Hey guys,

I'm coming all the way from Malaysia where we still live on trees, and we have an ex-dictator who won't shut up. Australians call him incalcitrant. We locals are lest subtle about what we call him.

Anyway, straight raszor shaving is almost unheard of here, save a few elder ethnic Indian barber shops who still perform the straight razor shave for a small fee (but using refillable razors that costs around USD1 a piece) They do a good job nevertheless.

Everyone (else) here uses Gillette, which is a pity. They are expensive, and the shave quality is bad. I could never remove the grains underneath my chin and neck areas without nicking myself or not removing them cleanly enough.

So I recently drew inspiration from the barbershops after suffering years with the Mach3. I wish to graduate to straight razor shaving! Of course, I only thought the refillable types existed until doing research online.

Spurred on by the stinging sensations and the awful smell from the can of Gillette shaving foam, after several Google searches and some research, I stumble upon 'real' straight razor shaving!

I'm all set and raring to join the genteel tradition of shaving like a gentleman; the only problem is to obtain a proper razor! Nobody sells them here in my country (or so I think) and I'm reduced to online purchasing. The only thing I fear is the bothersome (and somewhat dodgy) Customs Department confiscating my precious razor after purchasing it for USD100++ (which isn't a small sum to me considering the exchange rate). Should I chance it?

I'm also stumped on buying a proper polishing stone for the razor. The ill-equiped shops here do sell some stones but they do not come with a grit rating. Should I chance it?