Another Newb

Hello everyone, I have always been fascinated with straight razor shaving since I was a kid. I watched my dad and my grandfather get shaved in the barber shop in the 60's and 70's. I always said that when I get old enough I would have the barber shave me, well in my teens and 20's I didnt do much shaving,in my 30 I got serious and took it on myself , so I thought ok when Im 40 Im gonna get a shave at the barber shop, well I never got the nerve. Now at 46 years old I find that there are not to many barber shops that will shave you and if they do it's almost as much as getting a haircut. So I decided I want to finally get into this and do it myself.I want to get away from disposable raors and disposables that are now costing me almost $5 each. I tend to spend way to much money when I get into something new, I could easily see myself spending $800 on a fancy razor but Im gonna try and not do that this time.

I have been reading here for about a week now and learned a lot already, I have checked out the classifieds but Im not comfortable with buying a used razor. From all the research I have done so far I see myself keep going back to the Dovo 1516 Special with tortise shell handle for around $130. Now I understand that Im not going to take this razor out of the box and start using it, so how do you learn to sharpen or hone and how do you know if something is shave ready?

I followed every one advise and got a Dovo from Straight Razor Designs, around a C note and I'm very pleased with it. It came shave ready....

Oh and welcome, I'm sure after everyone get away from the superbowl party you'll get many more responses.... : )

Yeah, the best way to go about this is to pick it from straightrazordesigns.
Lynn & Donn will get it to you shave-ready, so you don't need to worry about this part, and it'll cost you less.
That should be more than enough to learn to shave and when I get over the initial learning curve you can tackle the honing part, which is also much easier if you have to only maintain your edge sharp.

gugi, I will most likely buy one from them, There are a few nice ones I liked. Dont know if I like the ones called spike point,they dont look as forgiving as the rounded tip. Im also thinking Im going with a carbon instead of SS , from my experience with knives Im able to sharpen carbon easier but notice SS stays sharper longer, I dont know if this is true with straight razors. I can also see myself ending up with more than one razor, I see at least 4 I wouldnt mind having right off the bat.

I thought you had settled on the tortoise dovo special, which is an excellent razor and as far as I know currently comes only with a round point, or I'd pick one.
I prefer pointy tips, virtually all of them that I have are just slightly rounded, the few that aren't need a bit more care or scratch me. I think I have good enough perception of depth that whatever cushioning the round point may provide has not been necessary.

I have been looking at the tortise shell handle but after going to razordesigns site I see a lot more that I wouldnt mind having, I will make a decision in a week or so , Im gonna read up some more here before I make a purchase.

By the way, what does your screen name mean, the reason I ask is because it's similiar to my last name.

Mike, welcome. I have been str8 shaving for about 2 months. Bought a shave ready razor from KenRup and a Dovo shave ready, finished by Lynn. I have purchased a couple others to work on and an antique store NOS, shave ready. I think that you will find that many different shave ready razors will shave differently. Fortunately razors are relatively cheap compared to other collectibles, say antique radios, of which I have a few. Enjoy the journey and get to know your razors. It will take a bit of time to master the technique, but the journey should be fun.

Mark

Ah, ok, yeah check on the other razors that you like as well. There are reviews of some but I think you can also find more in other posts.

And the big question on my screen name :) I get asked every now and then in the chat, it really doesn't mean anything to me - just something that I've used for the last 10 or so years on various computers. It started with a friend using it as something that I suppose translates as 'dude', but he made it up for no reason that I'm aware of.
I kind of appropriated it as name for computers, accounts, that kind of stuff. It's short and unusual, so it works well for that.

Gugi, the first half of my last name is spelled Augugi

Another question, a friend of mine uses a straight razor that takes a disposable razor blade, he suggests that I buy this $10 razor with disposable blade and see if I like it before I spend a hundred bucks on a real straight razor. Is this a good idea?

The feeling from shaving with those disposables is not comparable to a "real" straight. There is a great difference in the weight among other things. If you are interested in straight razor shaving, you should probably get a real straight. Otherwise, your decision on whether you like it or not, would be strongly biased.

Al raz.

Mike.. you might also try starting on something like a Wapiencia from ruprazors.com or the one that another member is selling for 50 here. you won't spend too much and you'll get a good shave ready razor that you could learn on.

Best advice I have is to go slow and be patient. I would also recommend trying this: once you get your brush and some soap... work up a lather and take your disposable razor out and practice the three pass method with it (with the grain of the hair, across the grain, then against the grain) while just using the pressure it would take to wipe off the lather with your finger (do not press against your face, just let the razor barely glide over). By doing this you will be able to find out how your beard lays.. some spots will have a grain that changes direction etc. Also, you will be training yourself to use zero pressure toward your skin... you'll be surprised at how little pressure it takes to shave. When you use a straight, you don't need to scrape your face.. the blade will glide if you don't force it. So with your disposable you can practice your process of skin/beard prep and stretching your skin correctly, while training yourself not to use pressure against your face... I think it will help...

just a thought
:gl:

First off mike welcome to SRP. I have a friend who used a disposable straight, I talked him into a real straight and he told me the difference was unreal. A real straight will shave much better. Kenrup (he is a member on this site) has some real good prices on starter straights that are good razors. But like everyone else has said you can't go wrong with a Dovo, and the special with the tortise scales has gotten great reviews from several members here. It seems like every time someone brings one up everyone talks about what a good little razor it is, and getting it honed by Lynn will be the best thing you could do.

Well I hope you enjoy what ever razor you get, and welcome to the good life.

PS get a good strop!

Thanks guys, lots of good information here. I have been reading everything. It seems that I might me a soap guy from what I have read so far. I kind of like the idea of using the brush on the soap puck, it seems a little easier and less time consuming for me right now as opposed to making shave cream. I will try both once I get started and decide what I will stick with. Unless you guys think there is something else I should be starting off with.

If anything, creams are easier to use than soap, especially if you have a soft brush. Not much in it though. If you have problems with either you can find tips here on how to get good lather.

I hope you're getting a badger brush, anything else will make lathering more difficult. :gl:

Yes I will definitly buy a Badger brush, I have a few in mind but not sure about the size to buy.

I use only soap because I like building the lather on my face. Only way is to try and see - it's part of the fun.
As far as brushes go there's a lot more than just size. I'd go with something like 21-23mm knot. If you don't like it too much you can then try larger/denser/stiffer/softer/... brush after that.