The Art of Shaving

So, in my quest to find my first straight razor I've gone to Antique Shops, thrift stores etc. As a newbie, I'm finding it very difficult to even get my hands on a SR. Antique Shops have nothing but rusty old junk and they're asking way to much $$. So I found that there is an Art of Shaving at one of the local Pittsburgh Malls. I decided to make the drive and go there.

I was dumbfounded when the sales person told me they don't even stock straight razors. The walls were filled with creams, soaps, oils etc., but not a single SR. The salesperson was nice, and apologetic for not having anything for me to see. I was really disappointed.

So if you're a newbie like me, I'd suggest you stay away from this retailer unless you are looking for creams, soaps etc. Theses products were quite nice, but seemed very expensive.

The classifieds section here has a great selection of shave ready razors at reasonable prices. Straight Razor Designs also has a great selection of shave ready razors if you want brand new.

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Originally Posted by Moonshae

The classifieds section here has a great selection of shave ready razors at reasonable prices. Straight Razor Designs also has a great selection of shave ready razors if you want brand new.

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I've been looking through the classifieds every day, several times a day. I'm looking for a 3" round tip 5/8" or 6/8" under $50.00. I haven't seen anything in that range just yet. A member here had a nice SR for sale on Ebay, and he gave me a heads up. But I wasn't able to bid on it :(:(

I don't want to drop to much $$ on a SR just yet. Eventually I'll need two (or more) razors, and then I'll probably upgrade and get something a bit nicer.

A shave ready razor at that price is not common place but do keep your eye on the classifieds as they do come up. There are a couple of members here that sell in that range when they can. I have no idea how they do it or where they source their razors from, but with some regularity they have them. Keep watching.

Look at Whipped Dog. $43 for his Sight Unseen razor. Yeah, you don't get to choose the razor, but I've got two from him. Both are decent razors and came absolutely shave ready. If you look at his other items like the poor man's strop kit (leather, balsa with CrOx/FeOx), bargain brushes, etc...you can get started up with SR shaving. I spent $110 with Whipped dog and got the Straigh Razor, Poor Man's Strop Kit, a DE razor, badger brush, soap samples. Comes with some nice notes/instructions on prep and use of the items.

My first Sight Unseen (pic in this thread - http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...first-try.html) is still my favorite. Still shaving after more than an year of use. Of course I only shave with the SR once or twice a month or on special occasions. I use the DE almost daily as a matter of convenience.

My second Sight Unseen was a little rougher than the first, moderate smile, lots of hone wear and some tip wear. That being said, it is still a great shaving razor. Plus, I can swap it out with Larry if I want for the $15 honing fee if I want.

YMMV
Richard

Gentlemen,

Most of the Art of Shaving stores do not carry straight razors. The company offers straight razors online. Either way, make sure to have the razors honed professionally.

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Originally Posted by leftyonly

Look at Whipped Dog. $43 for his Sight Unseen razor. Yeah, you don't get to choose the razor, but I've got two from him. Both are decent razors and came absolutely shave ready. If you look at his other items like the poor man's strop kit (leather, balsa with CrOx/FeOx), bargain brushes, etc...you can get started up with SR shaving. I spent $110 with Whipped dog and got the Straigh Razor, Poor Man's Strop Kit, a DE razor, badger brush, soap samples. Comes with some nice notes/instructions on prep and use of the items.

My first Sight Unseen (pic in this thread - http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...first-try.html) is still my favorite. Still shaving after more than an year of use. Of course I only shave with the SR once or twice a month or on special occasions. I use the DE almost daily as a matter of convenience.

My second Sight Unseen was a little rougher than the first, moderate smile, lots of hone wear and some tip wear. That being said, it is still a great shaving razor. Plus, I can swap it out with Larry if I want for the $15 honing fee if I want.

YMMV
Richard

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I've been eyeing whipped dog. Do they accept requests? If I requested a 6/8 round point for example, will they comply?

I have no affiliation with Whipped Dog other than being a satisfied customer. I doubt that he will accommodate a request at the $43, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

Both razors I got from him were fairly normal 5/8 without any sharp points. I doubt he would sell too many if he was sending out anything other than beginner suitable razors (ie. spike points, wedges, large blades, tiny blades, etc.)

That being said, IMO focusing on a specific razor geometry may be a bit premature. Get a decent, absolutely sharp instrument in your hand and learn to shave with it.

Richard

I bought all 7 razors I own off the classifieds here. Stay away from the art of shave. The buy me only has cartridge razors. Not one SR or DE...they call them selves a shaving place.

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Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen,

Most of the Art of Shaving stores do not carry straight razors. The company offers straight razors online. Either way, make sure to have the razors honed professionally.

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The last time I was in Vegas I popped into one that I was passing by.. They had a lot of straight razors for sale. All very expensive TIs rebranded with AOS on them. Maybe that has changed since then.

The one near me sell straights, but they are way overpriced and not shave ready! I went in there, like you, hoping to strike gold but left disappointed.

When I visit the local AoS store, they said they can order a razor if I was interested. They did not have one in stock.
Their store basically is empty every time I pass by it in the mall. The pricing AoS offers are just no competitive at all and the average Joe has no clue about shaving gear other than the canned goo and the n-blade lawn mowers Gillette makes now, to stop in and take a look.

I also have nothing but great things to say about Larry at whipped dog. His razors and especially his service are exceptional. I bought my first razor from him and when the scales cracked he replaced him for me at no charge even though it had been over a year since i bought the razor. If you purchase your razor from him im guessing you will very happy with your purchase. larry's razors are not the prettiest out there but they are sharp and in my opinion the best value for your money for a beginner deciding if he really wants to get into wet shaving.

Greg

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Originally Posted by quidditchfan073

I also have nothing but great things to say about Larry at whipped dog. His razors and especially his service are exceptional. I bought my first razor from him and when the scales cracked he replaced him for me at no charge even though it had been over a year since i bought the razor. If you purchase your razor from him im guessing you will very happy with your purchase. larry's razors are not the prettiest out there but they are sharp and in my opinion the best value for your money for a beginner deciding if he really wants to get into wet shaving.

Greg

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The problem is a newbie would have no clue what is a good or even passable razor as far as condition, and even more so what shave ready means.

My local Aos did have plenty of straights they sold either re branded Dovos or Thiers Issard. Well not make a long story I bought one it was a Thiers Issard plain black scales because anything in horn or wood was at the time an astronomical investment. being relatively new to straight razors at the time I took the damn thing home and couldn't get it to shave it really pulled and I was disheartened. So this opened up a can of worms so to speak and led me to figuring out how to hone and strop and all that fun stuff before I could even really shave with the beast. All that effort eventually led me to this forum where I learned about getting shave ready razors and how to start the right and less painless way. I learned about SRD and bought a shave ready razor and I was off to the races it was that easy and would of saved me months of struggling. It was smooth sailing ever since.

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Originally Posted by mainaman

The problem is a newbie would have no clue what is a good or even passable razor as far as condition, and even more so what shave ready means.

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And yes, that is a huge problem.
Caveat Emptor

I think you can get a good razor on the classifieds here if you just watch them. I missed a deal on a Swedish straight back a few months ago, about $50. A week later I got an older Dovo in 4/8 for $35, it is a fabulous shaver. Rodb was the seller I think. You might message him and see what he has in the works.

The larger AOS stores stock straight razors, all stores will order razors for you, none of the razors they sell are shave ready, unless you request and pay for it.

You must remember the cost of honing a razor is about $20-25, so you are looking for a $20-25 razor… but they are out there, I find them all the time.

Really you should raise your price point to $100 in the classified and get a nice razor or do the Whipped Dog thing won’t be a looker, but will shave.

Straight Razor shaving on the super cheap, usually does not work out too well.

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

The larger AOS stores stock straight razors, all stores will order razors for you, none of the razors they sell are shave ready, unless you request and pay for it.

You must remember the cost of honing a razor is about $20-25, so you are looking for a $20-25 razor… but they are out there, I find them all the time.

Really you should raise your price point to $100 in the classified and get a nice razor or do the Whipped Dog thing won’t be a looker, but will shave.

Straight Razor shaving on the super cheap, usually does not work out too well.

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Agreed with you and Utopian.

Something about silk purses and pig ears.

I got my first SR on etsy.ca. It's nothing amazing by any means, but it is good steel (sometimes with the cheaper ones you can't really hone them without power grinders). I paid $40 and it came with a strop. I went the route of learning to hone it myself right away, but I would strongly recommend getting a pro honing service. That being said you can find some nicer restored ones on there that are truly shave ready. The important thing is to look at the reviews. People will tell you if they come truly shave ready or if it is just a nice piece to look at.
The one I got came from the UK and there was no additional charge for shipping which helped keep the cost down.

The one is Tampa has straight razors (or at least they did about a year ago). I ended up buying some supplies in there and to sweeten the deal they threw in a full sized badger brush for free (I thought that was very nice of them).

The salesmen in TAOS in Orlando were extremely rude when I was in there, over the summer. I stormed out of there before I spoke my mind.