Howdy Folks!

[rippsnorter]

Hello everyone, a pleasant little community you have here. I had been looking for a place that had actual knowledge about straight razors, rather than just "I think my grand-daddy used one and I think it went like this..."

Quick history of me:

30 years old. Been shaving with a straight razor since I was 21. I used a fairly low quality one for years, and the most beneficial lesson I gained out of the deal is that the proper prep is key! I'm still by no means an expert, but at least I know that good prep and good technique will make a huge difference even with a poor quality razor.

I'm not sure if the rest of this should go here in the newbie section, or in the ebay section or where, but I'll post it all here and I can split it up elsewhere if it would be better later.

What I'm looking for: pretty much everything. And I'd appreciate some of you more knowledgeable folks' help in finding it, perhaps even in buying it from some of you? As with most people, I do want to be as conservative on price as possible.

Stand/holder (it can't be good to hold my razor in a wicker basket with a comb, even if I try to be gentle with it)

Honing equipment. Strops with paste, etc. (wood backed strops?)

Decent older razor.

Here's where I especially need the help. I've been looking over them on ebay, and while some seem beautiful, I know nothing about them.

This one I think is especially beautiful, but again, I know nothing about them. Vintage-Peter J Michels-Cut Throat Straight Razor - eBay (item 170337258708 end time May-31-09 13:03:12 PDT)

So, I thought perhaps if you could help me pick out a good one, or buy a good one here, then send it on over to Lynn, (who I hear is amazing with a hone) to give me something to start with.

What do you think?


Oh! I nearly forgot. Edge quality and long life are even more important to me than looks. I want to use the thing, not just look at it. So I'd rather be pointed in the direction of a very good blade than something really beautiful.