Welcome Steak!

razor/strop-Beberlin gave you some great info, the set he suggested would be great for a beginner.

strop oil-You shouldn't need the strop oil since there strops come pretreated and with proper care strops only need to be treated maybe once a year if that. Just rub the strop daily with the palm of your hand the oils in your skin will help break in the strop.

Hones- Since price doesn't seem to be an issue a nice starter set to learn to hone would be this norton starter set grab some cheap razors in the classified section of SRP (straight razor place) also check your local antique dealers and e-bay for lot sales of razors, you will have to do some restoration work on these though.

shaving bowl- is very nice but unecessary you can use any cereal bowl or coffee mug or since you like the metal look at cat water dishes

soap/cream- Don't know where your located but if your in the USA williams and VDH (vander hagen) can be found at any wallgreens CVS or wallmart dirt cheap.


for creames the easiest and cheapest to find is C.O. Bigelow (relabled proraso) can be found at most bath and body (not to be confused with bed bath and beyond or the bod shop) for $5-10


great starter soaps and creams till you learn to lather and can then upgrade to better ones. Also alum blocks work great some people don't like the sting they produce so I will suggest you get some with hazel (WH) also any store that has a pharmacy section carries the stuff its pretty cheap too.


WH has a very pungent smell if you want to try scented WH theyers makes a line of it with different scents and can be found at most Vitamin GNC or whole foods stores but its kinda pricey.



To answer your other questions, drying a razor depends on your area and the climate there. If you live somewhere wet and humid rust can be a big risk and you should oil your razor after every use and then wipe it off right before you shave. If you live in a dry area simply rinsing it under hot water then drying with a towel or tissue may suffice.

building lather is a art in itself and more difficult than most newbies give it credit for, I suggest checking out the wiki and video section of the forum and also watching Mantic's videos

Good luck and once again welcome you won't regret your decision to switch over. Str8t shaving takes alot of patience and effort when starting out but the closeness of the shave and the wonderful community here at srp will keep you coming back.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.