Thread: 1st straight razor purchasing advice needed :)

Hi,

Really loving your videos, highly informative, I'm 20 from Ireland and currently shaving with a merkur vision 2000 safety razor, Fantastic shave, however I would like to learn more about the art of shaving and mastering a blade to shave, which is why I would like your opinion on this dovo razor or if you see any other razor you think would suit a beginner advice greatly appreciated Price range £200 not including any strops or stones but ill need advice on them too:

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Also I feel It is good to keep the tradition of straight razor or cut throat shaving as we call it alive and I'm sure my grandfather would be overwhelmed that I would want to shave like he had.

Thanks

Kevin =D

I had the honor of honing a new Dovo "En vogue" for one of our members, just about 2 weeks ago. It was an awesome shaver. Took a great edge with ease. Not the cheapest razor though...

For a first razor, I'd opt for one of the less expensive Dovos. They're great shavers too, and you can always grant yourself a real luxurious piece, by the time you round your first year of straight razor shaving. Trust me, there's a lot to learn in that first year.

Best regards & good luck,
Bart.

Welcome Kevin.

£200 is fairly large budget, so you can get almost anything. However the problem is that a lot of this is a matter of personal preference, especially in that price range, where there are a lot of great options.
Chances are you will likely end up paying a premium for the wrong thing. There is nothing wrong with this, you should be able to get a good razor, and if you later feel you want to explore something else you can always recoup significant portion of your cost by selling the one you don't like that much. You won't really know until you actually try it yourself.
As far as the Dovo Micarta goes, they are pretty nice razors, I think they are definitely one of the better Dovos. I ended up selling mine since the laser etching was too much for me, the scales were a bit bulky and I have plenty of other razors that just I like better.

Thanks bart and gugi, I'm not sure what to do, I don't wont to buy an expensive razor and ruin it while learning to use a str8 razor, I'm thinking of buying a half decent one maybe the one priced at £50ish and learn how to use, strop and hone it, then treat myself to a nice razor so I can look after it properly... that way I can get a good strop and stone, I already have a good pure badger brush and use geo trumper coco nut soap and trumper rose cream which are fantastic, kinda expensive but last ages... anywho what do you guys think?

Sounds like a good plan to me. you can try few different grinds and makers and when you figure out what you prefer spend the extra money on the bling. By that time I bet your tastes would've changed too and you'll be finding different things attractive.
I don't think you need to purchase a hone right away, but you'll need a good strop. I guess you have fewer options in UK, but you can always purchase here, shipping is quite fast and not terribly expensive.

Originally Posted by gugi

Welcome Kevin.
As far as the Dovo Micarta goes, they are pretty nice razors, I think they are definitely one of the better Dovos.

+1 They are very nice shavers.

Lynn

Welcome to SRP. I have a 5/8 Dovo Special and a 6/8 Dovo Classic and I love them both. Instead of buying one expensive Dovo, buy two less expensive str8s in two sizes. Both are great starter razors and you will get a feel for a 5/8 and 6/8 razor. Then you'll want a spike point, a 7/8, etc. Be sure to check the razors in the Classifieds (above).

Hold off on the hones for now. Learn to shave with a str8, then learn to hone. Two razors means you have a backup if something happens and you need to send a str8 out for honing.

Kevin, Welcome to the forum, I am also very new at straight razor shaving . I have only 12 shaves so far with a straight and they are getting better each time. I started with a 6/8 DOVO Special purchased from Lynn at Straight razor design, When you purchase from him he will get it shave ready for you. I took mine out of the box and got to work. I would reccomend this razor to anyone for a first razor, with the 6/8 you can decide if you want to go bigger or smaller for your next .

Welcome to SRP. Whatever you get make sure it is "shave ready" by a competent honemiester. Check out the SRP Wiki here if you haven't already for all things straight razor related.

I am also a newb, and you found the right place for advice. These guys wont steer you wrong and are extremely helpful.

Like you, I started with a DE for about 8 months and the conversion to str8s has been getting a bit expensive. So from my experience take it slow and you'll be very happy with every aquisition.

As for a razor, I agree with everyone else but I would take it a step further. $200 can buy you several razors and like gugi said, will help you develop a preference. Its a great feeling getting a new razor so if I were you, I would take my time and do a lot of shopping. You'll end up with some sweet razors that way.

have fun