Thread: New to straight shaving

Hello all,

Im 12 shaves in and the last two shaves were irritation free, and a DFS! I bought a cheap CJB NONFOLDING razor off of ebay, because ive read thats as close to a real straight as you can get. Id much rather get a traditional western style razor to practice with. Any suggestions?

Have you checked the classifieds? That would be a great place to find a quality vintage razor, shave ready and trusted people selling. If you are not on a budget then srd has lots of great supplies and customer service is great.

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+1 SRD if you're looking for new. They hone every razor so they go out with as near a perfect edge as you can get.

I'd stay away from eBay for a while, the classified here are a much safer bet if you prefer one with a little character. As long as it takes & holds a good edge it doesn't matter how new or old a razor is.

Edit: I forgot to say welcome to the world of wet shaving! You'll find some very helpful experts here (not me) who can answer just about any question you can think of.

Originally Posted by KenWeir

+1 SRD if you're looking for new. They hone every razor so they go out with as near a perfect edge as you can get.

I'd stay away from eBay for a while, the classified here are a much safer bet if you prefer one with a little character. As long as it takes & holds a good edge it doesn't matter how new or old a razor is.

Edit: I forgot to say welcome to the world of wet shaving! You'll find some very helpful experts here (not me) who can answer just about any question you can think of.

Yes I'll probably go with a SRD dovo. Because ill know its shave ready! Someone else recommended that i get a gold dallor to learn with. Because when learning to hone and strop starting out i will probably goof up a good razor.

Good choice on the srd dovo.

For stropping, it's often helpful starting out to practice with a butter knife. There are some great videos here and elsewhere that will really help you learn the proper technique.

Here's my thinking on learning to hone, and others may differ, I wouldn't argue with em.

First you need to get good at shaving. You need to be able to feel the difference between a good shaving razor and one that maybe needs just a hint of touchup. Not necessarily for that reason, but you need to shave well enough to know when you have a razor sharp enough to shave, and then when you have one that's really dialed in.

After that ideally the best razor to start on is a good quality new razor because it probably has a good bevel set and won't have any odd wear patterns to deal with, but this is the real world so I'll be realistic
I would recommend an inexpensive razor, but not a cheap one. I mean a good quality one that doesn't cost a lot. Used razors in the classifieds here often fit the bill. Make sure it odesnt have any extreme spine wear that'll make it difficult to hone. The seller and the experts here can help with that.

"As close to a real straight as you can get" is a real straight! Get one from the classifieds here. Buy an inexpensive one that is shave ready.

I would add, welcome to the group there are lots of great guys on here and will help as much as possible some beyond what is possible. I would stay away from gold dollars at all costs. Lots of guys like em and that is fine but they pose lots of issues right from the box. They can be a good razor to play with once you have a base of knowledge about what a proper razor is like. I wouldn't even recommend one to learn to hone with due to issues with spine and grind.
Also new is a great way to go but there is not one thing wrong with vintage. Looking back I wish I'd went vintage from the start. There is alot of ways to go and you just got to find what you like and get what is visually pleasing to you. Ask lots of questions always some one willing to help.

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Originally Posted by KenWeir

Good choice on the srd dovo.

For stropping, it's often helpful starting out to practice with a butter knife. There are some great videos here and elsewhere that will really help you learn the proper technique.

Here's my thinking on learning to hone, and others may differ, I wouldn't argue with em.

First you need to get good at shaving. You need to be able to feel the difference between a good shaving razor and one that maybe needs just a hint of touchup. Not necessarily for that reason, but you need to shave well enough to know when you have a razor sharp enough to shave, and then when you have one that's really dialed in.

After that ideally the best razor to start on is a good quality new razor because it probably has a good bevel set and won't have any odd wear patterns to deal with, but this is the real world so I'll be realistic
I would recommend an inexpensive razor, but not a cheap one. I mean a good quality one that doesn't cost a lot. Used razors in the classifieds here often fit the bill. Make sure it odesnt have any extreme spine wear that'll make it difficult to hone. The seller and the experts here can help with that.

I believe i get one off of lynn at Srd. That way I'll know what a sharp straight feels like. Not trying to change the subject could anybody chime in on Chromoxide powder? Ive heard it can be purchased at a place that sells lapidary supplies. I wander if its .5 micron? I was thinking of getting some and applying it to balsawood. That is when my razor needs a touchup in the future.

You can get that from srd as well. There are many ways to use chrome oxide, but for now it really isn't necessary. All you need for now are a good razor, from srd or from the classifieds here, and a strop.

There are guys with lots of knowledge on chrome oxide, I am not one. I do know there are grades suitable for razor maintenance and some that are not. Purchase it from a reputable place for sure. As stated for now a shave ready razor and quality strop should be all that is needed. A razor from srd which you mentioned is where you will go will come with a receipt for a free honing so for time being you would be set. I started with a 5/8 round point dovo which was/is a great razor and it came ready to rock. Most often prescribed is 5/8 or 6/8 round point.

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