Thread: Intro From Los Angeles

Hello All,
I decided to finally begin down the straight razor road. I'm 28 years old and for years, I have been interested in using a straight razor .

Last night I finally took the plunge and ordered from Will @ classic shaving.com -
I have always enjoyed the ritual of shaving but got sick of expensive blades and crazy waterproof electric razors. I work in the entertainment industry and work insane hours - it seems that as our world continues to speed up, we sometimes lose some of the finer points of our culture. One of my favorite memories of my father before he passed was being 15 or 16, and learning how to shave - the only thing I would change from that memory would be swapping out the Norelco for a straight razor ;-) I don't have kids yet, but when I do I would love to be able to teach my son or a nephew how to shave with a straight razor.

I ordered a white micarta SS 5/8 dovo razor set with brush and stand. I also ordered a dovo strop as well, and some shave soap. As well as the DVD of course. I hope I got a decent razor because I based it purely on looks...and I'm a fan of micarta in general. My wife is petrified, but I told her that I would do my best and try to avoid too much damage ;-)

I splurged a little bit, but it was within the range I wanted to spend. I'm looking forward to the day when I can justify (and afford) a fine custom razor. Hopefully my knowledge will grow as well so when I do own that custom, I can truly appreciate its beauty.

I believe the razor is being sent out to Lynn so I have a good reference point to start from. Is it necessary to purchase stones now or could I wait a few months and just use the strop for the time being? If needed now would one of those norton starter kits be good enough?

Just wanted to introduce myself, I'm glad I found this forum and look forward to learning as much as possible from you folks. Sorry for the long intro and any spelling/grammar mistakes

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to SRP.

fine setup - i was worried since i didn't see the sharpening mentioned, but you did that. micarta's are stainless, and that should hold up for at least few months before you need to touch it up. your wife is right to be weary - if you end up this route you
will most certainly find that one razor just isn't enough

i do not think you overspent or anything - the usuall recomendation for people is to start with a $30-$40 shave-ready razor (found only here in B/S/T - i'm joking of course but it's the most reliable sources for these), so that if you decide it is not for you you have not spent too much. the only point is that you do not need to spend a lot to try it. however if it is within your means and you are suffuciently motivated, there is nothing wrong to start with a custom made razor

I know nothing of the soap classic sells - look around the boards and see, you may need to pick up a different one (99c williams is very good, if you look at the vendor's corner you'll find the longest running thread on this board - Colleen's soaps are favorite of many here).

Anyways, feel free to ask any questions - people here are extremely helpful.

Enjoy

Welcome!

It looks like you are off to a great start! Patience and asking lots of questions here will serve to give you an amazing shaving experience! +1 on holding off on stones for now, but your approach is good - get a reference blade from Lynn so you know what it should be as ar as sharp.

Again, welcome!!!!



Greg

Thanks for the welcome!! I feel like I'm at home with this forum and I haven't even got my razor yet!

Welcome. That is a nice set-up. I think you can wait a bit to order a stone. To learn to hone you'll need a razor or two as well. Treat that as a separate subject for now. If you find you like shaving with a straight don't put off learning to hone for too long though.

Consider a little barber hone off ebay. They work pretty well most of the time if you have a razor pre-honed. They can be a good learning tool and they can keep an already honed razor sharp for, well, atleast a decade or two. . .

Welcome from me too

This place is a wealth of knowledge, so make the most of it and don’t be afraid to ask.

I am just teaching my son how to shave the proper way, I can assure you its an absolute pleasure

Welcome aboard you've come to the best place to learn how to use & maintain your straight razor.Its the advice & support here thats helped me to polish my learning curve( i'm mainly self taught so lots of trail & error). Well done on getting Lynns DVD its just like having An expert barber in your house to answer all your Questions & give you the right advice. But watch out for thr RAD as it will strike when you least expect it.Paul

Hello hs21,

I appears to me that you have done everything right. A razor honed by Lynn is the right way to start. I, who sharpens things like chisels, plane irons, and knives, thought: pffftt, I can sharpen razors too, no problem. Nope, not so fast there tenderfoot. As all the others say, "it's nice to have a reference point" for that time when we do get there, we will know where we're at. Or to where we have arrived. Or, "hmm that feels something like Lynn's edge At any rate, I've waded into hone buying and the application of steel to stone. I finally got a couple razors sharpened so that they shave comfortably, but not yet as closely as the one's Lynn has honed.

My very early attempts at shaving were with a straight edge as I watched my grandfather shave with that style of razor and thought that looked like the proper way to shave. And after many years with a beard, I've returned to straight razors for shaving as it still seems the proper way to do it. I still have that first straight edge but it is not nearly as sharp as it seemed all those years ago. Either I have a really good imagination (probably), a poor memory (doubless), or fine edges on steel evaporate It's my next candidate to try to hone.

good luck, good shaving, and it's good to have you with us, Bruce

--oh, and the soaps from Classic are the best I've tried so far; I think you'll like them.

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I'm glad my setup is decent. In terms of soaps, I purchased Taylor of Old Bond Street Shaving Soap in Wooden Bowl - Sandal wood. I also have some almond oil I purchased from e-shave a while back, would this be safe to use with a Straight razor? I'll do a search as well.

I'm a fan of Penhaligon's fragrances, but have never used their soaps. I'm very interested in trying out Colleen's soaps especially since they come so highly recommended.

I'm glad I can put off picking up an hone for a while, picking one up off a ebay sound like a good idea as well - maybe I should pick up a cheap old razor to practice the technique of honing.

I just received everything minus the razor - I'm putting the DVD in as we speak!!!!