newbie needs strop & razor

hello,

thanks to everyone who contributes here. I've read the guides & FAQs on this site and they seem excellent!

I'm brand new to this art. I've never used a straight razor but would like to try it as I'm beginning to get frustrated with other tools. I noticed that there are quite a few razors for sales in the classifieds section of this site, but almost no strops. I'm hoping to purchase a vintage, shave-ready razor and a strop (no honing at this point). Can anyone recommend a place to purchase a strop, either online or locally (I'm in Ottawa, Canada)? Should I be looking for a pasted strop?

Many thanks

Welcome to SRP. One of the vendors who helps sponsor SRP is in Canada here. I've bought from him and the service was as good as it gets. Check out the SRP Wiki for tutorials on razors, shaving , stropping and honing here. Feel free to ask any questions along the way. :gl:

Welcome to SRP,

The best starting point is probably this entry in our FAQ: I am on a tight budget. Can I still get a working shaving setup?. There are recommendations for strops in there.

Keep us posted,
Robin

In bayshore shopping centre there is the personnal edge and ........ i can't remember the name but it is on the second floor (knife store) they sell The best quality and prima silver steel Dovos and strops it is the only place that i could find they,also have a dorko strop, however they are pricier than you can find online. also I believe Men essentials on richmond has a couple of straights, also the cigar emporium in the market sells a Dovo. However if you are new I would recomend the ruprazor beginner set, strop and razor for less ($60)than either one alone here in the city and from what I hear an excellent starter set.

For your first strop, you do not want a "pasted" strop. You need a one unpasted for everyday use. This will refresh you edge prior to shaving. Pastes actually hone your edge somewhat. You have plently of time to worry about that....

+1 Robin, the WIKI is an excellent source, a great place to start.

In addition to the Wiki, you could always try one of these strops. I hear they are excellent, and the price is right! Nicking a strop is common for people just starting, so there would be no big loss if you did nick it.

RupRazor - The Filly

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Originally Posted by avatar1999

In addition to the Wiki [...]

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You mean these?

Quote:

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Buying a beginner's set on a budget - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Commonly recommended strops by reputable vendors of beginners' strops include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• "The Filly" by RupRazor.com
• Tony Miller's "Lite" Starter Strop
• Illinois Razor Strops. We do not offer a direct link here, as the prices for these strops vary greatly with ongoing sales. We recommend searching the internet for these strops in order to find the best price. These strops are also sometimes listed under "Fromm Strops".

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Originally Posted by BeBerlin

You mean these?[/LIST]

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My bad, I forgot they were in there.

If your budget is really tight it's hard to go wrong with the Gold Dollar razor/Filly strop combo at RupRazor.com. I'm a newbie and I have them both.

The strop is good no matter what razor you get, as you will probably cut up your strop a bit learning. As for razors, I like my Dovo Best Quality a little better than the Gold Dollar, but both myself and a lot of others here give the Gold Dollar a big thumbs up.

Keep us posted on how it goes. :)