Do I Even Need a Straight?

Hi everyone. I'm totally new. So new, in fact, that I don't even own a straight razor. However, I love the idea of using one. There are a dozen reasons why I'd rather have one over a disposable, but I won't get into that here.

The reason I'm on this forum is that I don't even know if I should be getting one. I don't have much facial hair (only the goatee/fumanchu). However, my goatee is relatively dense, so, is it still worth it? I tend to think it is, but maybe some other people who don't have much facial hair can speak from experience? I just wanted recommendations--should I still get a straight razor?

Another topic is this: I HATE poor quality tools. If I were to purchase a straight razor, I am looking to get one that will last. I don't care if I never use it again. I'd rather buy a quality blade and never use it, than purchase one that can't cut paper and then get turned off from shaving because of a poor product. So, my question is this--how much should I be looking to spend to get a quality razor, professionally sharpened, along with a nice, quality strop?

Thank you so much for contributing to this forum! Where would we be without the internet? :-)

Tom

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Originally Posted by korean_fabio

Where would we be without the internet? :-)

Tom

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Haha, we'd be paying a lot less for hard-to-find razors

_fabio,

Cost? $205.94 + shippping.

Hi Tom, welcome.

Either you want to try it or you don't. You'll answer that question for yourself eventually. If all you care about is a good shave for less money, consider a DE. If the less tangible qualities of the straight appeal to you, go for it.

There are many good quality razors around. You don't have to spend a fortune to get one. You can browse the Buy/Sell/Trade forum here to get a sense of the vintage blades available. You can also buy a new Dovo or TI from one of the vendors well spoken of here. If you buy one, I suggest you get it professionally honed. Eventually, you'll need to learn to hone or be prepared to send your razor(s) out for honing from time to time. If you look at some of the Sticky posts, you'll get a lot of good info.

Jordan

A lot of it (shaving w/ straight) comes down to personal preference. Many people find that it's easier on their skin to use a straight w/ thick lathers. Or they simply like the feeling of doing something the old way. Even those with little facial hair probably get a closer shave w/ a straight than they would with a disposable. There are tons of reasons why straights are better than anything in the world. (well not EVERYTHING I guess)

As far as what you should expect to pay, it's all over the board man! I got a great quality Geneva 5/8 Spike, shave-ready, for $30. Many people like to purchase the high end Dovos which cost anywhere $100+. The point is to find something that YOU LIKE, and that fits you. Watch the B/S/T. There's good deals there all the time.

EDIT: LOL, slow typing again! This time Jordan beat me... GRR

Hi, I'm very new to shaving with an open/straight/cut throat razor too.
There are actually a couple of pleasures to be had from this type of shaving. The first being the "wet shave", nice old fashioned high quality soaps, hot towels or face cloths. pre-shave oils. a little face massage maybe!, then lather up some soap with a brush made from a badgers chest hair, applied to your face to make your hair stand on end. Then there is the hardware!! You could choose a "cheap" vintage blade hand made by a guy long dead, neglected by a couple of generations of throwaway people, polished and brought back to life/service by yourself and a guy who knows how to hone a lump of pig-iron into one of the sharpest blades you'll ever see or feel. Or buy a new one either a very well made blade, a custom work of art or one of Maestro Livi's excellent regrounds.
Then try to throw it all together and have a clean, fresh set of chops a baby would envy, without cutting yourself too badly.
I've enjoyed it, and I haven't tried a custom yet!
Try it, it is an experience worth at least trying.
best wishes Marcus

My pleasure.

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Originally Posted by Bruce

_fabio,

Cost? $205.94 + shippping.

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You want him to shave with a romance cover model?

Welcome to the SRP!:)

Lots of good advice here so far. Just one main thing to remember is to have your razor both honed and shave tested.
The only real test is the shave test.

Keep us posted on how it goes for you.:)

Hey There Tom,

I hope all is well with you. I to am a newbie, expecting to do my first shave this Sunday, still awaiting some supplies in the mail…

To answer your questions (in my own way) I think the best answer I can give you is my own setup/experience with straight razor shaving so far.

First, you need a … straight razor. I got mine from classicshaving.com, you can check it out here. A nice razor, no decorative handle or anything, but a good strong blade. Next, you need to have it sharpened. It just so happens that Classicshaving.com makes that easy to do. They employ a sharpening service run none other than by Lynn Abrams, the guy who started straightrazorplace.com. Should you get the razor referred to above or any razor from classichsaving.com be sure to purchase the service and mention in the comment box to send the razor to Lynn. Or purchase your razor from wherever, purchase Lynn’s service at classhaving.com and send him the razor.

Now that you have the razor and the sharpening covered, maybe a strop, as you so pointed out. I like the hanging strops like this one and that one and don’t forget a little conditioner for the strop, use very sparingly. I also strongly suggest watching the video that Lynn Abrams made, you can also buy that at classicshaving.com right here. Of course, besides the sharp straight razor and strop, brushes, shaving cream and aftershave are also necessary. I won’t get into my favorites at this time (as I have only tried one type of each). I am presently engaged in shaving with a MACH 3, but using all the other pleasures of straight shaving (badger brush, shaving cream/soap, (no more blue Gillette foam for me as about a month ago) and aftershave.) If you wish for more specific information on which type of badger brush/shaving cream/aftershave to use…you should start a new thread or check out a few others by doing a search of the appropriate forum.

I also recommend a pre-shave oil. I find this one to be very nice. Oil helps to soften up the beard. Do not be scared of the price, only one pump from the bottle is necessary for your shave, only one. Thus, a 60ml bottle should last 9-12 months or so if you shave every day. Also, be sure after applying the oil, as Lynn states in his video, to dry your hands, the oil will make your fingers very slippery.

Hope this gets you started at least....

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Originally Posted by shaverdude

Hey There Tom,

I hope all is well with you. I to am a newbie, expecting to do my first shave this Sunday, still awaiting some supplies in the mail…

To answer your questions (in my own way) I think the best answer I can give you is my own setup/experience with straight razor shaving so far.

First, you need a … straight razor. I got mine from classicshaving.com, you can check it out here. A nice razor, no decorative handle or anything, but a good strong blade. Next, you need to have it sharpened. It just so happens that Classicshaving.com makes that easy to do. They employ a sharpening service run none other than by Lynn Abrams, the guy who started straightrazorplace.com. Should you get the razor referred to above or any razor from classichsaving.com be sure to purchase the service and mention in the comment box to send the razor to Lynn. Or purchase your razor from wherever, purchase Lynn’s service at classhaving.com and send him the razor.

Now that you have the razor and the sharpening covered, maybe a strop, as you so pointed out. I like the hanging strops like this one and that one and don’t forget a little conditioner for the strop, use very sparingly. I also strongly suggest watching the video that Lynn Abrams made, you can also buy that at classicshaving.com right here. Of course, besides the sharp straight razor and strop, brushes, shaving cream and aftershave are also necessary. I won’t get into my favorites at this time (as I have only tried one type of each). I am presently engaged in shaving with a MACH 3, but using all the other pleasures of straight shaving (badger brush, shaving cream/soap, (no more blue Gillette foam for me as about a month ago) and aftershave.) If you wish for more specific information on which type of badger brush/shaving cream/aftershave to use…you should start a new thread or check out a few others by doing a search of the appropriate forum.

I also recommend a pre-shave oil. I find this one to be very nice. Oil helps to soften up the beard. Do not be scared of the price, only one pump from the bottle is necessary for your shave, only one. Thus, a 60ml bottle should last 9-12 months or so if you shave every day. Also, be sure after applying the oil, as Lynn states in his video, to dry your hands, the oil will make your fingers very slippery.

Hope this gets you started at least....

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+1 on this! This is the perfect newb-to-newb intro to straight shaving. :tu

No.

You can grow your beard to biblical proportions before you either hang yourself on that celibate rope, or your S/O uses it to strangle you...

You can keep doing what you're doing now. I'm guessing some cartridge system than contributes to the 100+ foot cube of yearly waste that is disposable shaving bits... not including the packaging that accompanies it, probably 2-3x that volume entering the waste stream.

No. You don't need a straight razor.

The better question is... do I want a straight razor?

Look in your heart of hearts... I suspect you know the answer. Being able to shave with an instrument that makes surgical scalpels blush has its own rewards. Not contributing copious amounts of garbage to the environment is a good thing, too. I would have said saving money is a bonus, but you must be disciplined. One can quickly and easily contract the dreaded *AD (RAD = razor acquisition disorder, hone acquisition disorder), which can become expensive fast. Let's not even talk about restoration, with its panoply of hand and power tools, exotic scale materials, and let's not forget, vibratory tumblers :)

You get my drift... do you want a straight razor? If the answer is yes, you can set yourself up for well under $100 with a razor and strop and be off to the races with quality, perhaps vintage, equipment. And if you learn to hone yourself, you can buy storied, quality razors of dubious edge sharpness and bring them back to life yourself... How does a Wade and Butcher *and* a Levering "The Artist" sound for under $20 delivered? :) Oh yes, *AD is a heartless mistress.

Thankfully, I don't think I've spent more than $100 *total* and I have a stable of over a dozen razors now :) Not very expensive for a socially required ritual (shaving, that is) that has turned into a wonderful hobby, full of characters and great advice for the asking!

And last but not least, welcome! You've landed in a terrific place!

I love your post, Paulo. Just great.

I started the straight shave about 1 year ago. I've been away from this great place for probably 11 months.

My growth is not a full beard (all be it I'm a fully grown man):roflmao and is strange in the way it grows at double the speed on the right hand side of my face. :shrug: As such the use of a straight is definitely the way to go. I know your's is probably slightly different in that you want a goatee. There is nothing more awful (in my own personal opinion of course) than shaving with a cartridge razor to find that 10 hours later, one side of your face has stubble and the other doesn't.

I purchased a Wapienica, and then a few more because, althought I've not experienced anyhing else I think they are great (so easy to hone even for a newbie [managed to hone one after watching you tube and get a perfect comfortable shave if you dont include the inch red line where I pressed too hard])

You say you want the best and will pay over the odds for it. Honestly I'm the same and buy all the latest gadgets knowing that in a few months they will be half the price but in this instance DONT DO IT :nono: .

Buy yourself one of these razors, strop and a hone from ebay or private message wojtec76, [He's open_razor on ebay]. I can alomst gaurantee that after getting this and having it professionally honed (there are plenty of great guys in here to do it (I used steelforge from the UK and he did such a great job of sharpening and repairing it [after I royally cocked it up like the stupid Labour governmant do with everythign]) you will never go back.

At that point make your decision. Buy a really expensive razor / Hone / strop, continue with the cheap but great wapienica set you can get from Open_razor / wojtec76 or go back to the modern but boring and may I say it :cen cartridge set.

Rambling - Yeah I know but really mate. Do it. I'm sure you'll never look back

good posts already - and you answered your own question - if you love the idea (as you say) - get one! (if you can, that is - many here find they can't get just one :shrug: )

Cheers
Ivo

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Originally Posted by 250316

I started the straight shave about 1 year ago. I've been away from this great place for probably 11 months.

My growth is not a full beard (all be it I'm a fully grown man):roflmao and is strange in the way it grows at double the speed on the right hand side of my face. :shrug: As such the use of a straight is definitely the way to go. I know your's is probably slightly different in that you want a goatee. There is nothing more awful (in my own personal opinion of course) than shaving with a cartridge razor to find that 10 hours later, one side of your face has stubble and the other doesn't.

I purchased a Wapienica, and then a few more because, althought I've not experienced anyhing else I think they are great (so easy to hone even for a newbie [managed to hone one after watching you tube and get a perfect comfortable shave if you dont include the inch red line where I pressed too hard])

You say you want the best and will pay over the odds for it. Honestly I'm the same and buy all the latest gadgets knowing that in a few months they will be half the price but in this instance DONT DO IT :nono: .

Buy yourself one of these razors, strop and a hone from ebay or private message wojtec76, [He's open_razor on ebay]. I can alomst gaurantee that after getting this and having it professionally honed (there are plenty of great guys in here to do it (I used steelforge from the UK and he did such a great job of sharpening and repairing it [after I royally cocked it up like the stupid Labour governmant do with everythign]) you will never go back.

At that point make your decision. Buy a really expensive razor / Hone / strop, continue with the cheap but great wapienica set you can get from Open_razor / wojtec76 or go back to the modern but boring and may I say it :cen cartridge set.

Rambling - Yeah I know but really mate. Do it. I'm sure you'll never look back

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I would have to agree about the wapi blades. I have two and a double arrow, and although they are all great shavers I like the weight of the wapi better. I also like the smaller blade as I think it's easier to shave with. All told I have 3 razors, strop, 3 soaps, 2 mugs, two hones, and that's about it. I don't think I paid more than $200. total probably more like $150. Anyway get one you will not regret it and happy shaving.