Thread: Number of Razors to Start

Haven't been able to find opinions on this one, so forgive me if this has already been discussed. My question is: how many razors should a newb get to start shaving with? Should I get 2 different razors to see how different razors feel? I'm looking at a Dovo Special 5/8 and at TI Gnome 5/8.

Thanks.

Jeff

I think that would be great if you can afford it. I would focus on, in order:

strop
first razor
barber hone
paddle strop
second razor
Norton honing stone


Having two razors would be great because sometimes one just gets screwed up.

I imagine you'll get many opinions though, from you only need one, to you only need 16.

Definitely agree with AFD. I would also suggest that you attempt to try different sizes and types of points, like square versus round and 6/8 versus 5/8, to find the ones you prefer, as it is likely to help you finding the ones you enjoy.

Two is a good number to start with.

With the razors you've selected, you've got both a full and 1/2 hollow, which should give you a sense of what type of grind you like.

My suggestion is that you buy a couple of shave-ready razors from a board member - you'll likely be able to get two nice razors for the same price you would pay for one of the razors you're thinking of.

I'd listen to Alan if I were you. He's been a seasoned shaver when I was a wet-behind-the-ears newb. Eventually you'll end up with a rotation of 10 or so, but for now get a strop, get a razor, get something to touch it up with (I've had better results with pasted paddles than with barber hones though), another shave ready razor and then a Norton plus a few more blades. In addition to that, make sure you have at least one decent brush/soap. C&E Best Badger gives a great bang for the buck and we have 2 top notch soap-makers here (Colleen and Giovanni) so you're in good hands

Originally Posted by Jfala

My question is: how many razors should a newb get to start shaving with?

Jeff, for the minimalist approach, you only NEED one razor to start with... it NEEDS to be shave-ready sharp when you get it. With that you can learn to shave and along the way you'll learn to strop. After you've mastered those skills, you NEED to decide whether you want to hone your own razor when it's necessary vs sending it to someone for sharpening... if you decide to do it yourself, then you NEED to acquire tools and skills to hone. At any point in this progression, you can OPTIONALLY experiment as much (as your desire, time, and budget permits) with the hobby aspects of str8s... buying/selling razors, restoration work, scale making, collecting, etc., etc.

Now it's true that many (if not most) of us didn't follow the minimalist approach I just outlined. Many of us hit the eBay buy button almost immediately and purchased a bunch of rag/tag str8s, hones, strops, pastes, etc. A lot of us learned to sharpen and restore razors before we perfected our shaving techniques. In fact, if you read some other recent threads you'll find a lot of our longtime member shavers own tens (if not hundreds) of str8s, yet are still working on perfecting their str8 shaving technique (as evidenced by the fact that many are using DEs in conjunction with their str8 ).

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I'd listen to Alan if I were you. He's been a seasoned shaver when I was a wet-behind-the-ears newb. Eventually you'll end up with a rotation of 10 or so...

Sage advice to listen to Alan. But it's completely unnecessary to set a goal of having 10 razors in your rotation. I'd venture to say that the most of our members have only a couple razors in their regular rotation. Of course, there are also some who have hundreds... but I think that's the exception.

Personally, I own several dozen razors (most of which are in various stages of restoration). I have 4 that I consider in my "rotation"... but of those, I use two of them MOST of the time. The other two have fallen out of favor as I've acquired razors that I like to shave with better.

I agree with Joe that there is a benefit to keeping it simple initially. Its hard to draw any conclusions about what you "like" before you really know what you're doing. I'm starting to question some of the conclusion I arrived at earlier in my str8 shaving experience. Now I don't even allow myself conclusions. I just note the thought and store it away for later examination.

I've also cut my rotation down to 3-4 razors so I can get to know them better and learn more about honing/maintenance. If you use a razor once or twice a month, its hard to remember what the last experience with it was (even if you take notes). Just a thought.


Jordan

Thank you all for the great advice, much appreciated. I am fortunate enough that budget restraints is not an issue; however I don't just want to spend money just to spend.

If I were to get two razors to start, would it be better to get the same size but different grind or different sizes irrespective of the grind?

Let's say a 5/8 half-hollow and a 6/8 square point full hollow?

Jordan,

That is excellent advice, and something that I am dealing with in my DE rotation. I've got 5 DEs right now that I rotate through, and will get rid of a couple once I start with a straight. 2 of which are vintage in excellent condition that I want to hand down to my sons - so those won't be going anywhere.

Yes, getting technique down first is a good way to go. And that has been my thought in restricting myself to just one razor. But then it comes down to which one?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by azjoe

Now it's true that many (if not most) of us didn't follow the minimalist approach I just outlined.

Well, I did! For 3.5 months I had just one trusty Dovo 5/8 Bismarck. Then I got a second (honed by Lynn). Then in the last three weeks 2 Wapienicas and a fantastic restoration and custom scales job from Josh and Gary respectively (will post pics up as soon as I get back to Blighty -- in NY right now).

So there's a RAD curve in the offing if I ever saw one. Just one straight for 3.5 months and then the rate starts to increase steeply...

We all succumb in the end.