basic gear

Hello guys. I was about to make a run into San Francisco to Art of Shaving. I read a couple of reviews there on yelp and the overwhelming response was nice quality, but expensive products.

I already have a Mehaz Solingen 5/8's but I need more stuff to make this shave happen.

I'm interested in a straight razor shave because I bet its better, and I'm tired of buying razors and filling up landfills.

I think I need a hone, a strop (or two?) and some additional creams or something. I don't want to get into this $100 deep then turn out to hate it - but I also want to make sure I have the right stuff to give it a fair shake. What stuff do I need to get my feet wet but not feel to bad if I decide its not for me?

Should I got into Art of Shaving or just get the stuff online?

Thanks!

You'll need a brush if you're going the traditional soap/cream route and there's lots of good reasons to do that. Boar brushes are inexpensive and I live mine, but it can be tricky getting them to break in. A hanging strop is needed too. Beyond that and the razor you will only need a paddle strop with pastes or hones if you don't want to send your razor out for touch ups.

Just a leather strop, and a trip to the local wallgreens for boars brush and shaving soap puck.

The strop is probably your next investment. I use an illinoise russian leather strop, cost me about 40 bucks. But to start I hear a plank of balsa wood will work.

Don't worry about honing or touch ups on your razor as a strop will keep you going for a year or more.

Welcome to straight razor shaving. Read up.

Don't buy expensive stuff to start with, start with a boar brush, some good soap or cream (check the reviews) and a practice strop. Have it honed by someone who knows what he's doing and see where that takes you. If you like straight razor shaving (give it some time, it's not something that you learn in a few days) you can always upgrade your stuff. Good luck!

You can spend $100 in an instant. Even faster at AoS.

Some suggestions for low-priced gear (based on my own experience, and reading here):

Razors (if you want more than one) --
. . . Larry at Categories

. . . the Classifieds on this website.

Strops:

. . . Home Page

. . . Whipped Dog has a "Poor Man's Strop Kit" with a short but usable leather strop and pasted balsa --
. . . . . . . . it will keep a razor sharp for a long time.

Brushes -- usually at local pharmacies

Soaps --
. . . If you can find Proraso, or Van der Hagen (VDH), or Real Shaving Company, locally, they're fine.
. . . The Body Shop has a nice shaving cream.
. . . Two "classic" soaps are Tabac and Mitchell Wool Fat -- they're more expensive, but still less than AoS products. I've just started
. . . . . . . using Tabac, and I think it's excellent.

There can be a long learning curve for straight-razor shaving. Most of it is just "skill development", not dependent on what gear you have.

. . . If the razor is really sharp, and you have lather on your face, you can shave.

Charles

PS -- all of this is very much a matter of personal preference. Some people like Williams soap, others can't use it. And so on. So you may end up replacing some of your early purchases. But -- as you say -- you need gear that's good enough to give you "a fair shot".

I think you guys probably just saved me a cool $150.

So regarding the strops - they seem to be simply a hunk of leather. I have access to some very nice leather from work. It's treated, but I think it will work fine. They seem to be about 2-3" wide, then about 20" long? No problemo.

Regarding honing - the dude at whipped dog does honing for $13, I think I'll just send it to him.

You can find some good quality vintage items for much less than if you were to buy new

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So regarding the strops - they seem to be simply a hunk of leather. I have access to some very nice leather from work. It's treated, but I think it will work fine. They seem to be about 2-3" wide, then about 20" long? No problemo.

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FWIW (I'm not a strap maven) --

'Treated' ?

If the surface is tanned leather, you should be OK. If the leather has been "treated" with plastics, I'd avoid it.

If you're sending the razor to WD, it's pretty cheap to get a Poor Man's Strop Kit returned with it.

Charles