Thread: brand new, need advise on what to buy!

Welcome, Zwaldo! I'm new here myself, so I'm not going to be giving you too much advice, but one thing I will say straight away is do not attempt to shave with that razor till it has been properly honed. There are people here who can hone it for you as there is no way you will have the expertise to do it yourself yet.

Welcome aboard to SRP! Please don't hesitate to ask questions. Read through the various threads and the Wiki. There is a veritable wealth of information and knowledge here.

As to what particular items to get, most of it will come down to personal choice. The decision between soap and cream, strops, brushes must be made by you. I can give you my personal likes and dislikes, but others may have just the opposite.

What do I recommend, though, is to look through the classifieds and through the Vendors Corner forum. You can't go wrong on quality with any of those sources. The vendors are members here, as well as the items in the classifieds. Our members have reputations to protect so you won't be getting junk.

Looks like you have a good razor. Now send it out to one of our honemeisters to have the correct edge put on it. I highly recommend not trying to do that at the start. Otherwise you will be trying to figure out what the source of a problem is, technique or edge.

You will need the following:

1. Shave ready razor (already addressed)
2. Strop (hanging is best, paddle will work)
3. Shave soap/cream
4. Brush (from $10 to obscene prices)

Be sure to check the classifieds section here on SRP and then look under the heading "member services" to get that blade honed.

All excellent advice but no one has yet looked at the mater of brand names or providers. Here are some of the names out there, and to forum members please correct me if I am not correct.

Dovo - Has the lower cost market
Theirs and Issard - Middle ground maker.
Zowanda - Higher end market

If you are new I typically recommend starting with a Dovo, no sense in spending over 1K for something you will never use. Try out a $100 one first then move up if straight shaving suits you.

I typically recommend Classic Shaving becasue they work with the master of sharpening straight razors (honing) Lynn Abrams. Everything they sell has been to see him. Buy it else where and you can be guaranteed that it has not been honed and it is not shave ready.

do not attempt to shave with that razor till it has been properly honed. There are people here who can hone it for you as there is no way you will have the expertise to do it yourself yet.

IMHO this is good advice,and I would add a little more.If you get your razor honed by a pro,don't try to strop it right away as you could ruin the edge before ever shaving with it.You will have to learn to strop correctly,and if you are reading the wiki articles,you know to ALWAYS roll the razor on it's spine when stropping.

Hi,
Aside from the wiki here, this guide was very helpful for me:

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkjEV3E...azor-Shave.pdf

Welcome aboard,

-Chief