what have i gotten my self into

I found SRD a few weeks ago tried a shave with a straight and now i"m hooked. I have always liked doing things the old way but before I stumbled upon this site I never thought about my shave. I sold my wife on my new obsession with the "it so much cheaper then throwing out the plastic disposable razor after every other shave" now two razors a strop and my constant checking on eBay and the classifieds on this site I'm not sure she is still buying the cheaper argument. Too late now. :D I bought my wife a day at the spa for are anniversary while there I noticed that they offered a shave for $20.00 it was the full treatment hot towel a shave with a shavette (health codes in my area make them use a disposable blade)and a nice smack with some balm now i cant wait to start shaving at home. Like i said earlier I have two vintage blades but neither of them are shave ready one is a Torrey in good shape just needs a good honing the other is a Boker that will need a full restore that i bought as a project. I'm going to send the Torrey out to be honed by a pro (cant wait). I'm thinking about getting a new dovo kit(razor,strop,bowl,and brush) to compare a new razor to a vintage shave but that will come in time. For now i hit up Walmart and found an inexpensive brush & soap kit (any feed back?). now just waiting on my razor to get started. In the mean time i will be reading up on the technic watching some you tube videos and getting ready

Welcome. I too was under the impression i would save money in the long run by switching over, and like you i can already tell that is just not the case.
Once a pro, such as Lynn gets done with your Torrey, it should be a pretty decent shave, but it wouldnt hurt to get a new razor as well, especially the kit as you mentioned, so that you can get all the other goodies that come with it. I just recently went with the Dovo Best Quality kit, adding on the silvertip #1 brush, and i cant stress enough how great that discounted price is. So perhaps you can send your wife back to the spa for a day so you can talk her into letting you get the set.

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Originally Posted by KDiMan

. . . I'm thinking about getting a new dovo kit(razor,strop,bowl,and brush) to compare a new razor to a vintage shave but that will come in time. . .

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This topic comes up frequently. My own opinion:

. . . There's no difference at the "inexpensive-new-razor" end.

But I know that won't stop you from buying the Dovo!<g>

It sounds like you need a DE to balance the collection.<g>

Charles

Shaving with a straight is cheaper in the long run.

Yet for many of us this becomes a hobby too. The sky is the limit for spending on a hobby!

I've spent more on this than anyone truly needs to. Compared to the other hobbyists I've spent relatively little. So it's really all relative.

Just make sure to set a budget and stick to it. You and your wife will both be happy in that case.

Budget? That's not a word I've ever seen on SRP. What does it mean? Is it a new kind of hone? Is it like setting a bevel?

Two good shavers is a sensible number. Would that I were sensible. Three is even nicer; then you can keep the third back as a seldom-used reference razor, to bring out every other week and remind yourself what a proper sharp razor should feel like.

You will want to learn on good gear; get that Torrey taken care of and you'll be off to a good start. When it all works right, you shouldn't need more pressure to remove hairs than it takes to remove lather. It's an exquisite feeling when a shave goes that well.

From what I've heard, the van de Haagen stuff at Walmart has given folks pretty good results. Don't be afraid to just make and send down the drain a few batches of lather as you learn how it should feel. The best description I've seen, I think it was from BHarner, was that you should be able to stretch a pinch of it between your thumb and index finger and not have it break until about an inch separation. If it's too wet, it'll sag out before then. Too dry, hmm, don't know, I think it won't stretch that far. I usually start my lather on the dry side and add water until I think it's about to collapse. I have to do that, and in the winter add some glycerine, because it's so dry where I live (10-15% RH). The lather starts to shine when it's ready, because the bubble size gets so small it does something different to the light. Like, maybe, reflects. Dunno. It's a special sort of shine that you get from well-kneaded bread dough and pearls.

The least-expensive new razor I would trust is a Dovo Best, and I'd trust that completely. You'll get more bang for the buck from vintage blades, and may be able to score a nice shave-ready one in our Classifieds. Much safer shopping there than Ebay.

Best wishes to you, and good luck getting started.

Oh, and send your wife to the spa on the day your new stuff is supposed to arrive. That's always a good approach.

It is like our drinker joke
1 vodka is too little to good company
2 vodkas are too much to good company
3 vodkas aren't even enough to start to company

Welcome . . . you have entered the slippery slope of wet shaving, so make sure your lather and your razor are both up to the task.

I have found that great information like that from Roughkype are normal on this forum. Come back often and read lots, your learning curve will improve, and you might even get a tip or two on how to appease your bride when you buy that new, just have to have it, razor.

Can't stress enough Roughkype's advise:
"The least-expensive new razor I would trust is a Dovo Best, and I'd trust that completely. You'll get more bang for the buck from vintage blades, and may be able to score a nice shave-ready one in our Classifieds. Much safer shopping there than Ebay."

Happy shaves, U.J.

Welcome to the shave club, the first rule of shave club is you talk frequently about shaving with your new SRP friends! There are a lot of great guys on this forum that are friendly, passionate about shaving and most importantly have a ton of knowledge to share. Enjoy learning and shave like a gentlemen!