Howdy!

[Shibsky]

I discovered Badger and Blade today, and through them, you guys! I thought I'd introduce myself. I hope you can forgive me for recycling my introductory spiel!

I'm Hugh, a student at a small college in Iowa, and for my whole life I shaved with an electric razor. It got the job done. To keep from being long winded, though, I'll just leave it at moving to a manual, loving it, hating the shaving cream, then stumbling into an Art of Shaving store near my house while home this summer.


I was absolutely hooked.


I love the experience that I now get every time I shave. Slowing down for 10-15 minutes in some hot steam is unspeakably delightful. On top of that, I'm also captivated by the dexterity, design, and style of straight razors. (Being a student at a liberal arts college means that reducing my disposable blade waste is also of interest.) With all of that in mind, I'm eager to continue my education and move on to a straight razor.


I feel like I'm perfectly positioned to have the time to learn how to shave with a straight razor now, as I don't shave every day and have spare time to dedicate to my education. I've been reading up for the past couple of weeks and while I'm definitely cowed at the buy-in I'm looking at, my face (and overall life experience) yearns for me to make the leap.


My realization on reading the materials on B&B and SRP was that shaving was no different from anything else and that I could actually do more harm than good going for a dirt-cheap initial setup. So here are my questions/pleas for direction:

1. I will always choose a high-carbon steel knife over a stainless steel, but I'm thinking that I might be better off with a cheap Dovo over a Thiers Issard, given that y'all say that a cheap of the former is superior to a cheap of the latter. And while I'm a careful person, and well prepared to look after my purchases, I know first-hand the kind of care a carbon steel implement requires. Anything to make my first straight more forgiving seems like a good idea to me.
2. Where am I best positioned to buy a shave-ready blade online? I don't have any local resources. (Within reasonable driving distance.) ((Small-town Iowa can really be a drag at times.))
3. What kind of strop/paste/stones should I be looking at picking up?
4. Will my Art of Shaving kit and brush work well with whatever blade I get? I've had fabulous results with my skin and these products, but I don't know if there is a difference for moving from a safety to a straight.

Thanks in advance for all of your help! I'm looking forward to a lifetime of damn good shaves!

After looking into your BST section, I found this razor. This is perhaps more than I need to spend, but it sure is a fine looking instrument!