Thread: Hi from a newbie...

Hi everyone!

I am new here, and new to straight razor shaving...

I made the mistake of buying my first razor without doing any research. I got a cheap Simco and a pair of Maliks off of Ebay. Needless to say that I have been unable to shave with these razors. I watched several videos on stropping, and have stropped like crazy, but shaving is miserable at best.

So... I just ordered two shave ready razors from the classifieds here, and am ready to get started.

I am planning on shaving my head once I get proficient enough at shaving my face.

Can the Simco or the Maliks be honed and become usable razors, or are they better off going in my tackle box?

those 2 ebay "specials" would make good tackle box equipment. you made the right choice with the shave ready blades here. just remember to take it slow and read the wiki here on shaving.. do not get discouraged as it will take a little time to get up to speed. i have been at it going on a year and still learn more as time goes by. do you have a strop? you will need a strop and i would read up on honing here in case you decide you want to refresh you razors on your own. make sure you read about honing before you try it on your own. good luck and do not be afraid to ask any and all questions. the members here are ready and willing to help all get started. most of all enjoy the experience....

Sounds like you're on the right path and welcome to SRP!

Here's what you'll need to pick up if you don't have already:

razor, strop, brush, soap, aftershave.

There's no need to figure out how to hone just yet, you can always do that down the road. Since your razors are coming as shave ready, you won't even have to think about it for a few months.

Welcome and enjoy !

Hello, and welcome to the SRP. You came to the right place for straight razor shaving. Sounds like you have a good start by buying from the classifieds here. Make sure you read the wiki for beginners. You will also need a stropp. Good luck with this art form. Any questions we're all here to help.

Welcome to SRP. I second the motion to throw those two razors in the tackle box or maybe use them to open the many packages you'll find in the mail if you stick with this hobby. I notice you said you were already stropping. If you haven't already bought a really good strop wait until you get proficient at it. Most of us nick our first strop more than once before we get good at it.

Another thing you might do with one of those junk razors is put a piece of tape on the edge and practice the shaving motions so that you get used to handling the razor while you wait for the good ones.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Another thing you might do with one of those junk razors is put a piece of tape on the edge and practice the shaving motions so that you get used to handling the razor while you wait for the good ones.

Also, take it and use it to practice stopping, even on a wide leather belt if nothing else. It's the movement and the muscle memory that took a while to get the hang of. I've only been straight shaving for a week now and still am not proficient at stropping. I practice doing 50 strops twice a day on Millers practice strop AND also strop my shaving razor. Start slow, the speed will build.

My $ .02

What they said....

Save the old razors. Later on, when you get into "Honing" you can use them for practice....

Welcome. My first razor was also an uniformed purchase, a Pakistani razor that wouldn't cut butter. I threw it out when the scale cracked (don't know how). I wish I'd kept it to practice honing as Zib suggested.

I dont know why people suggest learning to hone with these pieces of crap. The only thing to learn from them is that they cant be honed. An inexpensive vintage blade would be best at least you have a chance to learn from it as you make mistakes or progress.