Ready to buy first SR...or 2

Hello all. This is a great site, with a very helpful wiki section. I've got some background info...about enough to make me dangerous.

A little info. I'm the wife. My husband shaves his entire scalp and face, save a small goatee. I joked with him about a month ago about buying him a SR and making him use that so I wouldn't have to buy an insane amount of expensive disposable pieces of poo anymore.

In doing my research....I've become hooked. I've made him read history and beginner info on the SR and got him to watch some youtube videos. He's interested and scared. I'm ready to get mine and let him catch up later.

I'm looking to purchase off the classified section here. I'm going to have to get them at a reasonable price, since I will probably getting a his/her set.

When looking to purchase, are the measurements (i.e. 5/8 or 11/16) a matter of preference or more of an important issue?

Assuming one of us can become proficient using the SR, can it be used to shave his head, or will I need to continue to buy the evil fusion anymore?



Thanks in advance for any help.
Monica

First off welcome to SRP and second you are a great wife!! Now yes you can shave your whole head with a straight many members do. Second size of the razor is preference, 5/8 is a normal size to start with because it is easy to navigate the face and in your case legs and other areas that might need shaved. After time you may find a liking for a bigger or smaller blade but 5/8 is pretty standard! I hope this help and :gl:

Thanks for the quick response. The yes answer may be all I needed to send him over the edge. Plans to surprise him on father's day are underway...:ziplip:

welcome to srp!

most of us seem to end up with a favorite size, but that's just that.
when starting we recommend 5/8-6/8 since it's not too large, but still sufficiently large to keep check on the angle. and 5/8 is the standard size, although that's the labeling, in reality a lot of razors actually measure 11/16 even though they're labeled 5/8.

plenty of people here shave their heads with their straight razors, there are a bunch of video demonstrations too.

Welcome to the forum.

The only reason aside from personal preference that I've heard for blade size is that with a bigger blade (5/8 or 6/8), it can be easier to judge the angle against the skin.

EDIT: Gugi beat me to it!

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Originally Posted by lowery2

Thanks for the quick response. The yes answer may be all I needed to send him over the edge. Plans to surprise him on father's day are underway...:ziplip:

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Nicely done!!! He will be very happy. Just remember that it takes time to learn everything so do not rush and do not expect the world when you first start. Question have you looked into strops and brushes and soaps?

Welcome my friend, first off you are a good wife, most men would give a left eye to keep (would do the same for my wife too though she has no interest in straights… but I am working on it).
As said before a 5/8th round point would be an excellent starting point for you both, but as you may already know I will say it anyway… you will need good strop to go with it and learn to strop the razor properly, because if you buy a razor now, without the strop you will have only one good shave out of it.

The classifieds is a geat place to start and there are a few reputable vendors in this website that will have everything to get you off to a good start in one kit.
There is also an active ladies forum here, some whose other half also use straights, you could drop by and say hello.

Please keep us up to date on your progress

Again welcome

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Originally Posted by sbrouwers

Nicely done!!! He will be very happy. Just remember that it takes time to learn everything so do not rush and do not expect the world when you first start. Question have you looked into strops and brushes and soaps?

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I'm kind of excited that we will be embarking on a learning experience together. Let's hope it goes better than our gardening expedition:)

I was going to get the brush and soap regardless of the SR, hoping it would help his terribly sensitive skin. I figure if you are going to spend the $$ for the razor, you need to have the tools to maintain it, so the strop is a no brainer.

I live in the midst of several Omish towns/areas and didn't know if I should just get a set online, or look locally.