Thread: Buying a straight razor for my boyfriend, help me?

Originally Posted by dewey81

With all due respect to eflatminor, half of that stuff can be bought after he decides if he wants to continue the straight shaving scene. The only thing he NEEDS to start off is a razor, strop, soap and brush.

He's absolutely right nicnev, you do not need everything I listed. A razor, strop, soap and brush will cover it. You can even use an old coffee mug to put your soap in, if the soap doesn't already come in a little wooden or plastic container. I wanted to give you all the basic categories as I understand them. And believe me, if he gets into this, he'll never have too many soaps, balms, creams, etc.

I found this little starter set...even includes a Syptic stick...a category I overlooked and one that every beginner will use!:

Straight Razor Gift Sets

Lastly, if you have a generous budget and you want him to display his razor, brush, bowls, etc in a fashionable manner, I recommend you check out Muhle products. Very attractive designs IMO. Merkur and Dovo also make nice razor/brush stands, mugs and other stuff that looks nice.

Originally Posted by eflatminor

He's absolutely right nicnev, you do not need everything I listed. A razor, strop, soap and brush will cover it. You can even use an old coffee mug to put your soap in, if the soap doesn't already come in a little wooden or plastic container. I wanted to give you all the basic categories as I understand them. And believe me, if he gets into this, he'll never have too many soaps, balms, creams, etc.

I found this little starter set...even includes a Syptic stick...a category I overlooked and one that every beginner will use!:

Straight Razor Gift Sets

Lastly, if you have a generous budget and you want him to display his razor, brush, bowls, etc in a fashionable manner, I recommend you check out Muhle products. Very attractive designs IMO. Merkur and Dovo also make nice razor/brush stands, mugs and other stuff that looks nice.

Oh yeah, good call. Styptic pen is a definite must. I used the hell out of mine starting out. You can also pick those up at meijers in the shaving section. ALSO, since he has sensitive skin like me, another must is a nice bottle of witch hazel as a post shave splash. It does fantastic for post shave burn.

I think I speak for a lot of guys here who have dealt with ingrown neck hairs in the past when I say, straight shaving helps a lot! My neck would be covered with them post shave, sometimes bloody too if I had to shave two days in a row. I switched to straight shaving and 90-95% of the bumps are gone post shave. As long as he give straight shaving a fair shake and come's here for advice while he goes through the learning curve, I think he'll find that he won't look back.

edit to add : Also that Best quality that eflatminor linked to is a great first razor. I still have and use mine along with many others here.

Originally Posted by dewey81

...since he has sensitive skin like me, another must is a nice bottle of witch hazel as a post shave splash. It does fantastic for post shave burn.

Yes it does! I've started using this version of Thayers witch hazel:

Lol... This thread just inspired me to pick up the gorgeous Feather Artist Club DX in Midnight Wood off ClassicShaving.com... RAD is relentless What's more the Promotion Code FAN77 at checkout gave me $26 off and free express shipping.



Can't wait to give er a shave!

Originally Posted by groovyd

Lol... This thread just inspired me to pick up the gorgeous Feather Artist Club DX in Midnight Wood off ClassicShaving.com... RAD is relentless What's more the Promotion Code FAN77 at checkout gave me $26 off and free express shipping.



Can't wait to give er a shave!

While I've never shaved with one of these, I have been shaved with one of these...and it was a GREAT shave! You must let us know how it works for you.

Something tells me the OP is getting FAR more information than she hoped for!

It sounds like she was leaning towards the disposabe route.

Dovo Shavete, Parker SR, etc. These razors are on the cheaper side of the spectrum ($15 to $35), a good place to start for the unsure. These style str8s use half of a double edge razor blade. The plus to this option is that these blades are the cheapest price wise, and you only use half the blade at a time. There are many options for blades in this area. The down side IMO is that they feel cheap, and are note very forgiving.

Feather Artist club Rg,Dx, etc. These razors are on the top end to the disposable scale including price and quality ($95 to $300). These would be more for the person that enjoys Str8 shaving, but does not want the maintenance of stroping and honing. When the blade is dull, replace it. I personally have a light beard and shave every other day. A feather blade lasts me about 7 shaves or two weeks. These razors have to use feather blades, but there are four different styles. It sounds like if you go this route, have him try the light blades for his sensitive skin.

Everything else is universal, no matter what you shave with. Reccomended from me is a preshave oil, soap/cream/both, brush, bowl, stypic to stop the bleeding, and a nice aftershave balm. Some good examples have been mentioned above.

You may also consider a real str8. As has also been mentioned above.

Keep the questions coming and let us know which route you are taking.

Cody

I am new to straight razors (3 weeks and therefore 21 shaves)but I can say this.My first was a disposable blade type.Compared to the mach 3 i had been using,it was heaven.The sharper blade will help a ton with ingrown hairs(life long problem for me).BUT,just last night my Dovo arrived and I was able to give it a shot.No more disposable types or anything else for me ever again.I am straight razor man for life.The difference in smoothness between the disposable and the Dovo were insane.Both during and after the shave.A sharper razor IS easier to use.I was getting somewhat annoyed by nicking myself a bit with the disposable every couple days,but the Dovo just glides. I am VERY NEW to this scene,but I would highly recommend a true blade vs a disposable ALSO:If someone had told me years ago that a straight blade was my answer to ingrown hairs,I would have bought one without question.Since your BF has the same issue with hair as me,he will thank you for getting him this.I know i would. Best luck in your endeavors!