Thread: New to This

Hi there,
I'm looking to switch over to shaving with a straight razor. I'm just looking for some tips on what I should purchase as to the razor, brush, strop and so forth..... as well as any shaving tips. As I said, I am 100% new and I'm just very interested. I'm also 16, and yes I do shave daily (well... when I want to), so my mother is a little scared with the whole thing, going on about "you're going to slit your throat and die!" and so forth. So anything that I might be able to use to quell her fears might be helpful too. Thanks in advance to anyone who helps!
Thanks for at least reading,
Jordan

Welcome to the site!

Its good that you have come and asked rather then going out and getting the first thing you see (like i did when first started)

For a starter kit there are several ways to go about this but I would recommend you get a kit from straightrazordesignes.com and they start out around 159.99 and go up in price from there but they come with everything you need to start out with and you can add extras to make the kit how you want it.

My only real advice is not to get a cheap razor from eBay or amazon etc until you know what you buying and you can sort out the good from the bad, watch lots of videos and have a read through the SRP wiki and beginners guide.

As for the danger, they really aren't that dangerous if you use them correctly and don't abuse them, they aren't a toy but if used correctly and can be safe if used correctly.. well as safe a sa knife can be. They can be more cost effective in the long run as well (unless you turn into one of us here and collect hundreds)

So, watch videos, read up on them and don't rush into shaving your whole face when you first get one. You will most likely nick yourself when you start or at some point but only a small few of us have had bad cuts and its generally from rushing or being careless.

Hopefully someone else will jump on here and add some more for you.

Straight Razor Place Wiki:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Welcome aboard. It's good to see the younger folks taking up traditional shaving.
+1 to the above. I would add that you check the member locator and see if there is a member near you that may be able to give you some hands on help. That would certainly cut the learning curve greatly. And be advised that there IS a learning curve. It takes time to build skill but the pay off is worth it.


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When I was 16, I didn't have much money to spend. You don't have to break the bank. You need both a razor and a strop. Everything else can be improvised or bought at garage sales or second-hand shops.

The least-expensive way to start straight-razor shaving is to get a vintage razor and "Poor Man's Strop Kit" from Larry at
Whipped Dog Razor Sales . He's often on this Forum.

The second-cheapest way is to pick up a vintage razor from the Classifieds on this site, and buy a strop from RupRazor or StarShaving (they both have good reputations, and reasonable prices).

People do get cuts. But a straight razor is so obviously DANGEROUS that most of us are really careful with it.

Charles

Well thank you guys for all the help. I've just got to find the razor and strop then.... I might even just get away with my father's old brush set, seeing as he never uses it. But that aside this has been helpful. I've read through a few of the Wikis, but I'm going to read more. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Brighty has hit the nail on the head. READ, WATCH, and ASK questions. My advice at this point is to stay away from ebay until you know what to look for in a good razor. You will get what you pay for. Also, Lynn's DVD is an excellent source of valulable information. Best Regards and Happy Shaving, wildhog

I think I'm going to take cpcohen1945 advice and get most of my stuff off of whipped dog... they have a razor for about $40 and I'm going to get one of the stops off of there too, along with a brush for $6, but get a new shaving mug and a stand for the brush, along with a case for the razor itself from straight razor designs. If anyone has anything has any suggestions on razors or anything at all, or maybe links, feel free to message them to me, or post them here. I'm rather excited for this now!