Thread: My understanding is....

Well, I decided about a month or 2 ago that I want to shave with a straight razor and have been researching and reading about this whole deal all over the net. Obviously its a bit load of information that needs to be digested and so far this is my plan of attack and I would greatly appreciate it if some of the more experienced people would tell me if I've got this whole thing down right and if anything needs to be changed.
Hone: Honing is, in my opinion, the most difficult part to learn. There is more information out there about honing than about straight razors themselves. I've decided that the Norton 4k/8k will be good enough for me in the beginning and since I do have a budget (even though I don't know what it is yet), I don't really want to invest in another hone just yet. While a finer grit might polish the edge a bit better, as of right now I don't feel like I have another 80 or dollars to spend, considering all the other stuff that needs to be bought. I've read about the Norton Pyramid and I think that should be a fairly good starting point for putting a good edge on a razor straight from the factory. Anyone think that it might not be enough?
Strop: I went to a local barber supply store and he had the Illinois #827 (I think) strop for about 30 bucks and I think I'm going to get that. Should I invest in another one? A better one perhaps? I don't plan on putting anything on this strop other than strop treatment to stop it from drying out and cracking. Any suggestions on that?
Razor: I think I have decided to buy a nice 5/8 hollowed Dovo. I will probably buy a new one just because I like shiny new things out fresh out of the box. From my understanding that size blade is a really good starting point for a newbie like me so that's where I will start. I'm not quite sure which exact model I am going to get yet but I haven't anything bad about Dovos so I feel as though just about any of their razors is going to be a safe choice.
Creams and all that other stuff: For some strange reason I am drawn to the Baxter of California line of products. The review here was fairly positive and after reading some more on their site I have sofar decided to go with their products. They're not too expensive and seem to be of pretty good quality. Before I invest in their stuff though I will be ordering their samples to test out. If i dont like them then I will probably use the Kiss My Face line of products. Both of those companies seem to be making quality products at a decent price that really interest me. Also, alum block for those knicks and cuts and glycerine for a better lather.
Brush: I bought the Art of Shaving starter kit last year and the brush that came with it is still in good condition and considering that I have to buy all this other stuff, I dont really feel like i need to replace it just yet. Someday I plan on investing in a better badger hair brush but until then this one will do just fine.
As I mentioned above, I plan on using the Norton pyramid to hone the blad for the first time and then use the strop to polish it and go from there. If I'm satisfied with the shave then I wont hone again until I feel like its necessary again. I plan on using the strop before each shave, I just don't know how many laps on each side because I've been reading conflicting numbers and I think I'll get the hang of it once I have the actual blade in hand and know how it feels on my face.

How is that for a plan of attack? Anything need to be added? Anything need to be removed? I have a feeling that I'll buy the razor from classicshaving and if I do then I'll probably have them hone for me before they send it out so I know what to look for when I have to hone it.


At this point I'd like to thank everyone for their input and help.

I'm still fairly new at straight razor shaving, but I can tell you what my initial setup-up was. I bought a simple dovo razor brand new, a Norton 4000/8000 waterstone, and a small dovo strop. The Norton 4k/8k stone and the strop is enough to get you shaving. I've read many testimonies from people here on StraightRazorPlace that say they go to a finer grit stone after the 8000. You don't really need a finer stone than 8k, having a finer one just puts a slightly finer edge on the razor, but it's just personal preferrence.

When I bought my new Dovo razor it was not professionally honed, and took me a long time to get it up to shave-ready while also learning to hone as well! So speaking from experience, I would order a pre-honed razor from classicshaving, and save yourself a headache from learning to hone AND shave at the same time.

I currently have an Illinois #127 strop, and I love it. I wasn't too fond of the Dovo strop simply because it was very short and narrow, hence why I got a larger one like the Illinois strop. I believe the Illinois #827 is russian leather, which although I have not personally tried, have heard many great reviews about.

So you sound like you'd have a great initial set-up by getting a pre-honed Dovo razor, Norton 4k/8k stone, and the Illinois #827 strop. You can of course supplement this with more equipment in the future if you see fit, i.e. a finer hone, more strops, etc., but you really don't need more than the basic razor, strop and hone to start.

Hope this helps you out a bit!

I think a quick and effective plan of attack is to get a razor that has already been honed so that as you're learning and not getting the best shaves you won't be asking yourself, "crap, what's wrong? my honing? my shaving? I have no clue"

Shave first, hone later is my advice. Although I also like to read people's adventures too who try to learn to hone and shave at the same time. At least get one razor sharpened by a pro that you can fall back on just in case...

ByronT has an interesting story about the razor he tried to sharpen himself and then shave with it. That's the kind of adventure I like to read about!

Good luck!

PS yes, you need a strop too, you will have to do your own stropping before / after each shave

Welcome dudewithnofood,

First, I must note that neither a razor, nor the strop, nor the hone is a tool for procuring food

Yes there is a lot of information on the internet, and some of it is just wrong. A good starting place to get the basics would be the sticky post in this section - the links there have good info.

Lee & Dave already answered most of your questions, but for completeness I'll go over your post and put quick answers in blue.

Originally Posted by dudewithnofood

Well, I decided about a month or 2 ago that I want to shave with a straight razor and have been researching and reading about this whole deal all over the net. Obviously its a bit load of information that needs to be digested and so far this is my plan of attack and I would greatly appreciate it if some of the more experienced people would tell me if I've got this whole thing down right and if anything needs to be changed.
Hone: Honing is, in my opinion, the most difficult part to learn. There is more information out there about honing than about straight razors themselves. I've decided that the Norton 4k/8k will be good enough for me in the beginning and since I do have a budget (even though I don't know what it is yet), I don't really want to invest in another hone just yet. While a finer grit might polish the edge a bit better, as of right now I don't feel like I have another 80 or dollars to spend, considering all the other stuff that needs to be bought. I've read about the Norton Pyramid and I think that should be a fairly good starting point for putting a good edge on a razor straight from the factory. Anyone think that it might not be enough?
Yes, that hone is enough, you won't benefit much from a finer hone until you can use this one well enough to shave comfortably off it. However I wouldn't start with that one if the money is a concern. The best way in my opinion is to start with a prehoned razor (the classifieds here, or one of the vendors) and then get a cheapish finishing hone (the ceramic barber hones can be quite nice) to maintain the edge, which is easier than sharpening it in the first place.

Strop: I went to a local barber supply store and he had the Illinois #827 (I think) strop for about 30 bucks and I think I'm going to get that. Should I invest in another one? A better one perhaps? I don't plan on putting anything on this strop other than strop treatment to stop it from drying out and cracking. Any suggestions on that?
Yes, do as you plan. No need for a second strop.

Razor: I think I have decided to buy a nice 5/8 hollowed Dovo. I will probably buy a new one just because I like shiny new things out fresh out of the box. From my understanding that size blade is a really good starting point for a newbie like me so that's where I will start. I'm not quite sure which exact model I am going to get yet but I haven't anything bad about Dovos so I feel as though just about any of their razors is going to be a safe choice.
I'd recommend the special tortoise from straightrazordesigns. 5/8 is excellent size. It will be shiny, but you don't want it 'brand new from the factory', you want it honed (that's what straightrazordesigns would do).

Creams and all that other stuff: For some strange reason I am drawn to the Baxter of California line of products. The review here was fairly positive and after reading some more on their site I have sofar decided to go with their products. They're not too expensive and seem to be of pretty good quality. Before I invest in their stuff though I will be ordering their samples to test out. If i dont like them then I will probably use the Kiss My Face line of products. Both of those companies seem to be making quality products at a decent price that really interest me. Also, alum block for those knicks and cuts and glycerine for a better lather.
Sure, experiment as much as you like and as much as your wallet can bear.

Brush: I bought the Art of Shaving starter kit last year and the brush that came with it is still in good condition and considering that I have to buy all this other stuff, I dont really feel like i need to replace it just yet. Someday I plan on investing in a better badger hair brush but until then this one will do just fine.
Yeah, the rest of the kit should be pretty good too.

As I mentioned above, I plan on using the Norton pyramid to hone the blad for the first time and then use the strop to polish it and go from there. If I'm satisfied with the shave then I wont hone again until I feel like its necessary again.
As everybody else, I'd say, don't. Get somebody else to hone your razor first.
I plan on using the strop before each shave, I just don't know how many laps on each side because I've been reading conflicting numbers and I think I'll get the hang of it once I have the actual blade in hand and know how it feels on my face.
On that #827? Do 30 on the canvas 60 on the leather - that's what gssixgun does and he knows what he's doing. After a while (no fewer than 10 shaves) try less see if it makes any difference.

How is that for a plan of attack? Anything need to be added? Anything need to be removed? I have a feeling that I'll buy the razor from classicshaving and if I do then I'll probably have them hone for me before they send it out so I know what to look for when I have to hone it.
as I said, nothing to add, I'd loose the norton, get it from SRD - they're slightly cheaper.

At this point I'd like to thank everyone for their input and help.

I realize that most of the stuff I wrote has already been posted here in there in various threads and stickies. This is just a summary of what I think would be a pretty comprehensive and solid starter kit and I wanted to make sure that all the little bits and pieces that I've picked up so far are correct and that my overall plan of attack is going to get me started off on the right foot. I've decided to definitely get a prehoned razor so that I know what to look for when I do it myself. While the Norton might not be absolutely necessary, it is still something that I prefer to have so that I can get into honing myself. I have a feeling this might develop into a pretty serious hobby and I think I might end up collection/restoring sometime in the future when I have a much better understanding of this all. All I really wanted to achieve with this post was to get someone who knows what they're talking about to say that it's a good way to start. A little reassurance.
Thank you all for your comments and input and please, anyone else who has anything to say, I'm all ears. The way I see it you can't know enough about this stuff.

Dude, a few recommendations, or alternatives, for you to think about. The first is to get a truly "shave ready" razor. You should look through the classifieds on this site. There you will find razors of all types and cost, some pretty new and shiny, and some that are not, but just as good at whacking those whiskers off your face. Then you can get an inexpensive straight from ebay or antique market to develop your honing skills. I would hate to see that great enthusiasm get turned to frustration because you had troubles trying to hone your beauty to the perfect edge.

Another thought is to buy your very beautiful razor, but send it to one of honemeisters to set it up for you. Then you can still get a razor to practice your honing skills. You will have someting to compare your edge to.

Soaps and creams. If there are a million people using them, then there are a million opinions on them. Decide what you want and go for it. Get a good brush. That doesn't mean you have to spend $300 for the best silver tip badger brush. You can get a very good badger (some like boar hair) brush for well under $50.

My last suggestions is what I think is the most important. Get a copy of Lynn's CD on straights. It is chocked full of great information for newbies. It is not a 10 minute synopsis on a few things. Rather, it's over 3 hours long and covers the major topics (e.g., honing, stropping, buying, shaving, restoration, pre-shave, etc.,). It is not an end all. Lynn says so in the CD. It really is a great place to start. You will develop your own way of doing things. But you need a good place to start. That CD is a great way to start.

I completely forgot to mention that my next step is the DVD. Thanks for reminding me on that one. Also, while I do like the idea of getting a brand new razor, I am keeping an eye on the classifieds on here too. Maybe there'll something that catches my attention.

It looks like your on the right track, and you already got some great suggestions. Just to confuse you more (kidding) here is my opinion.

Get your first razor professionally honed so you know what shave ready is supposed to be.

I would recommend this razor DOVO Straight Razors It has been reviewed by several senior members on this forum. It is a very attractive razor, and the stainless steel will hold an edge a little longer than carbon steel.

Personaly I would not buy a hone immediately. A chromium oxide pasted paddle or strop is a lot easier to use for beginers, and is quite a bit cheaper. A professionaly honed brand new razor, and a good pasted paddle can keep you shaving for well over a year.

That is about all the advice I would add, everything else you have stated seems right on the money. Good luck.

Just to throw in 2 cents more and concur with everyone else, you're on the right path, but do yourself and your wallet a huge favor and check the Vendor's Corner on the page here. You can get a complete kit (shave-ready) for less that 100 dollars, and it's worth every penny to do so, I think.

You've got the right ideas, dude. I'm gonna echo what Dan said and recommend a shave ready antique from a member. If I had one ready I'd offer it right now, but there's enough people around that you should see something soon.

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