Thread: Working man's shave: help with Fendrihan's order

Greetings from Vancouver Island

I would recommend purchasing a razor from the classifieds here, so you can be sure to procure a shave-ready blade. As far as hones go, you can buy Norton waterstones at Lee Valley(the 4k/8k combo stone is a good starter).

IIRC, Timor is just a rebranded Dovo...nothing wrong with that I suppose, except you can get the same Dovo for less: DOVO Straight Razor with Black Handle 5/8"

Alternatively, you can get a vintage blade from the classifieds that will most certainly outlive you...even though they are over 100 years old already.

the best recomendation i can give is my meger set up,

a Dovo, "best quality" 5/8th, dovo canvas/leather strop. you say you already have a brush and soap so i wont go into that.

Any good quality razor maintained properly will serve you well and maybe even your sons and grandsons. there are razors around that are 150 years old made out of softer steel than modern razors are.
So if you buy a new razor such as a dovo, then it should last you well if well maintained.

on the honeing part i would`nt be in to much of a ruch to get into honeing There is a skill to learn leave getting a hone for a good 3 or 4 months.
When i first started i dulled my blade quickly. and it needed to be sent off for honeing after a couple of months.

wait untill you can strop a razor before you try to hone one.

Originally Posted by BigIan

the best recomendation i can give is my meger set up,

a Dovo, "best quality" 5/8th, dovo canvas/leather strop. you say you already have a brush and soap so i wont go into that.

Any good quality razor maintained properly will serve you well and maybe even your sons and grandsons. there are razors around that are 150 years old made out of softer steel than modern razors are.
So if you buy a new razor such as a dovo, then it should last you well if well maintained.

on the honeing part i would`nt be in to much of a ruch to get into honeing There is a skill to learn leave getting a hone for a good 3 or 4 months.
When i first started i dulled my blade quickly. and it needed to be sent off for honeing after a couple of months.

wait untill you can strop a razor before you try to hone one.

Hello, Bushmills:

BigIdan's suggestions are sound and I concur. The Dovo he mentions is quality stuff. As for honing, I suggest to wait, too, and hone your skills with the razor and strop first.

Regards,
Obie

Originally Posted by CoolHandJaden

Greetings from Vancouver Island

I would recommend purchasing a razor from the classifieds here, so you can be sure to procure a shave-ready blade. As far as hones go, you can buy Norton waterstones at Lee Valley(the 4k/8k combo stone is a good starter).

The reason I'm looking at new razors is that I've had no luck at all on Craigslist. I assumed that (like the outdoors forums I read) the classifieds would be 99% Americans. I'll check it out!

Originally Posted by Obie

Originally Posted by BigIan

the best recomendation i can give is my meger set up,

a Dovo, "best quality" 5/8th, dovo canvas/leather strop. you say you already have a brush and soap so i wont go into that.

Any good quality razor maintained properly will serve you well and maybe even your sons and grandsons. there are razors around that are 150 years old made out of softer steel than modern razors are.
So if you buy a new razor such as a dovo, then it should last you well if well maintained.

on the honeing part i would`nt be in to much of a ruch to get into honeing There is a skill to learn leave getting a hone for a good 3 or 4 months.
When i first started i dulled my blade quickly. and it needed to be sent off for honeing after a couple of months.

wait untill you can strop a razor before you try to hone one.

Hello, Bushmills:

BigIdan's suggestions are sound and I concur. The Dovo he mentions is quality stuff. As for honing, I suggest to wait, too, and hone your skills with the razor and strop first.

Regards,
Obie

Thank you both for your advice. I'll order that Dovo and post results.

Any recommendations on strop pastes or strops? Or are they all pretty effective?

Cheers!

Hello again, Bushmills:

Straight Razor Designs and Tony Miller's The Well Shaved Gentlemen both have excellent strops. Start there.

Regards,
Obie

Originally Posted by Obie

Hello again, Bushmills:

Straight Razor Designs and Tony Miller's The Well Shaved Gentlemen both have excellent strops. Start there.

Regards,
Obie

Thanks!

I wish that Straight Razor Designs were located in Canada. Unfortunately, the pickings are pretty slim up here -- although Fendrihan's seems like a good source for my simple needs.

bushmills,

You always have the option of purchasing your strop (3" wide Latigo suggested) from the same Candadian vendor (Fendrihan's) that you plan to purhase your new Dovo str8 razor from. As with the previous posts try to get your razor honed by somebody knowledgable about that practice before shaving with it.

As for pastes, I would suggest holding off on that until you have several weeks/months of shaves under your belt. If you start using pastes on your razor immediately after purchasing it, you may not get the result you desired.

Just my 2 cents.

i say you find 2 shave ready razors from the classifieds for the price of 1 new razor.
order yourself a bottom of the line strop because your going to nick it up
hold off on the honing bit and learn to shave and strop properly first
thats way when one razor needs to be honed you still have one and its sharp and ready to go.
you shouldnt need any strop paste action for a while but it would be good to have some for when you do. but do your homework on that. it is not all the same grit and you could easily wreck the edge or over stop it maybe even start putting a frown into the metal.
by the way welcome aboard, good luck and have fun

I wish that the classifieds had a filter to show Canadian vendors.

How much luck have folks had shipping razors across the border? Is there a requirement that they be dull?

If it *is* feasible and economic to buy a US razor, the game changes substantially. I would *much* prefer to buy a used classic razor that is plain in appearance and of good and lasting quality.

Although I am a researcher by nature, I don't have the 1000 hours that I usually dedicate to my hobbies to become fluent before diving in. Lots that's for sale looks great, but not knowing the market it's hard to choose. For instance, what do people think of Torrey?