I'm finally going to act on my long and timid romance with the straight razor shave. I've decided that my last $30 (!) pack of 8 disposable heads will be my LAST. I am converting to straight shaving and seeking the one straight that will hopefully last me the rest of my life.

I'm not looking for the *perfect* straight; just one that will work well and last a long time. I know that this is idealistic.

Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated. If some members here can guide me in ordering from fendrihan.com, (or elsewhere in Canada?), I will continue to detail my journey in this thread -- every step from order to final ability or failure to shave like a man.

My priorities in placing this order are simple:

-must ship from Canada as getting anything across the border is an expensive PITA.
-I'm not so keen on the luxurious or ornate. No gold inlay, unicorn tusk handles, or white-tiger-extract shave balms that I can't afford. I'm thinking of a miner or a lumberjack shaving on Saturday night before going to the community hall dance with his sweetheart.
-If possible, a "shave ready" blade so that I know what it's *supposed* to shave like, and can try to reattain that when stropping and honing later (thoughts on this?)
-I'll need a strop and paste as well

Any advice or assistance in selecting from the Fendrihan's catalogue would be greatly appreciated. I have gravitated towards the 6/8ths Timor pre-sharpened Blue Steel Razor here.

I like the look and price, but of course my knowledge is only at 1% right now so I am very much in need of assistance. I have never even seen a straight in real life.

Thanks all very much in advance, and I very much look forward to your replies.

Cheers!
Brian
aka Bushmills

PS regarding hones, that is one I have to read more about. The Spyderco ceramic hones seem like a good way to go? I haven't found them in Canada but I should have a couple of months' leeway on that before I need them.

PPS Regarding shaving cream: I've been using "proper" cream and a brush for a couple of months, and have gotten the hang of lathering as opposed to just foaming. It's currently my favorite part of the day. I have tried a tube of Nivea, a puck of Col. Conk, a puck of something else, and my old standby "goo in a can" Aveeno, and now am onto Proraso green. While I am convinced that the Aveeno is as good as the Proraso, (the lubricity and skin conditioning effects are amazing,) I love the price/smell/experience of the Proraso. As of now, I am satisfied that that will be my shaving cream of choice. Any comments definitely appreciated.