>Insert newbie sounding topic name!<

Hello all; I'm sure this is an age old question that's been asked about a billion times; so I'm just going to tack it on here. I've been looking to get my first straight razor; get into the craft. (I've always been fascinated by pointy sharp things, and the modern BS has been wearing on my last nerve)

So, I'm looking to get something that'll last, and be usable while I learn the art. I've looked online, and always get conflicting answers/reviews.

I refer to the gurus of the subject; what should I make my first SR?

i would start with one of the mid to high end Dovos.

Hi Dreekalovich,

Welcome to the forum!

You might want to check out the beginners tips that can be found by selecting the Library button in this website's header. For your convenience here's a link:

Straight Razor Place Library:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Library

Have fun!

Jeff

I've pretty much skimmed a lot of that stuff already; I've heard whipped dog or gemstars, I've hear stay away from them, I've heard straightrazors.com, I've heard stay away from them! Hence my complete and total confusion on the matter :) lol

I suggest going to the classifieds here at SRP or buying a new one from Straight Razor Designs.
I have done business with Gemstar Customs.. I received a quality razor with a very nice edge. I've never heard anything negative about them and wouldn't hesitate to do business with them again.

I understand your confusion. There are many many opinions out there. So in an attempt to straighten out some things.
Gemstars Customs, the best of the best, and one of the most experienced restorers out there, and a great person.
Whipped Dog, there you will fond a lot of conflict. Some hate his business model others fan boy him. To be honest he has a large number of people that have bought and have been very happy customers.
The classifieds here should not be overlooked. There is often killers deals and some great entry razors.
Straight Razor Designs is the owner of this forum, so it is doubtful you will find bad opinions here. They also have a ver very large following, I'm guessing for very good reason. The founder seems like a reasonable person with some mad honing skills. They also offer all of the other sundry items at very competitive prices. Although without knowing what country you are in it is hard to make really bang on recommendations. In Canada there are a few more places to shop, probably the best place for straights is Classic Edge, and again great edges and good prices on the sundry supplies.

My first razor was a whipped dog sight-unseen and easily the best $43 I could have spent at that time. It was a no-name razor (TS Stewart & Co) and the spine has significant hone wear, but it arrived ready to shave, for real.

Knowing the razor was good to go, I was able to focus on getting my lather to the right consistency (bad lather can make it feel like your razor is dull), and work on stropping skills.

Once you get a good shave going and you aren't slicing up a strop, you can move up to a higher end razor.

Draekalovich,
A smaller blade like a 5/8 is easier to control and strop for someone starting out. A thumb notch makes stropping more difficult but if the tang has jimps that's a plus for you . A round point would be a good starting shape to buy in the beginning. I like the advice from Leatherstockings; look at the classifieds here on the forum. Good luck!

Thanks all for the advice!

@RezDog; to clarify I'm one of the 'Murricans. It's been decidedly hard to get away from 'mainstream' as a result; with the exception of a few out of the way places (which I have yet to actually find) buying 'local' is...pretty much impossible. I'm sure if I put the research into it I'd find *something*, but that something is likely several hours away; lol.

@SwampRat: I'll consider it! What did you do for a brush and strop to start with though?

@MisterClean: Yeah, from what I've been reading I've been looking (almost exclusively) for that magic number 5/8. How does the size change the strop?

Draekalovich, it would be good, very, very good if you would list where in 'Murrica you are located. That would allow us to see who might be closest to you and willing to sit down with you and go over the necessities and procedures of getting going in this craft. We have a goodly number of Mentors and Senior Members that are always up for a sit down mentoring session. Believe me, it can cut a bunch of time off the learning curve. Many Mentors and Members are also happy to mentor via eMail if necessary.

Glad that you being critical, at this point, in doubting of the validity of some suggestions.

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Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Draekalovich, it would be good, very, very good if you would list where in 'Murrica you are located. That would allow us to see who might be closest to you and willing to sit down with you and go over the necessities and procedures of getting going in this craft. We have a goodly number of Mentors and Senior Members that are always up for a sit down mentoring session. Believe me, it can cut a bunch of time off the learning curve. Many Mentors and Members are also happy to mentor via eMail if necessary.

Glad that you being critical, at this point, in doubting of the validity of some suggestions.

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Pennsylvania; I added it to my location after RezDog pointed that bit out ;) Or at least made it plain to me that location in this regard is kind of important.

Here is a member in PA. Not sure if he is near you: avatar1999 (SC PA, Chambersburg area) (Hagerstown, MD area). Wouldn't hurt to send him a PM at any rate and see if he can be of assistance either, or both, in person or by eMail.

Good luck.

Thank you!

For 50 dollars you can find a shave ready good quality and good condition vintage razor in theclassifieds here. Buying in good condition means it won't have geometry or hone wear issues that will make it easier to maintain. Whipped dog has a good reputation for shave ready razors but you won't know what you get and it will likely have hone wear and or geometry issues. For a 100ish SRD and a Ralf Aust razor would be hard to beat.

If you let us know your budget we can help maybe more. I have used SRD before as has many members and the package deals that they do are hard to beat for price and quality.

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Originally Posted by Draekalovich

@SwampRat: I'll consider it! What did you do for a brush and strop to start with though?

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For $95 I bought the sight-unseen shave-ready razor, poor man's strop kit, and a pure badger brush. Delivered.
The brush was better than expected. It has never shed. I went back and bought a larger super later with good results.

Well, to tell you where I'm at/been looking at, the first one (s) i was looking at was a gold dollar, or the "Damascus steel heirloom quality" Kit. Then i did some research and found them less then shave ready ;)

What do you guys think of this Kit?

https://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/5...ll-hollow.html

There are over a dozen, super nice razors in the classified, under $150. About 8, are under 100.

There is a very nice Henkels 473, satin finished, worked spine, shave ready, that would be a corner stone of any rotation.

You don't need to go overseas to get a good beginner's kit. Look at SRD for starter's gear.

The forum classifieds, Straight Razor Designs and Whipped dog are all very good places to get a shave ready razor. Stay away from the Ebay Chinese razors as they almost all need honing to be usable.

If possible try and find someone local on the forum, most of us like helping new users and might even have some razors to sell and the one on one help will be invaluable

Whatever you decide, I would strongly recommend a professionally honed razor from a reputable site. It doesn't matter if you get a 40 or a 400 dollar blade; if it's not sharp it will not do what's its supposed to do.

Personally to start - as mentioned hit the Classifieds for a shave ready razor.

IMO - stay away from Dovo, just seems to be too many QA issues with them these days. I had two, now I have one, a newer model Bismarck, and it's just won't hold and edge, three different well known pro honers, and it's dog...would never recommend them these days...IMO of course.

my 2 cents: I have 2 straights. one from the classifieds here, and one from SRD. I love them both, they have served me well.
My suggestion is to first browse the classifieds. but before you buy anything, start asking questions, lots of them. you will start to make new aquaintances, and soon you will find a mentor. with that persons knowledge at your side you can make a much more solid purchase. They can tell you things you might not think of. You can show them your razor of interest, and they can help you understand why it is (or isnt) worth its price. the guidance is a huge help. in my experience, asking a group will always leave you with 10 answers. and little real help. thats not to say that a mentor is a knower of all and other opinions are moot. . . just that a good mentor wont TELL you what you should buy, but rather give you the tools to make your own choice, and if they dont know something. . . they will know someone who does.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shavetime

my 2 cents: I have 2 straights. one from the classifieds here, and one from SRD. I love them both, they have served me well.
My suggestion is to first browse the classifieds. but before you buy anything, start asking questions, lots of them. you will start to make new aquaintances, and soon you will find a mentor. with that persons knowledge at your side you can make a much more solid purchase. They can tell you things you might not think of. You can show them your razor of interest, and they can help you understand why it is (or isnt) worth its price. the guidance is a huge help. in my experience, asking a group will always leave you with 10 answers. and little real help. thats not to say that a mentor is a knower of all and other opinions are moot. . . just that a good mentor wont TELL you what you should buy, but rather give you the tools to make your own choice, and if they dont know something. . . they will know someone who does.

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Pretty solid advice; mostly why I've been posting here ;) hehe

How much are you looking to spend?

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

How much are you looking to spend?

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I was hoping for about $100 (or there about); and about just as much for the rest of the kit'n'kaboodle. (AKA about 200ish, give or take; I'm taking into account I need nice things like a brush, shaving soap/cream etc, and a strop)

Bump! Are bumps even allowed on here? XD

Well in that case the SRD kits might be a good starting point. I personally don't have any experience of their products/ service but they are highly regarded and i dont think anyone has has a bad experience dealing with them that i have read about.
The beauty of their strops is that the surfaces are replaceable so if you damage it or want to try something different it will cost about the same as a cheap strop.
The Ralf Aust razors seem to be the most recommended and as for soaps, brushes etc you will have to decide.
Have a chat with the guys there about what you are looking for and the best value upgrades i am sure they will be glad to assist

You CAN pick up a Van Der Hagen soap set at walgreens (walmart, CVS) for around $10 which has a puck of decent soap and a perfectly fine boar brush and bowl to get you going.

Van Der Hagen Premium Shave Set | Walgreens

After a bit of research, I just started with a Dovo Best Quality 5/8 and Strop Set from SRD.

They will give your razor a final hone and stropping to assure that it really IS "shave ready".
They also include a free honing when your razor needs it.

My primary decision was: Do I get a Dovo or a Boker?

Hey,

Thanks for the responses but, could you guys give a price range for the SRs your recommending, where we could find them (online or at a real store) and how difficult they are to acquire?

-Tom