Newbie considering moving to Straight

Hi all !
Very nice place here. I've been around the forum (especially newbie's corner) since a while now, and I decided myself to register, and create my first thread !!

I was very impressed, such a good well-being sensation, when a classic barber shaved me in Italy (I live in France, and such barbers are way less common), once in my Family town, and once in Venice (what a dream :) ).

I want now to switch to Straight Shaving, for the potential, the unlimited capabilitiés, and this well-being, and sweetness of my skin :)

I'm considering buying a Thiers Issard 6/8. As I'm in Europe, I know ClassicShaving, website that is advised in the Biblical topic in this corner, sells overseas, with a rather low shipping costs.

What do you think of my choice ?
Are TI in ClassicShaving ready to shave (honed ?)

What Leather Strop do you advise me for beginning ?

I'm not shaving myself everyday, but sometimes once a week, sometimes 3 times a week, sometimes everyday. Does a Straight fit these constraints ?
Would that change the leather strop kind ?

Is there a difference to shave a one-week's beard, or a one-day's one, technically speaking, on a straight razor point of view ?

Anyway, thanks a lot to everyone !!!


By the way, very very nice website and forum !!! :bow

Welcome,

TI razors are well regarded. Shaving on occasion or every day is perfect for a straight. A straight can shave a 4 day beard better than other razors in my opinion.

You'll need to send the TI through the sharpening service. I would order a strop through classicshaving that fits your budget, they are all pretty nice. Save on shipping and order everything you need from them.

Welcome aboard.

Since you're from France I guess the choice of TI is non-negotiable, right :) Can't go wrong with them, though. One thing to consider is that when importing your razor back to France you may have to pay customs & VAT. If you purchase from a european supplier that'll be already included in the price and the razor may get faster to you. I wouldn't be surprised if you can even find a TI locally to you.

But then the honing problem remains and if the razor doesn't come shave-ready you'll probably have to find somebody to hone it for you.

Ordering from CS has the advantage that it'll come shave-ready (make sure to add the honing to your purchase). In any case if I were you I'd wait for somebody from the european members to respond as well.

First, thanks ! :)
Hmmm...concerning the VAT+customs tax, you're right !
But I'm struggling to find any website based in Europe. I guess I'll go and search locally for a Razor seller...but I'm afraid that it will be far much more expensive than CS + Shipping Costs + Tax (although no idea of the price ?...)

Thanks for your support :)

Bienvenue mon bon mec!
Either choice is going to be OK. You can go with ClassicShaving.com especially if the shipping isn't too bad. I would definitely recommend that you start with a well honed razor, so that you can be sure it is ready for your first try. TI razors are considered some of the finest - I am sure that you'll be happy with it. There are several Belgians that are active in the forum who can help you as well.
Bonne Chance!

http://www.en.nassrasur.com/ This is a link to a German board about straight razors that may be of some help. Don't forget to keep us informed at SRP how your quest is going.

just started a week ago, you definately want a honed razor. i found its good for every day, and it will remove a full beard easily, almost too easily as my beard line is shrinking. i started with a paddle strop which looks like it will be fine for quite awhile though i wil be picking up a hone and full sized strop down the road. i bought thru shavingshop.com

I'm in the UK and I've used Classicshaving several times for razors. Their shipments usually get intercepted by Customs and so usually I get charged VAT, damn them and their 100% honest declarations!

One thing I noticed though, if you opt for the Classicshaving sharpening service, the razors come via Lynn Abrams. Now I'm not sure if it's the handwritten labels that Lynn writes, or whether he's 'economical with the truth' on the customs declarations, but packages from him often come in 'under the radar'. So if you opted for the sharpening service, it's possible it'd be cheaper then just getting the razor alone from Classicshaving + import duty. If you see what I mean. ;)

These guys also sell Thiers Issard razors and are based in Europe, however their razors are not hand honed so can't really be called shave ready. You could always buy a razor from them and get it sent to forums members LX_Emergency or Bruno who both live in Europe and do honing.

For strops, my personal recommendation would be one from Tony Miller, he has loads of fans on here. :)

Good luck, and welcome to the forum. :tu

Hey thanks a lot for all your advices.

I'll buy my TI at ClassicShave.
If I ask prehoning service as well will it go through the expert hands of M.Lynn Abrams ? Or should I receive it, and send it back to him?..

I was considering as well buying this strop :

http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...944/196039.htm
"DOVO Prima Rindleder Strop"

What do you think of this ? With a Thiers-Issard "Evide Sonnant Extra" Black, 6/8
Thanks a lot for your great help ! :bow

If you order the razor + sharpening from Classicshaving (you have to add the sharpening service as an extra item), the razor will go from them - to Lynn for honing - then from Lynn directly to you.

Classicshaving used to charge an extra "split order fee" (I think to cover 2 lots of postage) of about $4.50 for people who did this, but on the last couple of razors I bought they didn't charge me any extra, I'm not sure if they dropped that idea.

Best thing is to just place the order and if they want to charge you the extra they'll send you an email.

The razor you mention should be fine, though I've not personally tried one. I'm not sure how much your budget can stretch but if you can afford one of TI's 'Silver Steel' razors it'll be (probably) a much better razor. I've had 4 or 5 and they've all been superb.

The strop you mention is fine, sure. But IMO you'd be far better off buying a strop from Tony Miller. His strops are considerably better made than Dovo strops, and very comparable in price. His site doesn't list shipping to Europe on the checkout, so just send him an email or PM saying what you need and he'll send you a Paypal invoice.

HTH

:)

Bienvenue Modano!

As the Thiers-Issard razors are made in France, I would think you could find one cheaper than in the US and have it sent to Bruno (Belgium) or LX (Netherlands) for honing. I must agree with the recommendations on Tony's strops - amazing quality and results! You may also look at shaving brushes (made in Germany or England) or the huge variety of soaps (made in the US my SRP members Colleen or MamaBear) or commercial brands made in the US, Italy, and England.

All the information and guidance you will need you should be able to find here!

Again, welcome!

:tu

Ciao,

Greg

I am new to the world of straight razor shaving but want to become an expert. Can anyone recomend a cheap but effective first time razor as I learn the basics. I have been looking at a Cyril R Salter razor!! Has anyone had any experience with them?
Thanks :)

Hey Stagga, welcome!

Another Kentish man (or is that man of Kent?:shrug: )! You're in good company here, there's a few of us in the UK. I think your closest neighbour would be Tonyspurs on the Isle of Sheppey.

My advice would be to buy something from Classicshaving with the honing service (which is sourced to Lynn). The range at Classic is extensive and you'll get better straights for the same money. Cyril Salter is fine, but I think they're just Dovos rebranded. Might as well go for the real thing, especially with the exchange rates the way they are.

But the main reason is to get your first blade honed professionally. If you buy from Carter&Bond (for example) in the UK, you'll get a blade which is not shave-ready. They may claim it is, but believe me it is highly unlikely. And there's nothing worse than trying your first straight shave on a relatively dull blade. It'll probably end up putting you off entirely.

Hope things go well for you. (You'll also need a strop. Suggest you check out Tony Miller's site -- you won't get better quality or better value.)

Cheers
Mark

P.S. I used to live in Canterbury for 10 years. Started off in school just outside Canterbury in a village called Sturry, then moved to the 'senior school' inside the old city walls -- as a local you'll probably know which one I'm talking about. Then spent a year living in a flat just off the old kent road. Haven't been back for some time... is the Three Tuns pub still there?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Modano

I was considering as well buying this strop :

http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...944/196039.htm
"DOVO Prima Rindleder Strop"

What do you think of this ?

---

I bought that exact strop from CS. Whilst it is a little thin width-wise for my tastes and perhaps a little short it serves the purpose well. good quality linen too.

P.S. I used to live in Canterbury for 10 years. Started off in school just outside Canterbury in a village called Sturry, then moved to the 'senior school' inside the old city walls -- as a local you'll probably know which one I'm talking about. Then spent a year living in a flat just off the old kent road. Haven't been back for some time... is the Three Tuns pub still there?[/quote]

Hey Mark... When I say Canterbury I mean a village called Aylesham. You may of heard of the place. About 8miles down the road from Canterbury.... And yes I can safely say the Three Tuns pub is still standing and one of my favourite water-holes on a saturday night!!...Thanks for the advise aswell! Just looking at the Thier Issard classicshaving now. Will I have to pay import??

VAT and import fee from Parcelforce is often luck of the draw. I nearly always seem to get hammered for it, but others have had theirs get through without being stung.

Both Iwan and I have found that ordering through Classic and getting the honing service often gets around the whole import duty thing. Classic routes the goods through to Lynn first. Lynn then posts to you once he has honed. For whatever reason, customs seem to overlook Lynn-ified packages.

You have come to a very special corner of the world. The next country over from you is where the finest razor hones in the world are mined. Vielsalm, Belgium. The Ardennes Forest has been the home of these stone quarries since the 1600s and the coticules and blue stones produce excellent edges on razors. Use a strop afterwards and you'll be shaving clean in no time.

My favorite restaurant in Paris is Le Procope on the Rive Gauche. Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin had tables there.

This is all well and good. We all buy German and French razors, use them in the UK and Belgium and all points elsewhere, and admire the razors and locales greatly, but I must ask who else here can speak Minnesotan?";"

ya sure, you betcha, Bruce;)

I get about a day and a half out of a straight razor shave. If I shave every other day, I do notice it's easier to shave VERY smoothly and I think it has to do with the length of the stubble and my beard type. Beard type is very variable and would dictate your results. Best advice: Try It!

Just wondering what anyones thoughts and experiences are about alum blocks.
Being new to straight shaving (and only 23 years old) do I need to use a block of alum after shaving?? I hear it dries the skin so can you follow it with a quality aftershave balm??
thanks
Rick

I shave every 2 - 3 days.
Alum is good if you are an SM kind of guy and enjoy pain. ;) I never use it. Others do. It's a matter of preference.

Btw, you might be surprised about the price difference between the US and Europe. Those things come from here but the euro is much stronger than teh dollar.

I live in Belgium (duh) and the coticule quarry is only 100 km from here. The get sold in a couple of places, including the 'koordenwinkel' in antwerp.
Now, I check this a couple of times, but it is cheaper for me to order a coticule from howard than in antwerp. And that includes shipping.

So that piece of stone is packaged, sent to the US, shipped back to Belgium (insured), the money changes hands 2 or 3 times and there are currency conversions in between, and is is STILL cheaper than what I would pay for the same stone in the shop. and that excludes the money I 'd have to spend on gas to driver to the shop.

In fact, I haven't checked but if you compare prices between shavingshop.com (Belgium) and classicshaving.com(US), I would be surprised if classicshaving is not a lot cheaper.

I use an alum block every now and again. It does tighten things up. It also tingles some when you use it. I actually like using it, I just forget I have it.