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