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well this is my first post and im new to the whole idea of straight shaving and ive been looking around for what to get and here is the list ive developed so far feel free to critique and add what you feel is necessary as you see fit thanks.
DOVO Straight Razors razor
Razor Strops, Hones, and Accessories strop
Vulfix Shaving Brushes brush
Shaving Soaps, Creams, Lotions & Toiletries cream
p.s. i also have strop past and styptic planned as well
Welcome to SRP, Sparky!
Thats pretty neat stuff that you picked there.
Hey sparky,
Welcome to SRP!
All that stuff is great, I see you have a nice budget to get started and ordering all from one place will help on shipping cost.
Only two things I would recommend are:
1. Buy a scrap piece of leather to practice stropping on so you don't nick you nice new strop
2. Since you are ordering your razor from that site it will come honed and stropped so shave without stropping your first time. That way you will know if you rolled your edge when you strop for your second shave
:gl: Let us know how the shave goes!
<after thought> if I really tried how many more times do you think I could have used the word "strop" in this post :hmmm:
Welcome with everything else make sure you read all the stuff for beginners here. The WIKI is loaded with great info to help get you going in the right direction. Always ask questions there's always someone who'll help. Go slow, learn the basics and branch out from there. Don't get discouraged straight shaving is an art, one that can bring real satisfaction.
Welcome to the mad house that is SRP as stated above check out the forums and the wiki but if you get stuck with a problem post it someone is always ready and willing to help
SRD is pre-sharpened by Lynn Abrams same person who does CS and as mentioned with SRD you get a 2nd honing free,Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
Oh snap ok yeah I'll deffinetly check them out then, thanks
a question sparky, are you buying these mid to upper priced items because that is what you want? or because those are the only sites you know?
because we can point you in the direction of many reputable and cheap products for people starting out. Though a razor from SRD is great for anyone :)
A bit of both really, the razor I'm not that worried about the price of but the rest of it (strop, brush, ect) I wouldn't mind cuttin the price on, I like the idea of a free hone so I'll be getting my razor from srd, but if yall know cheaper places to get good strips and other such jazz then by all means hit me. Don't mind payin a good price for the razor for it has been my experience in other areas of my life that you get what you pay for I don't f this applies to razors or not but hey better safe than sorryQuote:
Originally Posted by mbwhoosh
And another thing I got to thinkin about, I listed cream in that list but I'm starting to lean more towards soap, so if get soap and a mug how do I get the soap in the mug?!?!? Seems like such a simple concept yet for some reason it's left me scratching my head and sayin huh.
for a good cheap strop checkout RupRazor - Home he has a filly strop for $20 it is a good starter strop as you are most likely to nick or damage your first one
soaps last longer then creams are usually cheaper and a little slicker but are usually a little more difficult to lather but it isn't rocket science despite what some believe it is just soap and water either you need more of one or the other or both mix well and shave, you can lather on face or in a bowl or in a mug on top of the soap whatever you prefer no right or wrong method, depending on what type of soap you buy it may fit into a mug easily and after a few uses they tend to mold nicely to bottom
check out the forums for soaps and vendors, plenty of both good soaps-soap makers here as well as other vendors too
good luck
I recently bought a Dovo Bismarck from SRD in Black. You'll like it. They do have about the lowest prices on Dovo's these days. I can't say about the strops. I hear Kenrup has some good deals. You made some excellent choices. Dovo Bismarck was my first razor too, Welcome to SRP....
after seeing how much it costs to replace a leather stop, yes i will definitely be checkin out that $20 beginner one so thanks for that lol, my other hobby is paintball i know the value of getting beginner stuff lol. SRD has a truefitt and hill soap that comes in a wooden bowl and it has refills so that seems like the best deal to meQuote:
Originally Posted by crankymoose
sorry took a little nap
strops:
anyway yes ruprazor.com "filly" is nice starter from what I hear and it comes pasted so you can touch up your razor after a couple weeks use.
another option is TM ( Tony Miller thewellshavedgentleman.com) his strops are considered some of the best and are priced accordingly. They have the option to pay an extra $8 to add a practice strop. That way you save on shipping have a nice practice strop to chew up and really nice one for when your ready.
the SRD strops are another well known strop around here but you already know about them.
lastly if you wanna get creative or go to the extreame to save a buck you could build your own
http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...-jimboroo.html
Making a (very) home-made strop - Straight Razor Place Wiki
brush:
well this is a bit tricky because yes you get what you pay for but until you try a bunch a brushes you really don't know what quality is to be paying for it if that makes sense. So I will reccommend some cheap stuff that has been know to do the job and you can go from there.
tweezerman brush: you can get this at amazon.com for $10-15 it's what I use and does a decent job. its sheds at first and probably isn't the softest but when you start out it is proabably better tohave a stiff brush since it makes making lather a little easier (according to some).
VDH (van der hagen) makes a starter set of brush bowl and soap that I hear is alright most say it can be found at wal-mart
soap:
cheap soap that is easy to find is vdh (van der hagen) and williams. They can be found at target grocery stores cvs or wallgreens. Do a google so you know what they look like.
cream:
the only one I know of that is easy accessibel is O.C Bigelow from bath and body its relabled proraso and is very good for $5-10 depending on size
also thanks to JimR I found a cheap site that sells tabac (look around the forums you'll learn of it soon enough) it has a unique scent that you either love or hate but its lather is good enough that you'll use even if you don't like the scent.
Tabac Cologne for Men by Maurer & Wirtz
razor:
the only other place I would recommend buying a razor is here in the classifieds you can find cheap starter razors that are honed for $20-30 shipped. but if you want a new one and have the money SRD is the way to go.
hope this helps :gl:
In the top of the mug is a large hole. You can put the soap right in there. Conveniently, you can also use that same hole to access the soap with your brush. Hey they don't call me Mentor for nothin' eh! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
Looks like you're starting out with class, Sparky. Nice choices.
X
:roflmao:rofl2: should be added to the wiki!Quote:
Originally Posted by xman
The man with the ever changing avatar is right sparky. I think your perception of a shaving soap is either the bar shaped or an oversized hockey puck. You will be surprised at how small things are when you actually get your hands on them.
yeah thanks for making me feel like a retard i appreciate that. i get it that it goes in the top of the mug duh but most of the pucks seem to big to just set in there which is why i askedQuote:
Originally Posted by xman
just a little ribbing sparky xman is one of the nicest and helpful guys you'll meet on here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
Again your perception of the size of things will probably be a little off because you've been looking at them blown up in photos online.
A puck of shaving soap isn't like a bar of soap and when people here puck they think the size of a CD. It is actually closer to the circumfrence of a soda can lid. Get a can of soda put it on top of a piece of paper draw a circle around the can and see if it fits your mug;)
I f you go to an antique shop and look at a vintage shaving mug you'll see they are alot smaller than say a coffe mug your more used to.Also alot of people use bowls to lather or just face lather.
you'll see when you get your razor the first thing out of your mouth will be "gee I thought it would be bigger"
< that's what she said ba dum dish!>
oh well sorry lol, its hard to catch sarcasm in txt form ya know. its too late anyhow i already got my soap headed this way and it comes in a wooden bowl and has refills so im covered lol
what scent did you decied on? Did you decide on anything else strop, brush?
well first off lemme apologize to xman for me bein an ahole. the soap i went with is from truefitt and hill and i believe its supposed to have a light lavender scent its on srd. the brush and razor are still the same but i added a cheap brush stand. ill have to wait till next week to order my strop according to TM. and i like the fact that he has a practice strop option so ill be ordering from him. which brings me to my next question as far as strop width, i like the 2 inch cause its cheaper would a 3 inch be necessary or just another that would be great to have.
Very gentlemen like of you thats what we like to see ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
Yes Tony has had some family matters to take care of recently and only opens every other week since it is a part time buisness for him. It is worth the wait though I assure you and he ships fast mine got here in 3 days. As far as 2 or 3 inches either will do the job some find the 3' more forgiving and easier to use while doing the x pattern used for stroping since almost the entire razor fits on the strop. If you have the money get the 3' if not the 2' will work just fine you can always upgrade.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
practice stroping w/ a butterknife or a comb (the kind w/ the handle for making parts (that looks like a razor)) work first on your "knob turning" technique. This is the process of rolling the razor on it's spine so that the blade edge lays on the opposite side. Remember when using the x pattern to keep your wrist locked and use your forearm to do the motion.
The spine always leads the blade edge follows when stroping. Use little to no pressure and go slowly not like those youtube videos you see, work on technique speed will come later.
you have read the wiki on stroping right?
Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Also remeber your razor from SRD will come honed and stroped so DO NOT strop your razor on the first shave. Some people when starting out wind up messing up thier edge when they strop it and have a bad first shave and blame it on bad honing.
This guy does amazing shaving stands at dirt cheap prices, if you haven't already confirmed your order that is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
New Brush and Razor stand designs - Straights! 3 Brushes - more! - Badger & Blade
The soaps and creams are fine I recommend doing a youtube search for mantic59 to see how you should lather. He uses safety razors to shave but the lathering techniques are the same.
read the wiki watch some videos and peruse the forum your on your way to some great shaves.
That's what she said! :roflmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by mbwhoosh
:OT ooh missed that one good catch! ";"Quote:
Originally Posted by zepplin
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbwhoosh
No I ordered everything last night, well I guess this morning would be more like it so razor, soap, brush, stand, and styptic are on the way just waitin till next week when I can order my strop
Depending on when you stuff gets there you will be able to do your first shave before getting your strop. Though depending how good it goes it may feel like an eternity waiting for your strop to arrive so you can have another wonderful shave ;)
In the meantime review the wiki peruse the forum and get familiar and watch some videos on youtube about straight razors my personal favorite is this one
http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...ion-video.html
There is also another shave video out thier that is while entertaining misleading to noobies DO NOT try to shave like this!!!! Willy has stated that he has 10 years+ shave experience and stills nicks himself a couple of times.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...ing-video.html
let us know when you get your stuff and how the shave goes!