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I havnt bought a razor yet or even a shave kit.
but I really need some advice on the following;
can anyone recommend to me a set of honing stones and a strop? I would like to get a used set if it's possible.
I'm looking for a really good (new) razor...I'm not interested in a $300 HANDLE!! I'm more interested in putting money on the part I shave with. maybe a good carbon blade.
are there any dvd's on using all this?
so...guys... any advice?
Lynn Abrams "World of Straight Razor Shaving" is one of the standards here and is inexpensive and very informative.Highly recommended by anyone who has seen it.Available at many Vendors but Straight Razor Designs is Lynn's vendor site.
the easiest way to start is to buy a shave ready razor and strop and really get the stropping technique down. the edge will last up to 3 months or so especially if you are only doing partial shaves to start out and finishing with a DE or disposable. i don't have Lynn's DVD (though i have been seriously considering it for a while) but i am sure he goes over stropping technique which is one of the big factors for a newb when it comes to edge life. i bought my kit from Tony Miller at the Well Shaved Gentlemen (he is in the vendors section i believe, i think he still does kits), Kenrup at RupRazors also has some kits that people seem to really like for a good price. both are great to deal with and the razors are shave ready.
the easiest hone for me to recommend is te typical starter hone, the Norton 4/8k. i bought one and it works great. for the price it is the best deal i have come across. you can also go with coticule which you would use with a slurry and then with just water. i am dying to try one as they are highly recommended. the big difference (as far as i can tell) is that the Norton combo allows you to repair a small nick with the 4k side whereas a coticule with slurry isn't aggressive enough to take that kind of metal off. i could be wrong though. there are also barbers hones but there are so many different grits and brands i didn't bother trying to figure them out.
hope this helps.
+1 on Lynn's DVD. Over 3 hrs of great info. There is even a demo str8 shave.
Welcome to SRP and enjoy your shaves.
Dave
how many and what grits am I looking for?
go obama :bow
One might suggest that you not invest money on hones when you have not tried straight razor shaving.If you get a real "shave ready" razor honed by a pro,and a decent strop,you're good to go for literally a month or more.By then,you'll know if it's for you and you can get into honing when you're sure.
You've got the goods so I'll just say that's it's always good to welcome new members.
X
This is certainly unusual, people try to get a razor first and then worry about stones, etc... In any case, I just wrote this for another guy. I guess it may apply to you too.
Depending on your budget and whether you would like a new razor, either the classifieds or the vendors that sponsor SRP should have a razor for you. Normally people recommend a 5/8 or so blade of medium hollow with a round point for the first razor. Tony Miller's strops have a great reputation. One suggestion that I hear over and over is not to get a great strop because it is easy to get it dented as you learn. People in this forum swear by Norton hones 4k/8k combo. I have a Chinese 12k that I intend to use for touch ups on my razors but I have not worked on it yet. I am sure that people here will tell you a lot about hones. Now, I am not sure of what kind of traveling your are going to be doing but if you travel by plane, please bear in mind that you would have to check baggage. I normally avoid that as much as possible for a number of reasons.
Al raz.
The quoted above is the best advice you have received here so far. Get a prehoned razor, decide if you even want to pursue this hobby. Use your non shave time to read up in detail on hone choices and to zero in on a good price. Pick up a cheap Ebay vintage razor to practice on should you decide to dig yourself in deeper.Quote:
Originally Posted by aroliver59
Get a Norton 4000/8000, check the classifieds for a razor, or kenrup on here, Damon on here sells good strops too.
You could get a double arrow off ebay, they're ok, kenrup sells them honed for you.
i would say get a shave ready razor from the classifieds here at SRP and go with that before you worry about stones at all.
i didnt get mine until about a month or so of shaving with a straight. Just stick to the things you need for getting started for now such as brush, razor, strop, and soap before going into the honing scene.
just my .02
As kahunamoose said, this is great advice. Wish I'd been given it when I started out, instead I jumped in headfirst and… well, it all worked out, but I'd have saved a lot money if I'd have found this place before I made the move.Quote:
Originally Posted by aroliver59
Concerning honing, it depends what you want to do. My first setup was a 4 sided paddle strop with 3.0,1.0,0.5,0.25 diamond paste from Tony Miller and a DMT8EE plate and that kept me going about a year. I had no interest in honing and wanted something that would get me a very sharp razor and keep that way. I was very happy with that setup. It allowed me the minimum amount of time honing and was easy so that I could learn how to shave with a sharp straight razor. Since very early on a pre-honed razors, for me, always needed a bit more touch up. I am now branching out and buying hones and this has taken me another level. It is working out very well. I takes a little time to read and learn what is going to possible work for you in the way of hones. It all depends what you want to do and what works for you, for me it is the above approach.
Take Care,
R
the only thing i would add to this is buy a cheap double arrow for $10 to practice honing on and when your good razor needs a hone you will be ready my son :jedi: :yQuote:
Originally Posted by aroliver59
Well, I think that you probably have all of the advise that you can sort through so I will just say WELCOME TO SRP!!!