Thread: Clueless and need help!

My husband wants to start shaving with a straight razor so I would like to get him a set up for Christmas. I am on a budget so I would like to go as inexpensive as possible for now and upgrade slowly. I still want to get him something nice though. I have no idea what to get him from razor down to shaving creams (he likes art of shaving but its really pricey) Please tell me what to buy! Thank you.

I would hit the classifieds section of this forum and see what is available. Email or Private Message any vendor there and ask plenty of questions.

Basic set up includes the following, razor, strop, brush and of course shaving soap.
Please feel free to participate and ask all the questions you wish, we have a great community hear and everyone is willing to help! Kelly

G'Day and welcome.
What a wonderful wife you are (mine buys shoes and handbags ).
You'll get as many opinions on what to buy as there are members here 'cause it is such a personal thing.
If I were in your position (which I will never be....hehehehe), I would look in the classifieds here and message some of the vendors to see what they would recommend.
IME they are all pretty good to deal with.
I, personally, would recommend starting out with a razor around 5/8 - 6/8 with a half hollow grind.
You could also try whippeddog.com as he has some great deals and good advice, from what I have heard.
I hope this has helped.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

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SRD would be the best way to go, it would eliminate a lot of confusion and hassle.

Agreed...you get brand new everything at a reasonable price...and most importantly its guaranteed shave ready so as to give hubby a great start into this wonderful world of ours without any hassle of is it sharp enough or is this the proper stuff
And might I add...youre a damn fine woman! lol

The absolute most important thing for you, is to buy a truly shave ready razor for your lucky husband. Some online vendors advertise their razors as shave ready, but they are factory honed. There is a difference. Buy one from someone who has honed the razor, and stay away from eBay. As far as the strop, don't go crazy here. He will most likely nick and cut his first strop, so keep that in mind when shopping. The poor mans strop from whippeddog comes to mind here. The mug can be anything. My personal favorite was picked up from a thrift shop for 50 cents. A cheap brush can be purchased from Target for around 10 bucks. I would however suggest a good shave soap from the start. Mitchels Wool Fat, Edwin Jagger, Proraso, and many others are available online, look for a scent that you like! Even if he decides that straight razor shaving isn't his cup of tea, the soap, brush, and mug can be used with any razor.

And, as mentioned, get him on this site when he gets started. This is the most beginner friendly website ever. Everyone here is kind and helpful, and willing to help a newbie get started. We also have a ladies section here, should you ever decide to give wet shaving a shot (straight razor or DE). I can tell you from personal experience that my wife loves a straight razor shave. She hasn't built up the confidence to try it on her own yet, but she loves when I shave her.

I may be too late, but I'll wade in anyway.

THEY may be telling you what THEY would like. If my wife went and got me a new Dovo I'd slap her (just joking, but I would\ be disappointed).

We need to know more about your husband's tastes. Does he like shiny new things, or vintage worn things with history? If he bought furniture or even audio equipment, would it be new or second hand or vintage? Does he like old cars or new ones? I think that makes a HUGE difference, at least for me. New and handmade I like, but not factory stuff. My brother is the opposite, if it's got a teeny weeny tiny scratch or some rub marks it's out the door.

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

I may be too late, but I'll wade in anyway.

THEY may be telling you what THEY would like. If my wife went and got me a new Dovo I'd slap her (just joking, but I would\ be disappointed).

We need to know more about your husband's tastes. Does he like shiny new things, or vintage worn things with history? If he bought furniture or even audio equipment, would it be new or second hand or vintage? Does he like old cars or new ones? I think that makes a HUGE difference, at least for me. New and handmade I like, but not factory stuff. My brother is the opposite, if it's got a teeny weeny tiny scratch or some rub marks it's out the door.

I think to him quality is the most important thing of all. He is not in to vintage per se, just quality. I wish I had the funds to get him something super nice right off the bat but its not feasible right now. He does have sensitive skin when he shaves if that makes a difference.

Originally Posted by robellison01

The absolute most important thing for you, is to buy a truly shave ready razor for your lucky husband. Some online vendors advertise their razors as shave ready, but they are factory honed. There is a difference. Buy one from someone who has honed the razor, and stay away from eBay. As far as the strop, don't go crazy here. He will most likely nick and cut his first strop, so keep that in mind when shopping. The poor mans strop from whippeddog comes to mind here. The mug can be anything. My personal favorite was picked up from a thrift shop for 50 cents. A cheap brush can be purchased from Target for around 10 bucks. I would however suggest a good shave soap from the start. Mitchels Wool Fat, Edwin Jagger, Proraso, and many others are available online, look for a scent that you like! Even if he decides that straight razor shaving isn't his cup of tea, the soap, brush, and mug can be used with any razor.

And, as mentioned, get him on this site when he gets started. This is the most beginner friendly website ever. Everyone here is kind and helpful, and willing to help a newbie get started. We also have a ladies section here, should you ever decide to give wet shaving a shot (straight razor or DE). I can tell you from personal experience that my wife loves a straight razor shave. She hasn't built up the confidence to try it on her own yet, but she loves when I shave her.

I will definitely tell him about this site after I give him his razor. You guys have been very helpful.

Originally Posted by Catrentshaving

Agreed...you get brand new everything at a reasonable price...and most importantly its guaranteed shave ready so as to give hubby a great start into this wonderful world of ours without any hassle of is it sharp enough or is this the proper stuff
And might I add...youre a damn fine woman! lol

Awww thank you

Its hard to explain I guess. With womens beauty products you can spend less and still get quality items. I am looking for specific product recommendations to build him a starter kit. I want him to be able to get a good and comfortable shave but I want to be able to do it as inexpensively as possible (for now I plan on getting him better things as time goes on)