Thread: It is "almost" time.

Gentlemen,
If you were going to move from a DE to a straight razor, which straight razor would you purchase? I have my pre-shave and post shave in order, and great soaps. I know the appropriate angles. Just looking for your opinion on a good straight razor and the tools to maintain it.

Thanks

Straight Razor Designs sell the Ralf Aust in both 5/8" and 6/8" for a good price.
Their razors come professionally honed to "shave ready" which is nice.
I think they come with a certificate for one free hone after that.
As a beginner I would recommend the "round point", less chance of cuts and nicks.
You will also need a strop and they have a great range to choose from.
You can check your area for a mentor or a group for advice.

Welcome to the forum !!

Yes, Ralf Aust is an excellent choice for a first razor. Also Revisor. The Classifieds offer a relatively good choice of starter razors. The 5/8 and 6/8 round point razors are ideal for beginners.

As said a 5/ 8 or 6 / 8 round point is best for learning. The classifieds here, SRD or any of the site vendors are good places to start. As Bongo said try meet with a local mentor as they can show you the different sizes and grinds and you can get a feel for what would be be best for you. Good luck with your razor hunt

The round point will often give one a gentle wake-up poke before getting the wet kiss from the SR edge. A square point with a slightly rounded corner is also good. However, a spike (sharp corner) point may start slicing skin before the novice SR user becomes aware of the pain.

The 5/8 and 6/8 widths are historically the most common found and are good not only for beginners, but also for experienced SR users. However, If RAD sets in, you may end up trying all common widths (4/8 - 8/8), grinds, respected places of SR razor origin (US, Sheffield, Soligen, France, Spain, Eskilstuna, Japan, etc.), and brands and eventually develop a preference..

All common SR widths and grinds can give one a great shave. The critical elements are that the razor be made of fine steel appropriate for razors, is properly heat treated, and is properly shaped. It must not be too worn or abused and especially must be honed to a shave ready edge. It should open and close with enough friction to prevent the scales from being floppy in use and the edge should not contact the scales when closing the razor. Never get water or lather between the scales as hidden moisture will rust and stain the razor overnight unless dried out properly before storage..

Unless the SR is acquired new from a vendor that hones all SRs sold or acquired used from a person who uses and hones SRs, the edge will probably not be shave ready when received. It is only the edge that does the shaving which is the reason for the endless discussion of hones, honing, edge refreshing, strops, and stropping. A truly shave ready edge must cut hair effortlessly and also be gentle on the skin when the SR is used properly. Persons who use straight razors and fine edged tools both have to routinely maintain their edges and usually have established strong preferences for their means of doing so, which is why, new fine edged tools and straight razors usually do not come truly ready for use from their manufacturer.

A basic SR with a great edge will give you a great shave while the best straight razor ever made cannot give you a satisfactory shave until its edge is honed and stropped into a shave ready condition.

HTH

I recently started SR shaving. I second the Ralf Aust 5/8" kit from SRD. It came with the razor, brush, strop, mug, and soap - everything I needed. (I also had them throw in a styptic pencil - you know - just in case!)
The prices at SRD were good, and the shipping was rediculously fast.

If starting again, I would do it exactly the same.

OK, maybe I would have practiced stropping with a butter knife a little before starting with the razor

A 6/8 Ralph Aust razor with a round point and strop from Straight Razor Design is a winning combination. Welcome to the darkside jwy77.

Looooove my 5/8 round point RA kit from SRD second on the customer support and uber fast shipping was shaving with it in a few days

I am seeing it as the light side lol. Once I make this jump.. No turning back.

Originally Posted by jwy77

I am seeing it as the light side lol. Once I make this jump.. No turning back.

Welcome to SRP! Your best source for str8 razor shaving info. I got into it over 6 years ago and haven't looked back. Enjoy the journey!