Torn on First Kit to Buy

I've continued my SR research here on SRP and I've decided it's time to buy my first kit. But I'm torn! :confused:

The "easiest" to buy would be the 6/8 Dovo Special set from SRD and upgrade the strop to 3" and to which I'd add the sandalwood soap. This would come to about $250 including free shipping.

The slightly more "customized" set up that I believe may be more versatile would be:

• 6/8 Dovo Special from SRD
• Modular paddle strop from SRD
• Robert's Ceramic Feats of Clay Small Scuttle
• Mama Bear's Dragon Tears soap
• 22mm Grade A Silvertip brush from The Golden Nib

This would come to about $300 (including about $20 in shipping charges from different stores), but would get me the modular paddle strop and a nicer brush (albeit a non-name brand).

Any advice for a complete beginner from someone more experienced would be appreciated. I know this is largely a personal choice that I will have to make on my own, but I'm finding it difficult to make the choice without having ever used any of these products. It's completely abstract to me at this point.

Cheers,
ElChe

PS. Apologies for the poll, I usually dislike them, but just wanted to test out the feature.

Check out SRD's monthly wet shaving kit, the new one is posted now and you can do a bit of customizing with it also. Just a thought

You can't go wrong either way, but I voted for the SRD for the quality and slightly better pricing. Either way you go, that Dovo Special will be one of the most spectacular razors you'll ever own. Mine is always smooth and consistent from month to month.:)

I don't want to tick off any serious Scuttle Men here, but I bought a double decker ceramic "self watering planter" at Lowe's or walmart's garden/lawn for seven bucks. I think it still beats out any 50$+ Scuttle for holding the desired temp. I'm mostly a face lather'er these days, although my RedNeck/Urban scuttle still sees some use, I think it's one of those things I can cut a corner on. Especially since I hardly use a scuttle at all. Nice choices in razor, strop and brush. Maybe even soap too, I've never wiffed it. Welcome to SRP.

I voted for the SRD kit. Mainly because it's cheaper than the custom kit. Also, as a fellow beginner, I don't see the need to start out with the full on package of a scuttle or top-grade brush. I prefer the idea of starting out with the bare essentials. You may be of a different opinion, in which case go for the more expensive kit; it's your money and your gear. ;)

Welcome to the game and happy shaving!

If you've got the money, either way will do you just fine. I can see the advantage of buying all new stuff but my practical side says that it's overkill for someone who is starting out to spend so much money on something that may or may not appeal to them. That is, you could get a $50 razor from the classifieds, a $40 Illinois strop, a $40 brush, and say $30 for a couple of soaps. Odds are that you will continue to use the brush and soap regardless of whether or not you stick with straights and you can always resell the straight and strop for about 80% of what you paid for them. Total cost would be $160 with about $70 of that recouped if you sold the razor and strop.

I completely agree with utopian.
As appealing as a new razor looks, you don't want your first razor to be brand new, chances are you'll drop it or harm it somehow, before you get the hang of maintaining it. Same thing goes for expensive strops, there's a chance you'll nick it or scratch it.

I'd go for the SRD kit to start off with if you have the money for it. Once you know you like it then you can start adding in other kit like the modular paddle and different soaps, but the SRD kit will get you started very nicely.

As Utopian says though, you could certainly get started for less money so do examine other routes such as the classifieds and an Illinois strop before sinking the coin into anything more expensive. That said, if you got the SRD kit and didnt like straight shaving you could certainly sell the kit off and recoup some of the money.

I say you go for the cheapest set up you can get. Get a razor from the classifieds for cheap. then get yourself the philly strop for $20. These should be good to just start because the strop will get nicks and you will need to upgrade to a better when you get the hang of it. But the brush and soap you could buy now. Those you will use forever.

But if you had to pick from the options i would pick the SRD set. Even though the brush doesnt look as nice but it holds warm water really well and it lathers up pretty quickly. Ive never tried the other one you want but I really do recommend the Simpson that comes with the set.

I would second those saying go cheap and simple. If you find yourself unable to wait for something good to pop up in the classifieds - like me - I would highly recommend the SRD set. I bought a Dovo BQ set a little more than a month ago, and I could not be more pleased.

I would also highly recommend staying with the 2" strop. I am JUST learning to not brutalize my strop, (2" latigo) and will be buying a replacement leather(or maybe splurging on a premium 4.....) in another few months. I was amazed to find just how ridiculously easy it it to nick the heck out of a strop.

Any way you go will be a step towards the light, and the SRD set is great way to go. Great quality stuff that is a pleasure to use, and not super expensive.

Good luck, keep us up to date!

I am assuming that at this point you have never put a straight razor to your face and taken your first stroke.

If that is the case, then you are enthusiastic about this art but don't yet know if it is for you. But you are thinking "If it turns out I love it, I don't want to have to invest in an upgrade from a starter set in 3 months".

So here is MHO. The razor and the strop are your first and main investments that affect the initial success/failure of the shave. Your brush, soap and mug all affect the improvement in the shaving experience.

If you have the money and want to get everything in a kit - do so. But if not, get the SRD DOVO Special and Strop combo and get the VDH soap Brush Combo ($10.00 as Walgreens) and a coffee mug. That is enough to tell you you love or hate the art.

Also, you really will end up with two razors as your baseline. The DOVO
Special 6/8 is a really fine razor. I just used mine yesterday and had forgotten what a great shave it gives. So that is not a beginner razor. It is a razor for your entire life. It can easily be one of your two baseline razors.

So I hope that helps a little. The decision is still a personal one.

You don't need a scuttle. I don't use one and many other do not either. My advice is to try without first, then get one at a later date should you feel you need it.

All you need at this stage is a razor, strop, brush and soap/cream. I recommend you get an alum stone too.

Why not get a shave ready straight from the classifieds? Much cheaper and arguably better depending which one you get. If I had my time over, I wouldn't have bought a brand new Dovo thats for sure!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alembic

So here is MHO. The razor and the strop are your first and main investments that affect the initial success/failure of the shave. Your brush, soap and mug all affect the improvement in the shaving experience.

If you have the money and want to get everything in a kit - do so. But if not, get the SRD DOVO Special and Strop combo and get the VDH soap Brush Combo ($10.00 as Walgreens) and a coffee mug. That is enough to tell you you love or hate the art.

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Excellent.
I thought of that as well, but given the options he was considering, I figured he would likely stick with the brush and soap (I left out the scuttle in my assessment) whether or not he stuck with the straight. For that reason, I figured he might as well not go to the bottom range for the two things he might keep.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ElChe

I've continued my SR research here on SRP and I've decided it's time to buy my first kit. But I'm torn! :confused:

The "easiest" to buy would be the 6/8 Dovo Special set from SRD and upgrade the strop to 3" and to which I'd add the sandalwood soap. This would come to about $250 including free shipping.

The slightly more "customized" set up that I believe may be more versatile would be:

• 6/8 Dovo Special from SRD
• Modular paddle strop from SRD
• Robert's Ceramic Feats of Clay Small Scuttle
• Mama Bear's Dragon Tears soap
• 22mm Grade A Silvertip brush from The Golden Nib

This would come to about $300 (including about $20 in shipping charges from different stores), but would get me the modular paddle strop and a nicer brush (albeit a non-name brand).

Any advice for a complete beginner from someone more experienced would be appreciated. I know this is largely a personal choice that I will have to make on my own, but I'm finding it difficult to make the choice without having ever used any of these products. It's completely abstract to me at this point.

Cheers,
ElChe

PS. Apologies for the poll, I usually dislike them, but just wanted to test out the feature.

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I think the paddle strop is easier to use for a beginner.

Thanks for the advice everyone! You guys really are extremely helpful!

The reason I haven't gone with the SRD monthly special set is they're currently having a sale on the Prima Klang, which I understand can be an "interesting" experience especially for a first-timer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Odds are that you will continue to use the brush and soap regardless of whether or not you stick with straights and you can always resell the straight and strop for about 80% of what you paid for them.

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That was my thinking too, which is the reason I even considered getting a slightly nicer brush.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by narrez

Same thing goes for expensive strops, there's a chance you'll nick it or scratch it.

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The reason I was attracted to the modular paddle in the first place is that I'm almost 100% sure that I'll nick and scratch my first strop. I know you can replace the leather on the regular SRP strop too, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stubear

I'd go for the SRD kit to start off with if you have the money for it. Once you know you like it then you can start adding in other kit like the modular paddle and different soaps, but the SRD kit will get you started very nicely.

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That was my initial thinking, thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MaritimeFanatic

I would also highly recommend staying with the 2" strop. I am JUST learning to not brutalize my strop, (2" latigo) and will be buying a replacement leather(or maybe splurging on a premium 4.....) in another few months. I was amazed to find just how ridiculously easy it it to nick the heck out of a strop.

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Why would you recommend the 2"? From what I've read, upgrading to the 3" will allow me to work on my stropping technique without having to learn the "X" technique at the same time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ShoreBird

I think the paddle strop is easier to use for a beginner.

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That's why I'm considering the 3" modular paddle - I won't have to worry about whether I'm pulling it taut enough or too taut, I won't have to worry about the "X" technique, and I can replace the attachments after I stop nicking and scratching the leather.

Cheers,
ElChe

which dovo razor are you guys talking about?i am also interested in purchasing my first straight razor

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Dovo Special in Tortoise 6/8. That is a fine razor and you won't outgrow it with experience. I have it, I use it and I get a great shave.

Others that you may consider are the Bismark in Black, Red or Bone. That was my second "new" razor and it is still a favorite.

Here is the bottom line. You just don't know enough yet to appreciate the nuance differences in grinds, and a lot of other features are window dressing.

IMHO - the tortoise is just a classy, old timey, vintage looking razor and gives a great shave to boot.

Like several of the previous posts, I would opt for a complete straight razor shaving kit from SRD--one of the low end "Best Quality" straight razor sets with strop, brush, etc. will do just fine. You can save alittle money buying all of these items as a package, as opposed to a la carte.

Add a quality shaving cream or soap (ie. D. R. Harris, Taylor of Old Bond Street or Mitchell's Wool Fat) and a lather bowl (ie. small dessert or cereal bowl from Wal-Mart, Target or your kitchen) and you're good to go.

You can always upgrade individual items in your beginner's shaving kit later.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alembic

I am assuming that at this point you have never put a straight razor to your face and taken your first stroke.

If that is the case, then you are enthusiastic about this art but don't yet know if it is for you. But you are thinking "If it turns out I love it, I don't want to have to invest in an upgrade from a starter set in 3 months".

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You summed it up perfectly! That's EXACTLY why I'm torn. That and I also hear that the modular paddle strop may be easier for me to learn on since it's 3" and flat. After I cut it up while learning, I can just replace a pad.

Being new to this whole thing myself I wanted to just get everything I needed at once and went with and SRD wet shave of the month kit. I ended up with the Boker King Cut and a 3 inch latigo strop. Glad I went with the wider strop makes it easy no thinking about the x pattern just up and back. You will not regret getting an SRD kit comes shave ready all I did was take it out of the box and shave with it and it felt good.

But in the end these are all just opinions and it is your opinion that matters most so get what feels right to you.

I went with the Dovo SRD set a few weeks ago, tweaked it a bit and have no regrets at all.

You would be happy with the SRD set if you go that route.

I voted SRD full set because I believe that a hanging strop is easier to use in general especially starting out and good stropping really is essential to a great shave. otherwise they're both very good options.

I have a Dovo Special and it is a good shave everytime.I have the 5/8. Depending on who you ask the 5/8 or 6/8 are good middle ground starting widths. Wether you get a paddle or belt strop,most will tell you...you will nick it at least once,most everyone does. So take that into consideration. I would just start with a standard strop and get the learning curve over with.Just remember to keep the strop taught and not slack.Strop slowly and don't rush,speed comes with practice.Just concentrate on your technique for now.And most important of all,before you buy research the Wiki.There was a post just recently about a 1905 shaving Manual(located in the Parlour section of the forums area).A very nice little primer to get you going. If you buy a pure badger which is the lower end of badger brushes,you will still get a nice feeling brush with a more economical price.As far as a mug...you could just start out with a small puck size bowl of any kind and it would work just fine and be more economical. SRD will gaurantee you a shave ready blade and you will get a coupon for a free second honing. Just my two cents....Welcome to SRP:gl:.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ElChe

You summed it up perfectly! That's EXACTLY why I'm torn. That and I also hear that the modular paddle strop may be easier for me to learn on since it's 3" and flat. After I cut it up while learning, I can just replace a pad.

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I have both. I cannot say one is easier than the other. I personally like the "live" feel of a hanging strop over the paddle strop. You can replace the leather on either of them when you cut it up. SRD has replacement leather for their hanging strops as well as the paddle strop.

So here is my 2 cents. The paddle strop gives you more versatility for sure. There are a lot of pads available and you can try out many of them for not much cost. But the feel on a paddle strop is very different than a hanging strop. If that is what you learn on that won't be any problem for you. It also makes a good travel strop. If that is what you get, I would not put the diamond spray on the felt yet. That is a tricky proposition for a beginner and I personally put 5 razors out of commission the first time I tried it. Diamond spray can be very aggressive and you can wreck an edge pretty easily if you don't have much experience. Plain felt and Premium I leather are a really good combination.

Having just bestowed all of the virtues of a paddle strop, I still prefer a hanging strop. But that is just me. There are a lot of guys here that love the SRD paddle strop.

The rest is up to you.

BTW - if you hadn't noticed yet, there are a heck of a lot of opinions here and they are mostly based on personal preference. It takes skill in your hands to implement this. That takes time to develop. That goes for stropping, shaving, honing, mixing good lather, etc. All we can tell you is what works for us. If all you have is a hanging strop, that is perfect - you will do well. If all you have is a paddle strop, that is perfect - you will do well. If you have the DOVO Special - perfect. If you have the Dovo Best - perfect.

See the pattern here?

Some equipment may be easier to learn on, but that does not mean you won't learn. Relax a little about buying "perfect". Get some stuff, make sure your razor is shave ready and get going. You will make mistakes - we all have, but that is the way to learn. Trust me, you have already made the most important decision you can, which is to hang out here at SRP.

First, I just want to thank everyone again. Your advice, suggestions, and opinions were very helpful to me.

I also just want to circle back and give an update on what kit I went with. I was ready to go with Option #1, but took one more look at pricing Option #2. I got Option #2 to within $15 of #1 and just decided to go with #2, instead.

My kit looks like:

• 6/8 Dovo Special (SRD)
• Modular Paddle Strop (SRD)
• 22mm Silvertip knot and handle (thegoldennib)
• Backyard Gazebo Soap (Mama Bear) - found a 10% off B&B coupon
• Camellia Oil (SRD) - impulse buy for blade protection during those times that I'm traveling or "sticking it to the man" and not shaving for a while :rock:

So far Mama Bear and TheGoldenNib shipped today, which I great because I ordered all of my kit late last night. Now I'm just waiting for SRD to ship! :cry:

Looks like you're off to a good start! Good luck learning with your new toys! :D

Yer not gonna regret that Dovo Special.There are so many nice blades out there ,but if I had to have one and one only,that would be it. It's like and old dependable friend that never lets you down. As Stubear told me when I first joined in regards to straight shaving,...The shaves only get better and better. As for the rest of the kit,good job as well. Welcome to SRP and good shave to u m8te :tu