New member, long story.

I've been doing a lot of research and kept seeing it was encouraged to do a formal introduction. I began shaving with a double edge safety razor for several months. I stopped going to sports clips for a haircut and instead went to an old school barber. The process of the shavette intrigued me, then I went to a local "man gear" store that sold brushes and soap.

After I got hooked on that I bought a shavette and have been using it for about three weeks or so. This has allowed me to shave daily with zero irritation where, before, I had to push grooming standards and shave every other day.

I'm and endless reader and was very content with the shave I was getting with the shavette, even the senseless nicks I gave myself. I was researching different soaps and splashes and crossed a thread somewhere online that was titled something like "Shaving with my new Kropp". �� This was very intriguing to me because that is my family name. Naturally I have to get one or a few for myself and one for my father. Not wanting to buy some eBay trash unknowingly lead me here to be able to inquire about what to look for and learn. This seems to be the place with the most mentions of the razors I'm looking for.

Cool site, and a wealth of information.

Welcome, very nice story. Sounds like your exploring different aveneues and products. You won't find a nicer bunch of gents on the internet here. I see you mentioned shaving soaps, well, we have an entire section devoted to just that. I've never used a shavette but I'm sure many have. I've been using a straight razor for oh, maybe two years now? Then, I had to start collecting them, trying new soaps and creams etc...
Climb aboard, grab a coffee, and do your favorite thing to do, reading... Good luck!!:beer1:

Hello and welcome to SRP!
You'll find a lot of great people and tons of straight razor of knowledge here on the forum.
You like to read, so check out the library.
Enjoy your time here and have fun!

Pete <:-}

Welcome to SRP. Kropp are a well regarded razor. Use the search box, plenty of information about them here.

Sent from a moto x far far away...

I shaved with a disposable blade razor once, the kind the barbers use to shave your neck when you get your hair cut, figured I would use it as my travel razor..........worst shave I ever had, should have used a cheese grater! No doubt it was poor technique on my part and would probably taken some practice to get it right but I figured I didn't have enough blood to lose while learning, gave the razor to my barber.

To me, shavettes can be more difficult to use than a straight.
Shavettes - depending on the design and the choice of blade - can have dangerous, sharp corners, can be unwieldy, and can be too light.
Kropp made very fine razors. They show up for sale on this site.
There is nothing wrong with buying on ebay. You just need to know what you are looking at and who the vendor is.

Welcome to SRP!!
A lot of great folks an info here

Enjoy and have fun!

Welcome to the forum. I have had several barber shop shaves, I have a Weck Sextoblade disposable blade razor and several straight razors. I can get a better shave with my hand than most barbers, however the rest of the service that you get while getting a hot shave is not possible by yourself. I still go when I am traveling. It does not matter what your choice of razor is, you can always perfect your technique and learn about new scents and products here, and tell about them too. I hope you can find the perfect straight for you and your father.

Hi and welcome. Kropp made a good razor and you will get great shaves from one. As said ebay isn't bad but you do need to know what you are looking at. You want to find one with no rust, minimal spine wear, no warping or cracking of the blade or scales. Keep reading and you will figure it out soon enough. If in doubt you can always ask.

Welcome to the absolute very best forum on the internet. There's so much information/advice/tips on here, you couldn't possibly read it all - and it's always getting added to! Where are you from? You can do a search and find a mentor nearby who would possibly help you with honing, stropping etc. One to one mentoring is priceless, saving hours of trial and error.

Kropp razors are fairly readily available, just be choosey. Don't jump at the first one you see. Take your time to ensure you're getting a good one. Best of luck!

Definitely get yourself a Kropp razor. I'll wager that you'll enjoy shaving with a straight razor much more than a shavette. IMHO, the shavette is a compromise, and the straight razor will do a better job. Just my $0.02. You can always post questions on the Forum if you are not sure about a particular eBay offering. Folks here have great eyes and know what to see in terms of defects and gotchas. Good luck!

Thanks for all of the welcomes. I've looked through eBay a bit and find several of the Kropp razors, several appear to be in very good condition. My concern is when they're being sold from Japan. Being new to all of this I have no clue but, are there counterfeit vintage razors around?

I haven't heard of any counterfeit razors. Cheap current production crap from China and Pakistan but no fakes. Tell us the seller and likely someone has used them and can let you know

I bought a Freidr. Herder Sohn straight razor from ebay seller japannippon in Japan and am very satisfied with razor and shipping. He charges $14.00 shipping but you get it in a week, pretty darn fast for coming out of Japan! He also has a very good Feedback rating. Would buy from this seller again.

When you get your razor you will want to get it professionally honed. Most sellers are not honers but some are. Ask here and someone will know if the blade will come shave ready.

Goof luck!

Welcome, enjoy your journey