Thread: Choosing first razor

Hi !

Recently i have found myself out of dispozable razors. And i couldn't find any in local department stores and drug stores. Only those overpriced Gillete Fusion and stuff while i'm used to simple 2-blade Gillette or Chic ones.
In despair i tried to buy them online and found... straight razors. They looked so solid and stylish i couldn't help looking at them and reading about them. By now i have read almost all SRP wiki and made up my mind to try using a straight razor.

I can get straight razors (mostly Dovo) from ~100$ at local stores or get one at SRP's Classifields. What would you recommend? Of course i have no hones so i need to get a really shave-ready razor to not to spend another hundred bucks (or even more) on decent hones. To say nothing of me being an amateur in honing (wood engraving group in childhood).So i'm thinking of getting my first razor from SRP members. Could you point some beginner-friendly razors from those 3 pages of beautiful vintage gear?

I would say one from a member here would definitely be shave ready if they say so. You however will eventually need a few in rotation and eventually know how to hone to be cost efficient as well as have a nice leather strop to put the blade to between shaves.

It is costly I think to a degree up front but once you get all the things you need straight razor shaving balances out but then again.....maybe not! But the closeness of shave and satisfaction of doing a way of shaving that is as old as time is very satisfying!

The Dovo Prima Klang that states freshly honed by Lynn here at SRP would be the best bet I assure you! Lynn is a master at this and a razor honed by him is the bar for what all should be!

Dovo Prima Klang 5/8" Extra Hollow Ground - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

First off, Welcome to SRP!

What ever razor you decide to get as long as you get a good quality razor professionally honed all you will need is a barber hone or a fine grit 10k-12k range to keep it shaving for years. The big misconception new guys have is if you want to shave with a str8 you need a lot of hones. If you are going to buy/restore/sell/collect str8s (like us RAD sufferers) then you will need the extra hones but strictly for shaving a barber or fine grit hone is all you really need.

A good strop is also needed from the start to keep it shaving properly until the razor starts to pull or tug at which time a barber or fine grit hone is used to bring your razor back to shave readiness. If you decide to send the razor out to a pro for honing when it starts pulling or tugging be sure to buy a backup razor to use while the one is out for honing.

Enjoy the journey, good luck and Happy Shaving!

Lionrouge, you may need to spend more than you'd originally planned, but you'll save money in the long run!

Hi and welcome. I'm sure any razor in the classifieds will be decent quality so it comes down to how much you want to spend and cosmetics. As said a single hone for maintenance and 1 extra razor for backup with a strop brush and soap and you are set. Honestly the expensive and cheaper blades will all shave well so start where you are comfortable. Good luck and any questions feel free to ask

Michael70 told here i will need "a few in rotation". Why? Razors can't stand everyday use?

If you choose not to get a hone to maintain the edge, you will occasionally need to send your razor out for a professional hone. You need a backup for that time, for certain, unless you can go without shaving for that time or you are willing to use another type of razor.

Also, it is nice just to change things up, but there is nothing wrong with having a single razor (and perhaps the backup).

Originally Posted by lionrouge

Michael70 told here i will need "a few in rotation". Why? Razors can't stand everyday use?

As moonshae says, if you are going to self maintain or are prepared to either go without or sub in a disposable/D/E/other shaving device whilst yours is being maintained by others you will only need one.
If you do get a back up which you don't need right away any reasonable quality shave ready straight will do it doesn't need to be pretty to work.
I would suggest buying one razor and the other bits and ons you actually need try straight shaving and go from there but please bear in mind you will need to give it about 3 months to become reasonably proficient.

I will +1 for you to make sure you get one that is shave ready, and don't forget to get a strop too
As for the razor, you have been researching so you should be GTG for brands to look for. My first straight was a Dovo, it was perfect for me. It wasn't mentioned above, but IMO you should look for a round point to avoid slicing yourself up.