Thread: New guy here, give me all the info

For most bang for the buck soap I would recommend Arko shave sticks, they work great for a great price. The scent can be strong and some don't like it, but it lathers really well

There is some really good advice already given and I would like to add just a little to it. If you are completely new to straight razor shaving please (and you may have already done this) watch all the youtube videos you can on the subject. There's many out there by some really good folks. Remember this is not a race. take it slow. There's a couple of good videos for beginners which should help greatly. Don't get discouraged there is a learning curve. which in my case may be the rest of my life. but it's fun. From my experience the folks here at the SRP have been more than willing to help with the advice I needed at the time. So welcome to the wonderful world of straight razors and welcome to the forum.

Welcome you got a lot of very good advise from a great bunch of people. Let me good some as well. Take your time and enjoy the learning its a little bit of a curve. Don't try to shave when you have a house full of those young college girls running around or after a fun night of frat house fun.

Good luck you will do fine I bet.

Good choice going with the combo from SRD; the strop is practically free.

Take your time, and only shave off the cream. The hair will come too...these razors are sharp and don't need any pressure to cut hair. Pressure will only cause razor burn.

There is a bit of a learning curve, so don't get discouraged. Keep with it and you'll see that you're doing better each time. Beard prep really is important. A quick splash of water before lathering won't cut it. Enjoy the ritual of prep, shaving, and cleanup. Switching from cartridges when shaving was a chore to straights turned it into a daily pleasure for me. I look forward to shaving each morning.

The set from SRD is a great buy, I personally would go for the Aust and get a 3" strop. They cost a little more, but it will cut down your stropping learning curve. Also, I would start stropping by laying the strop on the table to avoid slicing it up and dulling your blade. Trust me on this one
Most any decent soap will be fine, my first soap was col conk and it worked just fine for around $5 I believe.
Be patient, watch lots of videos, and hang out here and you will get the hang of it we promise!!!
Oh yes, and welcome to the forum!