Recommend a beginner's straight razor for a DE shaver

I am a complete beginner, having used a DE up until now. I have decided that for 2011 I will attempt to learn to shave with a straight razor.

I would like to go vintage as all advice seems to lean towards vintage being better value for money than new. Can anyone offer advice on any UK classified ads or stock from www.strop-shop.co.uk - hand made straight razor strops, razor pouches, shaving accessories, vintage razors, razor honing and restoration or Introduction to razors that is suitable for a beginner?

Many thanks in advance and enjoy your new year!

Invisible edge is one of the best straight resources in the UK, any razor you get from them would be good to start with. You don't really need to go vintage, as the dovo or TI razors are all excellent. If you really do want restored, check out the classified section and the vendor's forum as well. You will find lots of stuff to drool over there. :)

I've never been to that strop site, but they look well enough. Just don't spend lots of money on your first strop, as many people nick the hell out of their first one. I'd recommend one 2 1/5 inch or wider.

Welcome to SRP.

Any well honed razor that's 5/8 to 6/8 in size should be suitable. You don't want too heavy or too light, and you probably want to stay away from restorations with unusually looking scales, unless the seller has a lot of experience, because the balance of the scales may be off.

In addition to the several UK vendors which I'm sure you're familiar with, I think in the classifieds section of this site many sellers would ship to UK (first class mail is probably less than $1 extra than to US), and from my experience it usually takes between a week and two to get there.