Buying a straight razor for my boyfriend, help me?

This Christmas I'm planning on purchasing a straight razor kit with included badger hair brush, shave soap, mug, strop, etc. I'm kind of torn between a Feather and a Dovo. I'm not so much concerned about the convenience of the Feather vs the Dovo, more so about the quality of the shave, the sharpness of the blade, and the amount of tugging/irritation to the skin. My boyfriend has very sensitive skin so much so he only can only get one use out of the pricier safety razors when they are brand new and even then he gets razor burn, acne from shaving, and ingrown hairs. He also has very coarse facial hair.
My questions are which one would be more appropriate for his skin/facial hair? How long does a Feather disposable blade typically last for you guys before they dull? Any products aside from the typical shave soap (like aftershave, shave oil, shaving cream) that you would recommend?

You might want to consider emailing Don at Straight Razor Designs. Based on your criteria he will be able to help with some recommendations. They will have anything you need for this at very fair prices. I am no expert
but I would stick with the Dovo straight razor in a 5/8 round point for this situation.
We have some great members here who will add more ideas for you. There are volumes of information on this site. You can search the Wiki and post threads. Welcome to the forum.
And, since it has not been said as yet, your boyfriend is a very lucky man.

+1 to the above advice but get him a gift certificate and let him pick out the razor and what have you. Very personal items IMHO. And yeah, he is a lucky man.

Personally, I'd go for the Dovo, only because the idea of a disposable blade seems...odd to me. I'm sure there are plenty of guys that use the Feathers but in my experience, they tend to used by professional barbers in states with meddling laws regulating barbers (as though a real razor would transmit a disease or some nonsense). That said, the Feathers work just fine but the whole honing and stropping thing, why that's half the fun! If you get a standard razor like the Dovo, have it professionally honed...that's very important.

As far as all the other stuff, if you want to cover all bases, you'll need:
1) A pre-shave oil or balm
2) soap and mug
3) shaving cream (not only as an alternative to soap but to mix with soap)
4) a lather bowl (anything that fits nicely in the hand)
5) Brush and a stand to hold it so it dries properly
6) razor
7) blade lube to keep the razor from rusting
8) after shave balm or liquid
9) strop (don't get an expensive one, he will nick it at first!)

I wouldn't worry about honing until he first learns to shave...and that can take many, many, shaves to get it right. Let a professional hone the blade to start. If you have a local barber supply/knife store, you can get everything you need there. Online, I like The Superior Shave, Classic Shaving, Straight Razor Designs, BullGoose Shaving Supplies, and Whipped Dog (good for inexpensive razors).

Good luck!

+1 to you for being an awesome girlfriend!

I have very similar beard and skin. Based on my experience I would go with a 6/8 dovo (oh and go with the latigo strop and don't yell at him when he nicks it, cause he will), just seems to plow through beard with less pressure. If your bf is sensitive to perfume, there are many unscented products available. Either way this is definately the place to ask questions!

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My vote is for the Feather, especially if you are not sure that he even would enjoy the continued maintenance of a non-disposable and as his skin is very sensitive he would be hard pressed to maintain a better edge for himself even if he did give it the time and effort it requires. Saves you on the strop and hones, saves him on lots of learning even though if he does enjoy the process of learning he will have a great time just concentrating on the shave itself. Allows you to also gift him the blades whenever they expire which could be an annual thing with the cost being really very low. A feather blade would do him very well for quite a long time shaving a few times a week.

On the other hand, if he is the kind of guy who gets a kick out of playing with things and has a fixated attention to details and enjoys hobbies that require persistance then the Dovo would be better; however I personally think you would be better off opting for one of the nicer vintage blades from a user on the classifieds from this site. At least in my experience (which isn't very much so take it with a grain of salt) Dovo hasn't impressed me much. A Dovo was my first blade and I seldom use it anymore.

As far as product I would recommend for a guy with sensitive skin (same as mine it sounds) is the Proraso kit. Proraso Pre/Post Balm For Ultra Sensitive Skin to use for both prep before the shave and conditioning after it and a jar of the Proraso Shaving Soap for Ultra Sensitive Skin (both have white lid with aloe and green tea). A really nice smell to wake up to in the morning.

http://brightsrestaurant.com/proraso.jpg

Alternatively, but for a bit more I would highly recommend the I Coloniali Mango Cream Shave Soap and Skin Treatment with the 'Calmiskin Phytoagent. The smell is simply intoxicatingly wonderful and it is about as skin calming as anything I have tried. This is a top shelf product sure to please and in an attractive ceramic dish that he could use to grind other soaps in later.

http://brightsrestaurant.com/icoloniali.jpg

+1 to you being an awesome girlfriend!

Welcome to SRP. & yes, you're a keeper :)

There are other brands you could also consider like Thierrs Issard eg. but whatever you buy for him he still has to go thru the learning process & that you can't buy. His beard & skin type is demanding on gear & skill.

The advice to ask a seller who is also a user like Don or Lynn at SRD can help you choose wisely.

Keep us all updated.

Quote:

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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.

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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.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by groovyd

I personally think you would be better off opting for one of the nicer vintage blades from a user on the classifieds from this site. At least in my experience (which isn't very much so take it with a grain of salt) Dovo hasn't impressed me much. A Dovo was my first blade and I seldom use it anymore.

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I would actually agree that a vintage razor might be a better gift for a couple of reasons. That said, I have a Dovo blade I bought new that I like quite a bit...but I've read they can be hit or miss. To the OP, a vintage blade made in America, Germany or France is very likely to be of high quality steel...and it comes with built in character! Nothing wrong with a new razor but there's something special about a razor that had thousands of shaves under its belt before your man was even born. If you have a local place that sells new and reconditioned razors, you're golden but you can get both through online dealers.

Still you can't go wrong with a nice shiny new razor. I'm pretty sure nobody here would say they have too many razors!

Quote:

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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.

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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.

Quote:

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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.

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

http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/q...rrivals002.jpg

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.

http://brightsrestaurant.com/feather_1.jpg

Can't wait to give er a shave!

Quote:

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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.

http://brightsrestaurant.com/feather_1.jpg

Can't wait to give er a shave!

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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!

The disposable Feather is a great choice. He should also review his shaving prep and procedure. Make sure he is not shaving against the grain EVER. With and cross grain XGR is the best you can do with sensitive skin.