My First Straight Razor...?

Howdy,

I have read over most of the faqs and newbie threads and am honestly more lost than I was before I started. The most important piece of advice that I have come across seems to be, don't go big/best with your first straight razor. I have therefore decided to purchase two, one cheap one now and an expensive one in a month or two (or whenever is recommended).

My father lived in another state when I was growing up so I basically learned to shave with my mom's pink bics, movies and tv for inspiration, and a lot of nicks and cuts for education. The first time I was sat down and taught to shave was in basic training, where I learned the magic of hot instead of cold/luke warm water, shaving cream/gel, and purchasing a new razor more than 3-4 times a year.

I do not know what aspects of my face and facial hair are important to consider, so I will list anything I can think of that may apply. I do not grow thick facial hair except in the mustache area and goatee area. I have sparse facial hair on my cheeks and sideburns (a full beard is an impossibility even though I am 26). I rarely get razor burn despite being cheap and using razors long past their prime and have had maybe 10 ingrown hairs on my face in my entire life. I have tried two electrics, one was about $50 and the other was about $225, and neither could cut my facial hair lower than a 5 o'clock shadow, regardless of the techniques, gels, creams, prayers, nor chants used. My facial hair grows at about half the rate of my peers (and my hair grows twice as fast, go figure.)

For both razors the blade is all that concerns me. The handle needs to be sturdy and dependable. Color, material, style, etc. does not concern me (no pink ones if you can help it, though); I want comfort and quality. So if the difference between two handles is $200 worth of glitz on the handle, I will take the cheaper one provided all other things are equal.

The first straight razor I want to buy simply needs to be high enough quality and last long enough for me to decide which way I want to go in size, grind, point, length, etc. with the second razor. I would prefer this razor to be new and under $100.

The second razor I want to buy needs to be perfect. I want a new one that will last long enough for my great grandson to drop and ruin when he starts to shave. I have bought two nice things for myself my entire life, the computer that I am using and the wedding ring for my wife (okay, it was for her a little bit too) and I want this straight razor to be the third thing. While I would like to keep it in the hundreds of dollar range, if I find perfection crests at $1,000 then that is the one for me. The only place that sells straight razors that aren't cheap plastic and don't have a blade edge indistinguishable from the spine only has one brand (I forget which brand, the store is for knife collectors) that has prices ranging from $150-600 depending solely on the handle. I want the very best straight razor I can afford. As I do not know exactly what type of razor I will be buying, multiple suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time,

~Rahk~

You can easily get a good starter razor for under $100

In fact you can get a pretty nice razor for $100 or under.

Just look in the SRP classifieds.

You could even get a beat up old blade and send it to one of our top notch restoration guys and have a nice starter razor and/or a razor to pass down to your kid's kids.

With the way Max fixed up my razor my great grandpapa is probably clawin out of his grave to ask for it back.:D

Welcome to SRP Rahk. + 1 to what dannywonderful said. I personally think a first razor is better off being a brand new one honed by a professional and that is what you'll get from Straight Razor Designs. :gl:

welcome to the club - Im a newbie to all of this myself and I have only been doing this for about 7 or 8 days - so I'm pretty young to all of this as well. After a good bit of research and a poor straight razor purchase (due to my rookie status) I purchase and am using a shavette. This choice of mine seems to get a little mixed reviews from the guys on here but its all good. I would suggest the same for you get a shavette and some blades for it and start in on the journey. Its a fun one for sure. Best of luck

Hey buddy,

I'm new here too, and going through the exact same process you are. Check out the forums>vendor corner . under the gold dollar shipment arrival member jreiter22 is selling some cheaper blades and he will even get them shave ready for an extra $10. From what I am gathering this will be good for trying it out and is cheap enough to learn how to strop and hone with so you dont end up ruining expensive gear, the filly strop from rup razor is what i am going to start with. all of the seniors here seem to recommend it. good luck dude and welcome to the SRP

jt

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Originally Posted by Vekta

Just look in the SRP classifieds.

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Couldn't agree more. You can get an excellent razor for less than $50. As a recommendation a 5/8 or 6/8 round is a good razor to start your journey. You can certainly learn with a spike point (and many of our members have successfully done so), but the round point is a bit more forgiving for the beginner. There is no such thing as a beginner razor. A straight razor is a straight razor. They differ in point types, size, and spines (and a few other smaller details), but they are all straight razors. I have been using one for 15 months and still prefer a 6/8 round point. Like shave soaps/creams, brushes, etc., most everything will come down to personal choice. Just buy a quality product. Don't invest a lot of money in your first razor. Save that for when you really know what your preference is. :gl:

Hello Rahk. Welcome to the brotherhood. +2 to what dannywonderful, and Jimmyhad has said. Straight Razor Designs is owned by Chief hone miester, and SRP founder Lynn Abrams, and Don Addleman Administratror/moderator. You can click on the banner on this forum, for an easy and direct link to their site. You will get a shave ready and new razor, plus a garentee for another honing. They also offer starter kits with a new razor and your choice of strop. Oh, Lynn Abrams and Don Addleman are both great guys, with tons of knowledge, and info about straight razor shaving. A strop is necessary to start shaving with a straight. Also make sure you read the wiki for beginners to start shaving and getting ready and as to what you will need to start out, as well as optional equipment for on down the road, for making your straight shaving experience a good one. Also the wiki read the pre-shave prep. Good luck

After awhile you start to see the same brand names and suggestions over and over. RupRazor will sell you an inexpensive kit with a shave ready razor and their Filly strop. For a few bucks more you can upgrade to a Dovo razor, and in the beginning I would mate that to the Filly strop. If you don't beat up the strop too bad you can always use it with some paste to tighten up the edge on that razor.

Lots of good razors in the classifieds here, but I like new to start.

You can get a nice badger brush at Amazon, and shaving soaps can be had at most drug stores.

Like everyone else says, save your money until you have a better idea of what you really want. You should be able to make yourself happy for around $100.

I feel these are good choices, the VDH from Walmart is o.k. but you might want to think about a higher quality soap or cream. Proraso is a good inexpensive soap and they sell it at Walmart (here in Canada anyway)

That sounds like a good idea, the walmart purchase was mostly to get the brush/bowl but I would prefer to avoid a bad first shave caused mostly by the soap. I will likely get the brand you suggested simply to try it out, but can you suggest a soap that you consider the best? I don't really want to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a consumable but if you experienced folk say it is worth every penny, I wouldn't mind getting used to the good stuff early.

Thanks again.

From one newb to another since my last post I have changed my mind, after posting for help on strop selection and watching the videos in the wiki I have decided to go with a 2" old school from thewellshavedgentleman.com getting along with it a 2nd quality practice strop for 7.50, I know I originally posted that I was going with the filly(still sounds like a really good choice) but since my wife offered it as a christmas gift I kicked it up a notch. Besides that I just think they are real purdy.

I have no affiliation with any sales sites, just tellin you where I'm puttin my wifes money. Good luck man, let us know how it goes.

Still reading while my confidence grows,

jt:beer1:

ps. I did order one of the gold dollars from jreiter22, nice price and I won't be afraid to learn to hone with it. Think I'll go with a dovo next.

jt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rahk

That sounds like a good idea, the walmart purchase was mostly to get the brush/bowl but I would prefer to avoid a bad first shave caused mostly by the soap. I will likely get the brand you suggested simply to try it out, but can you suggest a soap that you consider the best? I don't really want to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a consumable but if you experienced folk say it is worth every penny, I wouldn't mind getting used to the good stuff early.

Thanks again.

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There are many fine shaving soap makers out there, but I doubt you'd be able to get a single answer as to which is the best. If you're ordering your razor from Straight Razor Designs then by all means look through their selection of soaps and creams too, they don't sell any junk on that site. Don't get too hung up on fancy bowls and dishes though, just grab a soap " refill " or a cream. You didn't mention it, but it might be worth your while getting an alum block, or styptic pencil for any nicks you get during the learning process. A balm for after your shave wouldn't go amiss either.