Thread: Limited Financial Resources...

Hey, as you can gather from the title, I have very limited financial resources, but I am new to straight razors, and I was wondering... What is a relatively good brand for a newbie like myself, and where can I find them online for relatively cheaply?

Thx in advance,
Playful

Hi! Wellcome! You can find some nice razors here in the Classifieds place! Nice razors with good prices! How much are thinking in spending for a first razor? Take a look to this one (reliable seller!!! like most of all SRP members): "Yankee Shaver No3", Wester Bros., New York. - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Make a visit to this (razors to avoid: Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Welcome. Don't forget you'll need a strop, brush and soap too. There are a number of places on line that do reasonably priced starter kits. You might even find one in the classifieds, I don't know, sorry. Where are you, which continent if you don't want to give out more detail?

Well AlanII, I live in the USA, in california if that helps...

Classifieds are your best bet for a razor though a member here, Kenrup, has been spoken highly of for his starter sets. Don't know if he still does them. You can find his site here but if I remember rightly you have to send a mail if you want the sets. Hope this helps and good luck.

Hi and welcome.

You will find a lot of good info in the Wiki.
For example:
Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Wiki
I would look in the classified for a quality razor. You'll find what is considered good in the Wiki.
Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Since you have limited financial resources, have you considered to make your own strop?

Actually Otto, I WAS planning on making my own strop... I do some leatherworking so I have access to leather, and I figured, you know, why not? Can't be too hard, right?

I think it might be fun to do too.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwiki/index.php/Making_a_(very)_home-made_strop

I guess it depends on how limited your resources are. You can get a good vintage razor for 20-30 dollars, but it will probably need honing. You can either spend about $20 plus shipping for someone to hone it for you or about $60 for a decent hone and do it yourself.

You can get a good strop for $20-30, or use a smooth leather belt.

A boar bristle brush can be had for a fairly low price and there are soaps available for $10 or less. You can use a large coffee mug to hold the soap. or just hold it in your hand.

All in, $50-70 should be doable.

i've only had one SR shave so far, so take my advice with a grain of salt. here's what worked for me

i got a razor for $25 (shipped). you best bet is to check the classifieds for a used/restored razor.
a few things to look for- shave ready (if you buy a new razor, and it says shave ready, be prepared to have it honed)
you can get brush + bowl + soap from walmart for $7
you can get a simple strop for $20: RupRazor - The Filly this is what i'm using.

common wisdom on the boards is that you buy a razor/strop that you're willing to part with until you learn the right technique. you will tear nick your strop, and you may ruin your razor, so buy entry level gear at first.
when you decide you're ready (you'll know, nobody can tell you) to move up, you're really only paying for a prettier razor, but a more expensive strop may be wider, or of better quality (don't quote me on that)

poke around on the wiki, but your best bet is to read the basics, and then dive in. if you have any questions, check the wiki, or old forum posts- chances are your question's already been asked

edit: I didn't want my brush to just be sitting around (i.e. i wanted it to hang from something) but didn't want to spend any money on a brush holder (and i hardly have time to shop for these things), so I took a wire hanger, and just bent it into a holder. the nice thing about this is that it's tall enough to put my bowl under, so any dripping from my brush lands in my bowl, and not my counter