Thread: razor as a gift?

*salutes*

hello all. very new to the world of straight razors. however, they're very pretty, and i'd love to learn. [especially after perusing the ladies forum. so tired of disposables!]

my S.O. is quite keen on learning to use a one [both of his grandfathers used them, and its how his dad learned to shave]. i'd like to get him started, but don't know if its a great plan.

not knowing much [anything at all] is it a good idea for me to gift him with his first razor? is a man's first straight razor a more personal purchase?

I think through the advice of the members here at SRP, that you would be able to provide him with an amazing start -- and i don't think the first purchase is "personal". Most of us end up with so many razors we don't remember what our first purchase was.

That said -- you would also have to be prepared to plunk down enough money to get him everything he needs to kick the cartridge habit.. Strop, Honing Service, Razor, Brush, and at least a puck of soap and some aftershave/balm.

Plus, if he has an addictive personality or really enjoys his hobbies, you may be opening a can of worms, so, that should factor in to your decision.

welcome first off,

When I started I didnt know jack about razors, so they were all the same, my sensibility for the different types of razors only came with more practise and knowledge. So effectively I would argue that when learning your likely not going to go wrong. Although I am sure others will say certain preferences apply to certain beard types.

The most important thing though, IMO is to get it pre-honed. this is vital

cheers,
Alan

I think it's a great idea, but also agree that if you want him to get the most out of it, you might want to consider getting all of the accompaniments that go along (as mentioned, at least the razor, strop, soap, brush). Unfortunately, this significantly ups the price. If you want, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we would all be happy to make suggestions for each item to fit any (reasonable) budget, and you can buy each item individually and put together a kit yourself. Or perhaps you might want to consider a premade kit from one of the vendors, such as this one here Vintage*Blades*LLC*::..., which comes with everything, ready to go. If you can let us know what you were thinking for a budget, we can try to help you maximize the gift!

It would be an amazingly thoughtful gift. And the fact you're doing a little research means it will actually be a useful gift as well. He's a lucky guy!

I can appreciate the thought however unless you are sure this is something he really wants to do and/or he would enjoy I would probably discuss it with him first.

Most guys in the world do not use a straight and never would.

thanks for all the feedback!

and the link to vintage blades. i hadn't had a chance to peek there yet.

and if i did want to fit him with the whole kit, what all would i need to get?

To get started you probably want, at a minimum, a properly honed razor, a good strop,a badger brush (made w/badger hair, not a brush for badgers) , shaving cream or soap and a styptic pencil. You can use a regular mug, small dish or the palm of your hand in lieu of a scuttle or specialized shaving bowl.

Of course, there is a mind boggling array of other products like aftershaves, balms, pre-shave oils etc that may come later. You might even encounter the dreaded "AD's" or acquisition disorders that tend to dog most of us. These take shape as RAD (razor acquisition disorder) SCAD (same thing for shave creams) or even HAD(hones used to sharpen the razors).

I agree,

At the very minimum you want razor and a strop, but a soap and brush would be very helpful. Since he is interested to doing so I'd say you can't go wrong by getting him the equipment. He wouldn't know more than you do anything about grinds etc, and you probably know his taste well enough to pick something he would like.
You can always ask us when you narrow down the options a bit.

I would have loved to have a girlfriend buy me my first razor, I did just recieve a nice one as a gift, when I first started shaving with a straight razor I was using a disposable blade straight razor. Then I bought a couple of razors off ebay. These razors were very cheap and i could never get either of them to give me a good shave. A quality razor is a must, good luck.