Thread: New guy posting...

Greetings to all. Found the SRP the other day while cruising the net for SR stuff. I have been wanting to learn how to shave with a SR for a long time, but the price for a dependable razor was always too steep. Perhaps I was looking in all the wrong places. I am not a big fan of buying anything second hand, so I convinced myself that it was time to shell out some bucks to get a Thiers-Issard blade, and a strop. Have not yet received the item in the mail, but am anxious to start right away. I dont know if we have any other Marines on the board, but I am in Iraq right now and if there are any tips for how to protect the blade while deployed I can take some notes. I have shaved with a boar brush and some Surrey Shave Soap (Green& white box...) for a while and loved it. I suppose it was only a natural progression for me to find my way into a SR. Anyhow... If there is anything in particular that a guy should be aware of before trying to teach himself how to shave with a SR, I am all ears.

-Thomas

Hi Thomas, thank you for serving and welcome to SRP ! Here is one resource for about all you will need to know to get started. Most everything is in the SRP Wiki but don't hesitate to ask questions. There are tutorial videos here and this post by SRP founder Lynn Abrams is an excellent way to begin straight razor shaving.

I always strop my razor ten or twenty round trips on leather following the shave to remove any micro gunk that may be in the edge from the whiskers and skin. I wipe the razor with a tissue and then with a rust preventative and store in a dry enviorment.

Thomas, given that you're in Iraq, I assume you have the "dry environment" part covered. The downside of buying a new razor is only that it won't be ready to use right off the bat. It is almost certainly going to need to be honed unless you bought it from one of the few sellers who offer a pre-honing service. The TI's declare that they are shave ready but most on this forum have not found that to be the case. I have never bought a new one but their have been many discussions about this issue. The most recent one is here. Don't make that guy's mistake and agonize over a dull razor.

Welcome Thomas!

just make sure the razor is shaveready and you have a good strop at hand..
Take it easy and get used to the razor before you try to shave your whole face with it.. it will take some time to get used to shaving with a straight and it does require quite some patience..

Well dont forget to have some fun while shaving...

Maarten

Welcome to SRP! +1 on getting your razor honed if it does not come prehoned. Having a prehoned razor will give you a benchmark of what sharp should be. A new razor will be sharp but not sharp enough to shave with comfortably. There is a lot to learn so take your time and enjoy your new razor.

I wouldn't get overly concerned about "second hand" razors. Some of the most coveted blades are among them. Have a look through the classifieds. Besides, our members have reputations to protect so you won't be getting junk. Kenrup (a member here) sells really nice starter sets for attractive prices. Check through the Vendors Corner forum on this site to find some really great values. As already mentioned, whatever you buy ensure it is shave ready. In the classifieds the ads will state whether or not a razor is shave ready or not. Some vendors do provide honing with the razor price and others do not, but offer that service for an additional cost.

Besides the razor you will need the following as a minimum:

1. Strop (hanging the best, but a paddle will work)
2. Shave soap/cream (personal choice)
3. Brush (from less than $15 to obscene prices)

You will also need a pasting strop or barbers hone in a short bit too...

Welcome to SRP, Thomas!

- Scott

Okay, so what exactly is everyone saying? Arey'all telling me that I just wasted money by buying a premium blade? Is a Thiers-Issard blade a LOW QUALITY BLADE? Going by what everyone here just said, then that is exactly the case. What I am really asking is-- Am I going to be REQUIRED to send this blade away to get honed by a private bladesmith BEFORE I start to shave, or is this going to be "just good enough" to use? I appreciate the warm welcoming but judging from what I have just heard, this information y'all just unloaded on me is not at all encouraging for a first timer.

So, to avoid confusion, let's tackle these point by point.

1) Is Theirs-Issard (TI) a low quality blade? NO, not at all, they are great blades! The issue is honing; many razors do not come with as fine an edge as needed. More on the wiki for more info.

2) You may or may not need to send it out. You'll have to wait and see. My TI was fully shave-ready, and with a few strops, passed the HHT. Personal milage may vary.

Remember, SR shaving can be expensive to start out, but will be cheaper in the long run.

Karl

Originally Posted by dward

I wouldn't get overly concerned about "second hand" razors. Some of the most coveted blades are among them. Have a look through the classifieds. Besides, our members have reputations to protect so you won't be getting junk. Kenrup (a member here) sells really nice starter sets for attractive prices. Check through the Vendors Corner forum on this site to find some really great values. As already mentioned, whatever you buy ensure it is shave ready. In the classifieds the ads will state whether or not a razor is shave ready or not. Some vendors do provide honing with the razor price and others do not, but offer that service for an additional cost.

Besides the razor you will need the following as a minimum:

1. Strop (hanging the best, but a paddle will work)
2. Shave soap/cream (personal choice)
3. Brush (from less than $15 to obscene prices)

You will also need a pasting strop or barbers hone in a short bit too...

Why type this all out again, when I can just quote dward. Just make sure the razor is "shave ready" before use.