Thread: Pull the trigger?

Hi welcome to SRP. Your research has been very good. By set I guess you mean a razor and a strop ? IMO a 5/8 is fine to begin with and further down the road. I have a wide assortment of razors and some of my favorites are 5/8. Straight Razor Designs offers great service and going by the half dozen razors I've gotten from them I would say their honing is second to none.

They are widely regarded as one of the best places to pick up straight shaving gear. Some guys (such as myself) actually very much prefer a nice 5/8 over the 6/8 "standard". I would go with the silver steel myself, or even the tortoise as I really like the look of it. In terms of quality, there isn't any real difference between the two you listed that I know of, both are exceptional razors.

i dont see how youcan go wrong with srd they are top notch people.

SRD is a great place to do business as as are the many other fine sponsors of this site. I say look at them all especially vintageblades and classic shaving they may have similar sets that might suit your needs as well.

for full disclosure: i am not affiliated with the ownership or management of any of the above firms, just a very happy customer.

SRD by the way is owned by Lynn the founder of www.straightrazorplace.com who is a most excellent honemeister.

Reedie welcome to SRP. You can't go wrong with anything from Straight Razor Designs. One of the best places to pick up shaving gear. If you can, you should try to get one of the Stephens Woodworking Brushes they sell. Outstanding quality! I have the Dovo Ebony and it is an excellent shaver and is in my shave rotation. No matter what razors I purchase, I just can't justify taking the Ebony out of the rotation. The 5/8 is a good size for a beginner as everyone else has said. One thing, you should come here to SRP if you ever have a question about anyhting to do with shaving. The group of guys here are the best, most knowlegeable and kindest group, IMHO, on the internet. Hope to see more from you in the future! Take care and God Bless!

+1 to syslight.

Lynn and Don are great, and you won't be disappointed with the service. I can't answer for the silver steel razor, but the Black Star is a good razor, that's what my first razor was.

If he wants to try different sized razors, the best place to look first is the Classifieds on this site. You will find some great deals, and if the description says it comes shave ready, I'm sure it will be.

The size really is a personal preference, as I'm sure he will find out. Plus, once he tries a few out to see what he prefers, and wants to get rid of the other sizes, the Classifieds are there once again to help him out.

Add to that the knowledge and comradery on the forums here and it's a winning situation.

Make sure when you give him his gift, to start reading the forums here (especially the Straight Razor Place Wiki) after which he can post any questions he may want clarified

Also have him look at the videos in the Videos subforum (under General)

Videos - Straight Razor Place Forums

Lots of great video help there

And as you may have seen, there is also a section on here for the ladies as well. I'm sure they would be glad to talk to you if you have any thoughts about ditching the old cartridge razor and using a straight or Double Edge razor to shave with

Thanks to everyone for the speedy and thorough responses!! This is such a wonderful community - I will certainly direct my guy here when I give him his present.

Since there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two, I'm going with the Ebony Silver Steel (if only because it says 'Ebenholz' on the handle - I'm studying German Lit and like the German flair haha)

Thanks again

Hi Reedie and welcome to SRP. SRD is a very good place to purchase shaving gear from. All of the gear I have seen of their's is high quality and has an excellent price point. Buying from SRD is a no brainer. They also give a few second honing on all straight razors purchased from them.

If you are set on a 6/8s razor but want to buy it in a set give Lynn and Don a call. They may work something out for you. I have meet both Lynn and Don and they are great people willing to go the extra mile to please their customers.

Do note that I am not affiliated with SRD nor do I have any connection to their business.

Good luck in your purchase. Your boyfriend is a very lucky to have you as a lady friend.

Welcome to SRP. Your boyfriend has chosen well! SRD is my favorite vendor without question. They are the best for honing as well. Make sure to take advantage of their special offer for free honing for as long as he owns the razor... that's an unbeatable deal, IMO

Welcome to SRP.

If I'm not mistaken the models you're considering are only made in 5/8 by Dovo. If you like another 6/8 razor instead I'm sure straightrazordesigns will be happy to tailor your set accordingly, just give them a call.
Or just go with the ebony as you've planned.