Thread: Hello any advice?

I'm new to straight razor shaving, i am thinking about buying a F. W. Engles form a friend. is that a good brand of razor? also i would love any advice on brands or what to watch out for, i will be buyign all my equipment this week.

Check out the SRP Wiki

The Razors that are good.

Welcome to SRP! I'm sure you'll find EVERYTHING you need here!

check Wiki for bad brands too.Usually if new razor less then 20 means it is not a good quality.most likely pakistany etc.take care

Another good place to check is the classifieds. Usually you'll see some good prices and well known brands up for sale.

- Tam -

+1, and the forum members who sell them are often known to provide excellent buyer support. Great way to get a sharp piece of history.

And welcome to straight shaving.

Buying new is easy, Their Issard and Dovo are about it. Buying used is tricky so +1 on checking the classifieds or one of the known vendor sites. Good luck!

-Rob

i personally wish i would have bought my first razor through the classifieds i would really take a good long look through there. How much is your friend tryin to sell it to you for? can we get pics? does he shave with it or does he have it because he thinks its a "bad@ss knife"

At this point good razor/bad razor is not an issue to concern yourself with. You need a SHAVE READY razor, meaning it is decent quality steel that has specifically been hone by a knowledgeable person and it will shave whiskers and not just cut your face up because you have to push on it too hard. Your friend may/may not be able to provide this, none of us know for sure. Best bet is to get one from someone selling a shave ready item on the classifieds here at Straight Razor Place. Read around and see if the individual you choose seem to be steering folks the right way and take your beginner’s risks that way. Much better chance of success this way.

As a fellow newb, with a little recent hard-won experience, I would recommend that you go for the 'known' good quality equipment to avoid likely disappointment, frustration and disillusionment. For example, my original synthetic brush was soon replaced by a best quality silvertip - the difference in feel and lather making capability was better than I would have imagined - so my synthetic is gathering dust as I see no reason to use it again! Just browse around SRP and you will see reputable names (and suppliers) popping up frequently. If you want to get a good impression from a first razor, you will need good steel, e.g. Sheffield or Solingen (high carbon can deliver a super-sharp edge, stainless will hold an edge for longer, though can be a pain to sharpen). Oh, and make sure whatever you start with, it is made 'shave-ready'. Be patient and be prepared for successes (and the occasional setback). Welcome!

Originally Posted by TheBeardedCommodore

I'm new to straight razor shaving, i am thinking about buying a F. W. Engles form a friend. is that a good brand of razor? also i would love any advice on brands or what to watch out for, i will be buyign all my equipment this week.

All the advice above is good. If you want to shave right away with the razor you buy you should get a shave ready blade from the preferred list, or not on the avoid list. As for the F. W. Engles, I like them. I have one or two and I lke the balance and feel of the blade and scales. If you like that blade you have two choices. Buy the Engles and send it to a honemeister to get sharpened proper or buy the blade and buy anothre shave ready straight to use now. Depending on how much you pay for the Engles it may not be the right blade to learn honing on. It will give a good shave when honed properly. Hope this helps.