beginner need help first straight razor

**Maunus** · 08-11-2009, 06:47 PM

!!!

thanks to all so far!! I have used my merkur futur and blade for one week, no cuts at all, medium close shave. i am very careful. I love trumpers lime skin food after shaving, and proraso shave cream, in a tube like toothpaste.

Now,

1. which straight razor, pre sharpened, should I buy?

2. do I need to strop? how often?

3. how often do I send the razor off to be sharpened? and where?

thanks to all very very much!!!!

best,

Bob

**hi_bud_gl** · 08-11-2009, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by Maunus

!!!

thanks to all so far!! I have used my merkur futur and blade for one week, no cuts at all, medium close shave. i am very careful. I love trumpers lime skin food after shaving, and proraso shave cream, in a tube like toothpaste.

Now,

1. which straight razor, pre sharpened, should I buy?

2. do I need to strop? how often?

3. how often do I send the razor off to be sharpened? and where?

thanks to all very very much!!!!

best,

Bob

at first Welcome
You can choose any straight razor but will better if you buy 5/8 or 6/8 round point blade.
Yes you do need to strop and learn how to strop.you will strop before every shave at least.
Proper honed razor will last at least 3 months and you can check classified member services option. there is all service providers name and location choose one .
hope this helps.

**mbwhoosh** · 08-11-2009, 07:17 PM

Welcome!

1. As hi bud gl stated a 5/8-6/8 is right in the middle of grinds perfect for starters, the round point is suggested because it is common to nick the ear lobe when getting used to the str8t length (but a square,french,spanish will still work the same)

2.yup everyday, some even do it between passes and after they shave.

a cheap starter strop is the filly from ruprazor.com

or you can buy a tony miller (tm) and pay an extra $8 to get a practice strop included thewellshavedgentleman.com

straightrazordesign.com also have highly recommended strops

3. If it has been properly honed as hi bud gl said about 3 months, then you only need a razor/barber hone ($20-50) or a pasted strop to get the edge back. You should only need to send it in again if you acidenlty chip it by banging on the sink or roll the edge by improper stropping.

Category:Stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Category:Honing - Straight Razor Place Wiki

**Joed** · 08-11-2009, 07:27 PM

All good advice given above. Also check the classified section here on SRP for a used shave ready razor and or strop.

The web site 'Straight Razor Designs", which advertises here on SRP also sells very good straight razors that are shave ready. I'm not sure but they were advertising that the second honing was free also. Check to be sure. They also sell all other shave gear like brushes, strops, shave soap and shave cream to name a few.

It really depends on your taste and budget. There are other places that will do right by you when you buy your gear but SRD is a no brainer and the classified section here is a close second. Check the vendor's corner here for other purchasing and honing options as well as vendor sales.

Good luck and welcome to SRP!!

**59caddy** · 08-11-2009, 09:39 PM

i have a new dovo perlex and 3" latigo strop that i purchased from vintagebladesllc and am very happy with both. it is good to get a practice strop at first until you get up to speed, and you will nick the strop, i nicked the latigo strop first time. the dovo comes already honed by lynn. i also bought an older razor hone off ebay for about $20(do not buy zeepk, it is junk) and just give about 5 passes every couple of months and it works great

**SiRed8** · 08-12-2009, 01:45 AM

I don't want to repeat what's said but merely add:

if you decide to get one from SRD you will get a certificate for your first free honing by Lynn. :beer:

Also check Classifieds as guys offer honing services :thumbup:

Check this as well:
Lynn Honing:
YouTube - Straight Razor Place '09 Convention. Lynn Honing #1

**captainboog** · 08-12-2009, 02:52 AM

The first razor I bought was an ebony Dovo. I dropped it in the sink the first day and messed up the blade. Not realizing for quite a while that I had caused the problem, I thought I just didn't like the razor.

I bought a Dovo "best quality" shortly after that. I think it's the cheapest one they make. I never dropped it, and despite having bought several more expensive razors, it is still my favorite.

**BHChieftain** · 08-12-2009, 01:31 PM

Be sure to read the wiki section for some great info.

On which razor, there is the brand and the type.
The wiki has a "brands to avoid" list, so check that out. For the type, there are several considerations:

-width of the blade
-grind of the blade
-type of point
-type of steel
-scales

For width, as mentioned before, 5/8 or 6/8 is a good place to start. 8/8 (1 inch) is the largest, but can be hard to maneurver, esp. for under the nose, etc. 4/8 or 3/8 are pretty narrow, and it can be harder to keep the blade angle at the right point when shaving, plus the blades don't hold a lot of cream, so you need to rinse them off frequently. But the smaller blades are good for trimming moustaches.

For grind, razors typically come in full hollow, half hollow, quarter hollow, and wedge. Full hollows are the thinnest, wedges are the thickest. Thinner blades give more feedback and feel lighter. The thicker quarter hollow and wedges are very stiff, and work great for heavy beards. I have 3 razors, one is full hollow, one is half, one is quarter. They all shave great, and they all feel completely different when I shave-- I like the contrast.

For points (toe of the razor), there are round, spike, french and spanish (I'm sure there are others). The spike point can induce a cut pretty easily if you make the mistake of lifting the edge of the razor away from your face, so they are not recommended for beginners ( but many beginners here have spike points and report no problems, and I, with my round point razor, lifted the edge and got a nasty 1/4 inch cut...). But on the other hand, the spike point enables super accurate trimming, so nice if you have a moustache or beard. I use round and french points (a french point has a more defined toe edge than a round point, but not as extreme as a spike). Spanish points look really cool, and also provide a more defined edge at the toe. I have a moustache and a goatee, and my 2 round points work just fine, as does the french point. I think this really boils down to asethetics of the razor more than anything else.

Steel type- either carbon steel or stainless. Most razors are carbon steel. They rust really quickly if there is water left on them, so you need to be sure to keep your razor dry and in a low humidity place (ie, don't store them in the bathroom if you don't have good ventilation there). Some say stainless is harder to hone, others say it really isn't that different. I've come to the conclusion that the steel type does not really matter. It is the quality of the steel that is important, there is poor carbon steel and poor stainless steel, so be sure to pick a good brand either way.

Scales- does not affect the shave, purely asethetic. Many vintage razors have celluoid scales, and occationally the celluiod breaks down and the resulting release of gas can corrode the razor. I have no idea how often this happens, but just something to be aware of.

One other note, many razors have gold wash decoration on them. The gold wash is very thin, and wears out easily. Just note that metal polish will remove the gold wash very quickly, so be careful if you polish the blade (I just polish the gold wash off-- I prefer a clean, shiny blade).

Finally, if you buy a new razor, it generally won't be sharp enough to shave comfortably. Be sure to send it out for honing. If you order on-line, there often is a honing service option. Or you can ship it to one of the honemeisters on this site (see "Classified" section for folks who do honing).

Happy hunting,

-Chief

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