New to SRP, help!

Greetings!

This is my first post here and I'm happy to say that I'm getting back to wet shaving (straight razor) after 20 years of doing it the hard way. I recently came into possession of my Grandfather's old straights and remembered how he showed me to shave with them even before I was old enough to need it. Although I'm sure some of what he taught me will come to the surface as I start shaving with straights again, I'm sure there have been some changes in the other products over the years.

What I would like is a little advice on gear other than razors. Strops (and their use), pastes, stones, brushes, soaps & creams, and anything else I might need. It seems a little overwhelming, but I'm committed to doing this. I'm tired of the mediocre results I've gotten with disposables and don't even get me started about electrics. That being said I will be getting quite a few new items in the next week or so and any help would be appreciated. As far as prices go, I would rather pay more for good quality than less for something that will end up gathering dust or in the trash.

All right Gentlemen, let the opinions flow freely.

Thanks,
Mike

Hi Mike Welcome to the forum,

To make this as simple as possible I would say you definitly need a strop, a professionally honed razor that most anyone on this forum can do for you and a good soap or shave cream. Everything else like brushes , stones , ect you can acquire later on.

You should stop by the chat section tonight , would be a great place for you to get a lot of answers quick.

Mike,

You will get a ton of advice. For a strop check out The Well Shaved Gentleman, Heirloom Razor Strop Company, Straight Razor Shaving Supplier
These are made by SRP member Tony Miller and are first rate.

For a brush www.classicshaving.com

Also checkout The Gentlemen's Quarter - Shaving, Bath and Body, Skincare, Home Fragrance, Brushes, Creams, Soaps SRP member Collen makes really
awesome soap. Many members will recommend it.

For more soaps qoogle Geo Trumpers. Pick a vendor.

Hope this helps


Terry

Welcome to SRP!

There is an abundance of high quality products and a lot of it is up to personal preference. Hang around, check the various sections of the forum, you'll quickly get a sense of it.
Make sure to read the sticky posts on top of this section and the links in mine are a good place to start.

Thanks guys, the coming week should be interesting. Looks like I have a little shopping to do!:D

Mike

Terry has given you the goods as far as I can see them. Tony's strops can't be beat and Colleen's soaps and creams are Da Bomb! As for brush, well I'm on my own odyssey right now so I won't advise, but there are plenty of great options.

X

Well after some shopping around I decided to get a few basics.

For a brush I chose a Rooney, style 3, small in "Super Silvertip". A middle-of-the-road brush from their line, but I believe a good starting point.

After reading some reviews on creams & soaps, I've ordered a tub of Castle Forbes cream. It seems that every review I've read on this brand is positive, so why not. Question: How long does a tub usually last? (it's the 200ml/6.8oz tub)

Any suggestions as far as the hard soaps go? Brands, scents, how long they last, price isn't an issue.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Good choice on the Rooney. I have a medium #3 super silvertip and I love it. Castle Forbes is my Saturday cream. I'm still working on my first tub, so I don't know how long it lasts. Hard soaps - I like Mitchell's Wool Fat, DR Harris Marlborough, Tabac, and Geo. F. Trumper Sandalwood. GFT Sandalwood lasts me about a year of daily use. I can't say for the others as I now use a rotation of soaps and creams. The CF, Tabac, MWF, and DRH have been in my rotation about two months and show no appreciable use.

Enjoy!

How do you like the scent of the DR Harris Marlborough?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Code3Medic

How do you like the scent of the DR Harris Marlborough?

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I like it fine. It's in an open bowl, so the scent is gone until it is lathered up. I should mention that Tabac has a scent that people either love or hate - it's visceral. I like the smell of Tabac, and it's a great soap. Like most soaps and cremes, the scent is gone as soon as you rinse.

Be sure to check out the wiki page, it has hours of reading that will really help ya come back to wet shaving! Tons of great info there...

Just ordered a cake of Coleen's "Leatherneck" shave soap from TGQ. She's gotten great reviews, so I figured "what the heck" and placed my order. Anybody used this particular brand/scent yet?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Code3Medic

What I would like is a little advice on gear other than razors. Strops (and their use), pastes, stones, brushes, soaps & creams, and anything else I might need. It seems a little overwhelming, but I'm committed to doing this.

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Welcome to SRP!

Well, maybe a bit late, now that you have acquired some kit already, but you might still find this Wiki article useful: Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki.

Well, I did it. After reading alot of different posts and articles here in the forums, I ordered my new straight. I'll hone up my G-dad's old straights as well, but I wanted to get something new for myself. Ended up going for a DOVO Black Star, 5/8 carbon steel full hollow. Nice looking razor (I'll take pics when I get it) at a good price.

BTW, how difficult is it to replace scales? On one of the old razors I have, one scale is split down the long axis.

Thanks to all who helped me transition back into the world of straights! (I think I might already have RAD :gaah:)

Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Code3Medic

Just ordered a cake of Coleen's "Leatherneck" shave soap from TGQ. She's gotten great reviews, so I figured "what the heck" and placed my order. Anybody used this particular brand/scent yet?

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Regularly! I can't get enough of it. It's like crack, heroin and cigarettes all soaked in coffee and fed directly to my brain.

In The Deep End » Blog Archive » Cream of the Crop: The Gentlemen’s Quarter

X

Mike,

Just a reminder, this is an addiction. Razors, soaps, creams and scents. :)


Terry