.

Why start yourself out on this journey with equipment that you already know, is not what you want?

Honing can be as easy or as difficult as you make it, why stack the deck against yourself from the beginning.

Originally Posted by RedGladiator

The problem for a beginner like myself, we/I are looking for a starter razor, something cheap and shave ready that we wouldn't mind ruining on a hone or in an acident.
In an antique store we/I wouldn't know value and they wouldn't come shave ready.

Would "shave ready" gold dollars be a good option?

Here is a joke that my father likes to say from time to time when it comes to quality vs price.

A guy enters a store and the sales person asks them what they are looking for. So the guy says "I am looking for a great quality TV set at a very cheap price. Do you have any?"
"Sure" says the sales person, "but separately"
It is very similar with razors but more in the context that if a razor is not in very good condition it can be made shave ready but it will have some issues, so when the owner decides it was time to hone, then the headaches start. It could be other things that will make the experience of owning and using a razor less pleasant.
Of course the razor "sight unseen" could be also just fine, but the term "sight unseen" would imply that those blades are more"as is" rather than " great", "excellent", mint "condition".'
You can find good razor in good shape for decent price in the classifieds for example. A new Dovo with basic scales is in the $80 USD range if I am not wrong. So there are options out there for getting a great blade at affordable price.

Larry from Whipped Dog has a good reputation on this site for suppling shave ready razors. Some of the items ge sells are a cheap way to enter straight shaving and others are just short changing yourself. I believe he sells sight seen razors that you can look at and make a informed choice. The starter strops have been used by many so you know they will work. His brushes had been said to be fair for the price. I would NOT buy the cut down hones as these are not worth the money and will make it harder to learn. The classifieds here regularly have lower cost straights that will be truly shave ready. Maybe start there an Illinois razor Co 827 strop and brush and soap are all you need to start. You should be able to get those items in your price range and start with good equipment. Good luck

I started with a Whipped Dog Sight Unseen razor and a Poor Man's strop in October. It was indeed shave ready. I've accumulated a few more, restoring some vintage bargains and even honing a a Gold Dollar. I say you contact Larry, and let him know what you want, or find a hobbyist here with a good reputation willing to ship to the Emerald Isle.

If the GD was prepared properly on a DMT before honing and was under $25 it is an alright option.

They shave fine and hold an edge OK but the #66 model is pretty darn ugly.


I would really only go with a GD if you are one of those people that hates vintage but isn't looking to spring for a new dovo.

Originally Posted by RedGladiator

The problem for a beginner like myself, we/I are looking for a starter razor, something cheap and shave ready that we wouldn't mind ruining on a hone or in an acident.
In an antique store we/I wouldn't know value and they wouldn't come shave ready.

Would "shave ready" gold dollars be a good option?

A shave ready GD is not a bad option to learn to shave with. Imo they are not good to learn to hone with. Like many others when starting out I assumed that cheapest possible razor shaped object would be a good idea to learn with. Due to the way GDs are made the design faults can really impact on honing, convincing the novice that they are doing something wrong. I almost gave up trying, thinking I could never get it right, until I got a vintage that I could make shave ready. Mind you a vintage can have its own problems too.

Now I have a few gds I use regularly. A gd if bought shave ready can be a cheap option and if bought from the right vendor will have the design flaws corrected.

I was looking at a 6/8 dovo he has on the site. I wasnt goin to go sight unseen as id like to know what i was buying. I was bought a menrock straight razor and strop its a english brand cost 50 euro and i reckon you could get a closer shave with a butter knife. I dont want to chance a gold dollar razor from what iv read.
Thanks for all the input