Thread: I don't know anything about ANYTHING...many questions need answers please help!

Hey guys,

So this whole straight razor thing looks pretty cost-effective and bad ass. However:

How often would I have to hone the thing ? What exactly is 4000/8000 grit?

How can I tell if it's "shave ready" or not? Will it say somewhere on the site / in the shop? Should I be wary of manufacturers that may tell me it's shave-ready? What's 4/8 6/8 3/8 what's all that supposed to mean?

Can someone post the URL of brands to avoid ?

Assuming you have a budget of anywhere between 50 and 350 dollars, is it really worth buying a super-expensive razor? I read something on wikipedia about hollow, double hollow, double edge and extra hollow. What does all this mean? Is there a list of razors that are hollow, or is that something that would be advertised? What's the best razor for shaving every day?

How much "should" it cost to put together a good straight razor kit? I don't care about material properties like colour or finish or whatever, I just want functionality.

What's the best place to buy a razor? Online? Store? Does it make a difference if you can see the thing up close?

Do I really need more than one razor if I shave once a day at the same time every day?

I don't want to waste anyone's time, so is there a URL to somewhere where I can be brought up to speed on everything I should know about straight razors? I mean all this lingo, it's a little confusing and it makes me feel like I should know way more than I currently do before just buying something that says "Dovo" or "Solingen" on it.

Any replies from anyone who knows about this stuff would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to SRP ! Here is where you'll find what you need.

Welcome . . . you kinda walked right into that one.

Read all that and then return for more questions . . .

Originally Posted by JFD

Hey guys,

So this whole straight razor thing looks pretty cost-effective and bad ass.

I will buy bad ass, because it truly is! Cost effective? If you are married I'd recommend the following actions: (1) always get the mail; (2) use your neighbors address for UPS/Fedex deliveries. In short order you'll understand the meaning of this.

Originally Posted by dward

I will buy bad ass, because it truly is! Cost effective? If you are married I'd recommend the following actions: (1) always get the mail; (2) use your neighbors address for UPS/Fedex deliveries. In short order you'll understand the meaning of this.

Wisdom this man holds. Follow you should.

The wiki should have most of the information you need, along with google, the sticky topics on SRP & previous forum posts. If after all this you still have any more questions don't hesitate to report back or make a new thread entirely.

hi and welcome to srp,
i would suggest reading the wiki here on this site and you may also want to order lynn abrams dvd on here. ask a lot of questions about anything you do not understand. everyone here is willing to help others.
most important is to have a shave ready razor, if you buy from several of the sites they come shave ready by lynn himself.
the next thing is to not rush things. it takes time after you have your setup to learn correct shaving. do not worry it will come with practice. you will begin to enjoy more with each shave. hope this helps and you have fun with you new experience

Originally Posted by dward

I will buy bad ass, because it truly is! Cost effective? If you are married I'd recommend the following actions: (1) always get the mail; (2) use your neighbors address for UPS/Fedex deliveries. In short order you'll understand the meaning of this.

Dward...
I hear you Brother!

Originally Posted by dward

I will buy bad ass, because it truly is! Cost effective? If you are married I'd recommend the following actions: (1) always get the mail; (2) use your neighbors address for UPS/Fedex deliveries. In short order you'll understand the meaning of this.

Wait, so it's not cheaper to shave with a straight razor than to shave with those Mach 3s and Fusions that you always have to buy the refill packets for? Does it at least give you a closer shave?
This may be utterly simplistic, but so far this is the plan:

Buy the 74.99 Black Dovo from vintage blades llc that comes shave ready, and hone it every 2 months

Buy a Norton 4K/8K, nothing fancy just one stone

Buy the black 2" strop that they sell

And that's it. I have shaving cream and I have a brush. I figure with these 3 items I'll be good for the next 15 years or so. Thoughts? I dont think this'll actually realistically suffiec for the next decade and a half, but I was wondering what problems would occur that would necessitate more purchase. Feel free to utterly shoot this down, but the bottom line for me is not that it's a hobby, just that it's more efficient than running to the store every 2 months to pay $34.99 for refills. Truth be told, I'd probably enjoy stropping and shaving with a weapon every morning, but yeah in terms of cost-effectiveness I think I'm seeing it through different eyes than you guys, and I was wondering if I could get some guidance there. What am I missing here, guys? What'll happen in a few months, a few years if I buy these three things?

They're joking because once you start down the road of using a straight razor, it's hard to stick to just owning one razor, one brush, one strop etc. There is always something pretty that catches your eye!

I'm going along with the last few posts. I suspect straight shaving would be very cost effective if you were able to stick to one strop, one razor, one brush, and only buy soap or cream when you run out. However, it seems to become a passion/hobby/addiction after a short while. As Lynn likes to put it, there's not one experienced person here that doesn't strive for the perfect shave and perfect razor.
I'm very new to straight razor shaving and in addition to my favorite mug and grandfathers EverReady brush, I've already purchased two soaps, three creams, aftershave, after shave balm, and have my eye on a full razor set from SRD (this shavette thingy is for the birds). Incidentally SRD is partially run by Lynn, the founder of this site and a mentor to all.
Dward, nail on the head buddy. SWMBO is already starting to get 'the look' after those few things I mentioned. Can't wait to see what happens after I get the full setup.