Hey all,

I'm new to the world of straight razor shaving, and recently purchased the sight unseen deal from whipped dog. What I ended up with was this razor Larkin "Unspecified" 5/8 - Straight Razor Place Wiki . My shaves have been... okay, and am mostly taking the blame for the average shave quality. I have been researching blades extensively the past week and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to shell out some money for a higher quality razor.

When I start my shaves I know the razor is shave ready because I strop it around 100 times before and after each shave and it always passes the hanging hair test. About halfway through my shave (usually when I start my second pass) I feel like the blade has lost much of its sharpness already (a lot of pulling). Is this unusual? Consequently on the second pass is usually when my nicks occur.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for where to look for quality blades besides the classifieds here (which I stalk ), and ebay? I don't have much money as I'm in grad school but I am willing to spend around $60-$70. Thanks, I appreciate any feedback whatsoever, and am really loving the community!