total straight razor novice needs help

hi all
im new to the whole straight razor scene and was wondering if you guys could offer me some help and guidance.

after looking around on the internet ive decided that im going to buy either the dovo 'en vogue' or the dovo 'bismarck' just from a couple ov reviews iv read about them both. Is there much difference between them and which one would you reccomend out of the two??

also ive read alot about people having a strop and a hone. what is the purpose of these and are they both needed? also is a strop paste needed if so what is the purpose of it?

many thanx in advance

Welcome to SRP,

We have compiled http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...beginners.html which you might find helpful. Both razors are good, but personally, I would not buy either as an entry level razor. Explanations are in the above article.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

Regards,
Robin

You dont have to buy a brand new razor it can be used just make sure it is shave ready and has been through the whole process to refine the edge.A strop is very useful to use before you shave because u get a nice edge for a smooth shave.

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Originally Posted by muaythaigb

also ive read alot about people having a strop and a hone. what is the purpose of these and are they both needed? also is a strop paste needed if so what is the purpose of it?

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Dovo makes a nice razor, so I'm sure either one will be good. Be sure to order it professionally honed (factory sharp isn't sharp enough).

You must have a strop-- the purpose is to condition the edge before you shave (you need to strop before every shave). You use the strop by leading with the razor spine, edge trailing-- be sure to read the wiki section on stropping. Stropping is not hard, but if you do it incorreclty you will mess up your edge ("folding" the edge by lifting the spine off the strop durinig the stroke-- a big no no...). Many beginners mess up their razors this way... so pls read up on it.

The hone is for sharpening your razor-- if you are new, I wouldn't worry about getting a hone yet. When your razor gets dull you can send it to a honemeister on this site and they will sharpen it (see the classified section). After you get the shaving and stropping down, then later you can invest in a hone.

The pasted strop is an alternative to the hone-- again, I wouldn't worry about this now. But later, you'll need to decide if you want to use a pasted strop, or a hone. The benefit of the pasted strop is that it is a quick and cheap way to touch up your edge, but eventually you'll need to hone it anyway...

-Happy shaving
Chief

+1 on Chiefs post.

You definately need a strop. Pastes and hones you can worry about later!

I have a DOVO Bismarck and I love it, great little shaver, but do make sure you read the link that Robin referenced about what kit to buy. Tempting as it is to buy a flashy razor, there are reasons not to as well, as per that thread..!

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

+1 with Jimmy. SRD, the site he recommends has very competitive prices, maybe the lowest on Dovo. They come professionally honed, stropped, shave ready out of the box.
At least you'll know what a shave ready razor feels like.
You will need a strop. Read the WIKI, Barber's book...A strop is used daily for the final finish of the blade, or to smooth, as the Barber's manual say's. So, that item is a must.
I agree with the others. I wouldn't worry about hones just yet. There will plenty of time for that. for now, Razor, Strop, Soap, Brush, and some kind of bowl or scuttle. If funds are an issue, forget about the brush, scuttle and soap for now. Any shave cream will do.

I'm not sure what I can add other than follow the advice up above. Especially when it comes to getting the razor shave ready. I recently purchased a new dovo and they are correct. Factory sharp is very sharp...but not near sharp enough for a comfortable shave. It wont hardly pass a hanging hair test and feels similar to one of my DE blades that is about 5 shaves overdue for replacement. Truth be told I've had better shaves from a bic disposable than the factory hone on my dovo :(

In the factory is pre-honed ONLY-you need real honing,don't care about HHT, the only one reliable test is shaving.There are 2 possible reasons that your shave is worse than with DE-dull razor and poor technice- the second will improve with time

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Originally Posted by mojka

In the factory is pre-honed ONLY-you need real honing,don't care about HHT, the only one reliable test is shaving.There are 2 possible reasons that your shave is worse than with DE-dull razor and poor technice- the second will improve with time

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I agree, and am quite aware of the learning curve and requirements for a good hone job. Just trying to reinforce solid advice given to a new user so they dont make the same mistake I made with buying a razor not professionally honed to a shave ready state.