Another Newbie Introducing Himself (And asking a Newbie Question!)

Greetings and salutations, all! I have been lurking around the forums and wiki for a couple of weeks now, and have decided to begin my own journey into the wonderful world of straight razor shaving. Since I believe in throwing myself completely into whatever I am doing, I have gone ahead and purchased: 3 Norton Stones, #1000, #4000, and #8000 grits. I have also purchased myself a strop, and am working on purchasing a bench strop to paste up with some #12000 and #15000 grit diamond paste. I went ahead and bought a couple of "eBay Specials" to practice on, and get my honing and stroping down pat.
Now for my newbie question: I am looking to buy a good enough razor that I can actually shave with, and I am working on a budget - can anyone make a suggestion where I can get a decent straight razor (one that will hold an edge) for a decent price? The eBay specials I got were cheapy, and on the list of "Razors to avoid." Nonetheless, I thought it wise to start on some really lousy blades, and then to work with a decent one once I got the hang of it.
I am really looking forward to working and shaving with straight razors for some time to come: I just need a nudge in the direction of a good starter razor! Thanks to all who respond, and it is a pleasure to be among you all.

Welcome. The best bang for the buck, in order:

Off a member here with the words "shave ready"

From SRD

From "Classicshaving" or "Vintage Blades", both with the "shave-ready" title only, nothing less.

Wow - you guys are on the ball: I haven't had this good of a reception since I joined the Gentoo Linux forums! Thanks for the advice so far - I was looking at the Dovo brand razors already. As for the eBay razors - yes, the plan is to buy a couple more that aren't on the list, once I get a bit better at honing and stropping - I can still tell I am not doing things quite right yet. Any other suggestions for starter razors will be greatly appreciated: otherwise, I will see you all in the posts.

Welcome to SRP. Good advice given above. Starting with razors to avoid to practice honing with is not the best way to go but you are there already so give it a try. Recommendations on where to buy shave ready blades is good advice. Another option is to print out the list of acceptable razors and take it with you to antique shops and flea markets. Look for razors on the list that do not have chips or cracks in the blade and no frowns on the edge (search the forum for examples). Decent scales and no rust are a plus. They are out there for a good price but you have to look and be patient. Then send to a honemiester listed in the SRP classified section. If you are lucky you can get away under 50 bucks and shave ready. The safest bet is to buy as described above by the others. If you are adventurous you can try what I mentioned but be aware that there is a chance of failure with it in buying a blade that has damage you are not aware of and will not shave or will need a lot of work. One of the SRP members, Utopian, is offering free honing. I think he is still offering it. You cost would be shipping.

Good luck and again, welcome to SRP.

Welcome and try the classifieds for a razor most are shave ready and also under $60.00.
Also there's a couple of members here with a post that are honing for free.

A real nice vintage razor brand that goes for a very reasonable price is a GENCO. I have one myself and besides screwing up the edge it is a great razor to start with (5/8 hollow, round point).

Thanks for all the advice - I am looking into getting a better razor: I'll put the other garbage razors on hold until I have a couple of blades worth practicing on. I've looked in the Classifieds here: thinking about purchasing a couple of razors.

Weclome. +1 on the classifieds here I have yet to find someone that is not top notch.

Check the classified first on SRP and start with one that has been well cared for. You can also pick up 1 project straight that needs some honing and work with it to reach the standard of your working straight razor. Your good razor will set the benchmark.

My first was a Dovo Tortoise and it is a great bang for the buck new. Although, I have more fancy straights in the rotation and counting, I always look forward to using the DT because it always gives me a nice BBS shave, takes an edge well, and is easy to use, so its a keeper.

Welcome to SRP and straight shaving. It appears you dove in with an investment to get started.

Pabster