Quote Originally Posted by boxcutter3005 View Post
Hey guys, I'm getting ready to buy my first real straight razor and was wondering what I should start out in? I'm on a semi-restricted budget range, but I don't necessarily wanna just buy a razor and upgrade in a few months to a year. So I had a few questions:

1. Should I buy a lower end razor because of any worries that I might ruin the blade?

2. In the 60-100$ range should I buy new or used?
"Upgrade" ???

Read this site carefully for a while. When somebody asks:

. . . "Is brand X good?"

there's often somebody who responds:

. . . "I have one, and it's my best shaver".

This happens with almost every "X" !!!

My conclusion:

. . . One decent razor brand shaves about as well as any other brand.

I'm sure there are exceptions. But the main difference between different carbon-steel razors are how well they're finished (engraving, working of the spine, etc), and how they're scaled. [Note that I said _decent_ razor brand - see the "Razor Brands to Avoid" in the Wiki for warnings.] [Note that this statement doesn't apply to stainless-steel blades, or exotic tool-steel alloys like the "O1" in the Hart razors. But you're not in that price range, yet.]

I have a Dovo "Best Quality" (new, $80 from Straight Razor Designs) and a Boker (made in 1893, $7 with broken scales, self-honed) (among others), and they're both nice blades.

There are dozens of brands, out of Sheffield, Solingen, and the US, that will shave you well for a lifetime. Your "beginner razor" could very easily be your _last and only_ razor.

That's the _rational_ side of my brain speaking.

There's also RAD -- razor acquisition disorder -- that afflicts many of us. It's not so much

. . . I don't like my razor any more, and I'd like to upgrade

but more like:

. . . One more razor would be really nice.

In which case, you can spend as much as you can afford.

My suggestions:

. . . Get an inexpensive vintage razor from the Classifieds (on this site) or

. . . Whipped Dog Straight Razor Sales

. . . or another SRP vendor (several have independent websites).

. . . Don't buy an expensive strop for your first strop.

If you decide to get a new razor, the Lynn-honed Dovo "Best Quality", from Straight Razor Designs, offers very good value.

Charles