Thread: getting started

hello to all!

i have been a wet shaver for the majority of my shaving life and have just made the plunge into de safety razor shaving. i am now thinking that str8s might be were i am headed. thanks to everyone on this site for the wealth of searchable knowledge. i keep checking here for a suitable starter str8- i think i want to start with a shave ready 5/8 round tip (spikes seem like they might be easier to catch an ear or a nose with) and a paddle strop. so a couple of questions:
-are the full hallows easiest to hone?
-i have seen people refer to tony miller for a strop... could some direct me to a good starter strop?

i dont want to drop a ton of money just starting out but i am sure that i will end up with a few nicer razors once i have things more figured out.

thank you all-cheers,
ryan

Tony has good starter strops! His webpage is thewellshavedgentleman.com.

I'm actually working on a new leather/linen starter but still have a very few of my # 4 Models left even though they are not listed right not.

Tony

those look great! what is the #4 model? is that the vintage 4 sided strop? how do str8 users usually have those set up? what sides are used daily and what pastes are used as touch ups?

thanks guys,
ryan

I'd agree with avoiding spikes for your first razor, although they do have their place for dealing with facial growths, like the odd goatee.

A 5/8 round is the commonest and easiest starter razor - take a look in the Buy/Sell section, there are usually a few shave ready there; if not, people on ebay who claim "shave ready" sometimes know what they are saying :-).

I think that a full hollow is harder to hone that a half hollow. For me, I put the difficulty order:

full hollow > wedge > half hollow

I don't know why that is; wedges have a lot of metal to remove, perhaps a full hollow (meaning the sort with two grind radii and a belly) have a much narrower sweet spot - a couple too many or too few strokes, and it's as dull as can be.

paul-
i have been looking at altima55 on ebay since i read here that his are shave ready. are there any other sellers on the bay that are good at selling shave ready razors?

i will try and look for 1/2 hollows.

cheers,
ryan

Hanging strops are better daily duty tools and I'm sure that's the #4 referred to.

altima55 has not had a bad word said about him so bid with confidence.

I never had any problems starting with a spike and have always preferred them since. I actually have a greater tendency to nick myself with the round point as I'm never sure where the edge stops and the point begins. Some say it's like learning to drive a stick shift. If you learn on one it always seems natural.

There was another thread about two or three weeks ago about starting on the cheap. If you can locate it, it had a full set up for under $50.

X

xman-
so spikes arent to be feared? that really opens up the market for me. i will continue to look at altima55's offerings with confidence. i will also really consider tony's deals also. everyone here really seems to enjoy his strops. so a hanging strop is a better tool for me?

as always inawe,
ryan

I'm a big fan of Tony's paddle strops for a newbie, you'll be less likely to let the edge roll or get torn up. High quality products that last a lifetime are the name of the game here so a little adjustment is needed in your view of products.

It looks like your on the right track!

Originally Posted by inawe

so spikes arent to be feared?

I wouldn't say so. I felt the same way when I started and was looking for a nice round tip and even ordered a near mint Boker be rounded by a member here to make me feel better. As chance would have it the next two blades I bought were spikes and the one spike arrived before the rounded Boker. I couldn't hold off once I had the dandy in my hand and had honed it up to pass the HHT so I shaved and wondered what I'd been afraid of.

One simple rule though, and this goes for every blade regardless of the shape or size ...
Always know where every millimetre of the edge is and what it's doing at all times.


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