Straight Shaving Newb is looking for some advice

I'm sure there are a lot of these threads, but I didn't see many on the first few pages of the Newbie Corner, so hopefully nobody will mind this post :)

I've been using a DE razor for a little over a year. Naturally, I'm curious about shaving with a straight razor, but they seem so expensive. I had decided I was not going to try it, but I can't resist! I want to at least test the waters a bit.

I already have the other materials needed (brush, soap, cream, AS etc), so I think all I need is a razor and a strop. Some folks say to get 2 razors so I can compare the shaves. This makes sense now that I own 8 or so DEs :P Since they all shave different, I'm sure straights are the same in that regard.

So here is my question... What razor and strop should I get?

I'd really like to minimize the cost in case I find shaving with a straight isn't for me. I see some in the classified that are well within my budget, but I have no idea if they are good on their own merits or specifically would be good for a newbie.

I'd prefer to spend no more then ~$50 for a first razor. Are any of the inexpensive razors in the classifieds suitable to learn with?

I've looked at new razors, but they seem to start at $75. They might make a great 2nd razor, but I don't think I want to go that route to start with.

Do I need to get a strop right away? I read some of the threads here about other newbs experience trying to use newspaper (had never heard of that) and it seemed to make a HUGE difference to use a strop. Do people sell used strops sometimes? If not, what would be the most economical strop that would still be functional?

Sorry for such a long first post. After reading threads here for a couple days, this seems like a great community, but I'm suffering a bit of information overload hehe. I have spent some time at Badger & Blade as well, and like the folks there. I think this group is just as nice :)

Thanks in advance for your advise!!

p.s. there are some great smileys here hehe :beer2:

Probably the best place to get a good shave ready straight for a good price is right here in the classified section. The razors listed will say if they are shave ready or not. You can get a good vintage razor at a good price. As far as a strop is concerned they are also listed in the classifieds. You may also look through the vendors listed on this site. The vendors that are listed here are able to advertise here because they know there stuff. Good luck and welcome to SRP!!!

I'd say 95% of the razors in the classifieds are good to learn on. You can get honing done separately if need be. I would also consider spending a tad more and getting a razor from SRD or Classicshaving.

thanks for the response guys :)

How much more?

I looked at SRD. They have the tortoise Dovo with a strop for ~$150. That's not too bad, but a little more then I wanted to spend not knowing if using a straight is going to be for me.

How about this one from the classifieds?
Mack GERMANY 5/8 - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

What about ruprazor?
He has this kit for $60
RupRazor - Gold Dollar Razor and Filly Strop
If I get a used razor here, would this Filly Strop work to start? It makes sense to get a cheap first one since I will probably mess it up :p

If it helps, I don't plan to straight shave everyday. To start, I'll shave on the weekend only with it. Using the DE already takes a good chunk of time when getting ready for work. Until I can get a straight shave done in under 10 minutes, it won't be a weekday thing.

classefied or some bay sellerrs that are recomended by some here
for learning go for a round point at first and not a vedge as there hard to get sharp again for a beginner
full hollows can be easy to mess up too if your just starting stropping

I think the best way to go is with the starter set from Ken Rup (RupRazor). You get a brand new razor, professionally honed and ready to go, and you get a new, very serviceable strop, all for $60, including shipping. I'm very, very pleased with my Rup razors and strops, of which I now own several.

Getting a new shave-ready razor for around fifty bucks is pretty much impossible. I'd wait until a nice 5/8 round point razor comes up in the classifieds within your price range. It'll be better quality than any new razor you'll find, and it'll last you a lifetime.

I agree with the others that the classifieds are your best bet. Due to my lousy income as a college student I've only acquired 3 razors so far, 2 of which came from the classifieds. Neither of them were more than $60 and I love them both dearly.

Honestly I say go with kenrup. I purchased a set from him starting out and it had the biggest bang-for-buck. The Double Arrow razor (from the set) is my favorite and most trusted fall-back razor when I NEED to have a great looking shave for an event. I've nicked the strop quite a bit while figuring out my technique, but it's held up quite admirably.

Funny thing, the strop should make a interesting conversation piece. Visiting relatives thought I was using it for some kind of BDSM act in my bathroom. :rofl2:

Doesn't BDSM mean "broke, but determined shaving maniac"? ;)

Thanks for all the advise :)

I'm going to think about it the rest of the week and watch the classifieds. It's likely I'll just order the starter kit from ruprazor. I do understand that an older razor, that has been sharpened by someone who knows what they are doing, would be a better investment then the inexpensive new razor, but I'm not looking to "invest" much into straights yet. I see the pictures of some guys' collections, so if I find I like straight shaving (likely) I've already resigned to developing SRAD ;)

Just wanna throw out there that ruprazor makes quality stuff and would be a great strop to learn on. The Gold Dollar he sells is probably good too (never used one but I trust him and other people sell them too so...)

Here's some advice:

When you get your razor, don't strop with it until you do a shave first. Chances are your stropping will dull the blade, since new guys don't have the muscle memory developed for stropping, so see what a good edge feels like for the first shave.

Stretch very tight so the hairs stand up, not lie flat.

make sure your lather is acceptable.

don't use a very flat angle, this will result in a bad shave that will discourage you, use a steeper angle, but not too steep or you'll get burn.

Watch and read about stropping, stropping is the #1 killer of edges for new guys. They either roll all the edges they have, or they dull the razor by shaves number 2 or 3 and think that the whole Straight razor thing is not for them.

Thanks for the advise!

I just bought a straight from the classifieds. I bought this one:
5/8 Bengall Hollow Ground Straight Razor - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Hopefully this will work well.

I haven't ordered a strop yet, so I won't be dulling the blade that way yet. Since I only plan to experiment with the straight on the weekends for now, the "shave ready" edge should last a few weeks, right? How many shaves can I expect to get before it needs to be stropped? Don't most folks strop in between every shave?

I'm probably going to go ahead and get the starter kit from Ruprazor also, so I'll have a strop then.

Now that I have a razor coming, I'm getting a little excited to try straight shaving! :)