New Interest in Shaving

Hello, everyone!
Although I am eighteen and have been shaving regularly for a long time now, but my interest in shaving has been peaked recently. I received a free Gillette Fusion razor in a mail a few days after my birthday, and I can say I never knew how good shaving could feel until after my first shave with the Fusion. I had been using cheap disposable razors for a long time, and I never felt that clean feeling after shaving before.

After my father got an old Gillette Fat Boy as a present, and he had been raving about how close it shaves, I started researching about closer shaves. I took one look at a straight razor and I knew that I wanted to try it.

I wanted to know what everyone would suggest for me. I haven't been able to find any straight razors in any stores, and the stores online are very, very expensive, although I know they are not cheap. I am a college student, and I'm having to pay my way through with a low-pay part-time job, so I can't afford much, but I do want something of high quality. Any suggestions on other supplies would be great. I also would like any websites any of you may have that will help me in learning how to shave with straight razors.

Thank all of you for reading, and thanks in advance for the information.

David

Welcome to SRP,

Take the time to read through the stickies and some of the threads esp. in this section and you will find out that most people come here with questions similar to yours.
If your budget isn't much you will probably have to make some trade offs. Usually you can pick a shave-ready razor from the Classifieds here and it will cost you significantly less than a brand new razor of the same or lesser quality, but may have some cosmetic issues. If you have trouble deciding you can always ask for advice.

The classifieds! Where else can you find a $100 razor ready to shave with for $50?

http://straightrazorpalace.com/classifieds

Our tireless forum admin, dwessel (da bomb) gives us great, free platforms like this so SRP members can take advantage of each other's generosity and goodwill :D
welcome and if you have any questions at all, ask gugi :)

Hi David, welcome to SRP! You have asked some very good questions. Although your focus has been on the razors themselves, may I point you in some other directions as well? First, not matter what type of razor you are going to use (assuming you are talking about wet shaving), I recommend that you start your purchases with some soaps and an inexpensive brush (don't read that as cheap because you can get a very good brush for under $30). You don't need to purchase a shaving bowl at all. Any glass or ceramic bowl or cup that will hold the soap will do. If you buy shaving cream you will probably still need to use that bowl or cup to whip up the lather. I am still new to straight razors myself so I can't possibly give you any advice on purchasing those, other than to agree that the classifieds are a good place to start. If you do go the straight razor route then you will also need to acquire a strop and some mechanism for periodically refreshing the edge (e.g., a paddle strop or alternative and some CrO or diamond paste). If you buy a straight razor on the classifeds it will likely be shave ready (there is a field in the ad that says that). As such you shouldn't have to sink any money into various hones right away. Hope that helps... :tu

Contact Kenrup for a reasonably priced starter set. He has double arrows and Wapi's that are very nice razors.

Thank all of you for your time.

I will look through some stores for a brush and lather. Since I am on my month break from college, I have plenty of time. Does anyone have any specific brands they prefer?

I think I will go ahead and say that I cannot sharpen anything. I collect knives, and over the years and years I have been trying to sharpen them, I have never been able to get any blade razor sharp. I have even bought sharpening sets and I cannot get them to a razor sharp edge. Will this be a problem? I have practiced, and years later I still can't seem to get any better.

I will look through the classifieds later tonight to see if I like anything, but it may have to wait until my next paycheck. I only have $200 in the bank and I still have text books to buy.

Thanks

David

dkirkc, you'll have to be able to resharpen the razor some way from time to time. There are a several members here who offer sharpening services for $20 and less

You don't have to always use stones either, there are sharpening pastes available that you can sometimes put on leather and just strop your razor across. There is a lot of info on the forum, check out some sharpening methods and what all is involved

I will definitely look through this forum about sharpening. I would love to be able to do it myself, but from my years of trying with knives, I'm not sure if I could. Maybe there is something that I've missed.

David

Maintaining an edge is a lot easier than getting it sharp in the first place. I think virtually anybody can learn to hone or at least maintain their razors. However that's not something you need to worry about right now.

Thanks, gugi.
That actually takes a lot off my mind. I had been worried about it.
I am getting my paycheck on Friday, so I think I'll try to get one then.
I guess the strop something I need to buy soon after. Does anyone
have any preference on brands?

On a budget I wouldn't get too concerned on a specific maker of razors. Look through the classifieds and find one within your budget. You will find that it is a quality razor, and one that you can safely shave with. I decided on a round point because I was (and still am) so new. A spike point may be a bit more than you are prepared to deal with. It was for me because that point could definitely cut into an ear or any part very easily. The round point is a bit more forgiving when new to the straights. Start with just shaving from the end of the sideburns down to the jawline, and in one direction only. Do this until you are comfortable manipulating the blade and getting the blade angles right. (Hey, I've been shaving with a straight for only 2 weeks and just started doing my neck areas. I'm not BBS yet, but getting closer. And absolutely no nicks or cuts today!) This is what Lynn recommends in his CD. And it's not just a 10 minute, here you go, video. Rather it's over 3 hours long and is a great primer. Not just for the act of shaving itself, but for most all topics related to straight razors. Even if you can't afford it now, you should put it on your list for a future purchase. He even says in the video that you will develop you own personal methods as you gain experience. But it's a great place to start.

Thanks for the information, Dan.
I am definately going to get one after my next pay check.

Well, everyone. I found a straight razor on ebay and I got it. I'm not sure if it's ready to shave or not, but with the money I saved I could send it off to be sharpened.

I'm looking for a strop right now.

David

Very good David,

I would say chances are your razor doesn't shave and may be in need of more serious restoration than just honing it. If it does you'll most likely be able to do it yourself and trade (lots of) time for money. Hopefully there are no major issues with it.

The description said that it was brand new, so I'm hoping it's in perfect condition.

I just got a new strop from ebay, also. I wasn't expecting to buy any of this until next week.


David

Hmm, could you give us links to the ebay auctions? The only cheap new razors worth having are the double arrow and wapienica... hope you didn't get one of the pakistani ones.

Barber Straight Razor Shaving Knife Pocket Folder - eBay (item 200252680377 end time Sep-13-08 19:14:22 PDT)

Hopefully it's a decent razor, but even if it isn't, I didn't have to pay much for it. I could always resale it.

hmm, I would say you just bought a $11 letter opener and I wouldn't advice to resell it - you're just perpetuating a useless piece of steel. May be the scales could be reused...

You didn't read the stickies in this section did you? Don't worry, you're not the first one to make the mistake and won't be the last, but don't hesitate to ask for advice - people here have a lot of experience and are more than willing to help.

Well, ****.

I could go ahead and back out of the sale. I think it said something about that somewhere.
I've asked what brand you would suggest, though, and no one said anything.

I've been at work all weekend, and have only been able to get online to make a few posts, so no. I did not read the stickies like I usually do when I join a site.

Yeah, as I said, you won't be the first or the last person to make this mistake. As far as brands go I can list over 100 and not come even close to an extensive list of good brands, but a brand name is not a guarantee that the razor is worth while.
Hence the recommendation to get a razor that is already honed and tested by somebody with experience and the classifieds here is pretty much the only place where you can reliably find such razors at the cheapest prices.
I could've recommend you a Double Arrow ($10) or Wapienica ($20) which are new, but the reports are that often they have functional problems (warping) so buying one and sending it out for honing is still a gamble.

I just looked at their return policy - after paying their shipping charges and your return shipping you'll probably recover $2-$3, not sure if it's worth. I can't suggest not paying for the razor either - I believe everybody should follow through to what they commit to. You can most certainly email the seller and see if you can work out anything.

What actually makes it a bad razor?
The metal is nice, so why can't it be sharpened and be just as good as another razor?

Actually, the metal isn't "nice". It's not forged metal usually - it's something that has been stamped out. Which is to say that it doesn't have the chemical makeup and/or it wasn't hardened properly to be able to take a "shave ready" edge or just as importantly, hold that "shave ready" edge.

It's quite plainly bad for use as a razor - or for that matter, a cutting implement of any kind.

How can I tell if it's forged metal, then?

Why didn't I get those recommendations earlier? I believe I said I do not have much money, and I would like something nice. I would have happily looked through them.

+1 for the Famous Double Arrow sold by Stamps on Ebay. The handles are absolute cheap garbage & the factory hone job is worse than useless, but for $13 it's a very nice quality blade & a good little shaver. You can live with the cheap scales if you're only interested in the utility, and if you pay a guru $20 to hone it up for you, you've still only paid $33. I re-scaled mine in oak & it is my dedicated head-shaver. It does a superb job.

PS I think Kenrup also supplies Double Arrow kits if memory serves. Just get the kit, it will come shave-ready & simplify your life.

PPS I've never owned a Wapi but I hear good things about them.

I sent you a PM. I see you are in Atlanta and I could possibly help you out.

-Rob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dkirkc

Why didn't I get those recommendations earlier?

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You said you couldn't afford much but wanted something of high quality, and that's why I mentioned The Classifieds. Maybe Rob can help you out! He is a helpful fellow :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dkirkc

Why didn't I get those recommendations earlier? I believe I said I do not have much money, and I would like something nice. I would have happily looked through them.

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Let me point out that the very first recommendation (first sentence in first response to your original post) is to read the sticky posts - it's all there, including razors to stay away from :)

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to read them. I wasn't planning
on looking for one next week, and I bought without thinking. I rarely
do it,, but I guess everyone does it in some point.

:)

You're certainly not the first to make the mistake (after all, a few people had to find out the hard way initially too!), and you certainly won't be the last.

Make sure you get in touch with sicboater. I'll vouch for him as one of the good guys of SRP (now that I've said that, I'm not sure that we have any "bad guys of SRP...")

Good luck!

Yeah, hopefully he can help me out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dkirkc

Well, ****.

I could go ahead and back out of the sale. I think it said something about that somewhere.
I've asked what brand you would suggest, though, and no one said anything.

I've been at work all weekend, and have only been able to get online to make a few posts, so no. I did not read the stickies like I usually do when I join a site.

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The thing is that brands are pretty hard to manage, there are plenty of old brands that are very good, you need to learn what to look for and not depend so much just on brands especialy if you are trying to save money.

Buying on Ebay unless it is from a well respected person here is probably not a good way to start. And when buying on ebay look for old razors not new razors.

Things you don't want to see are the 440 stainless steel, or that it was made in pakistan. But in general stear away from cheap new razors.

Buying a barbers hone on Ebay might be the only thing that could be useful and it is still a bit of a crap shoot.

Never buy anything from Zeepk.

A starter set from here is probably the best way to start, and add in a vintage hone from ebay and you should have a reasonable set.

Minimums for shaving would be a brush, a strop and a sharp razor, but most razors do not come truely sharp from the factory.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dkirkc

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to read them. I wasn't planning
on looking for one next week, and I bought without thinking. I rarely
do it,, but I guess everyone does it in some point.

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Look everyone does that sometimes. But the more you do your research here the happier you will be and the less you will spend. Sure it is temping to just jump in, but you will end up with a certain amount of crap. I spent $20 on a pakistani razor myself.

There are many things to learn in this, and it will take time, if you rush you will not get good results and might give up because you sunk a fair ammount of money on crap, when the same ammount of money could have gotten you much better results.

I usually dive in with so much research that it is slightly rediculous.
I think I did buy a strop from Zeepk, but I'm not sure about that. Hopefully
the strop will be fine, because it would be a shame to realize I spent
about thirty bucks on useless crap in thirty minutes.

David

hate to break it to ya but the strops are crap to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dkirkc

I usually dive in with so much research that it is slightly rediculous.
I think I did buy a strop from Zeepk, but I'm not sure about that. Hopefully
the strop will be fine, because it would be a shame to realize I spent
about thirty bucks on useless crap in thirty minutes.

David

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You might be able to with a lot of work get the strop useable for something, but as is, I would not recomend them for anything. I worked with the one I got with a lot of strop dressing and got it resonably supple, and currently have some crome oxide on it.

But it is pretty likely you did blow $30 on useless crap.

Rob was able to help me out.
Today was my first shave!