Thread: Decided to go vintage! Help?

I became intrigued by the idea of giving up modern shaving and discovered this forum while on another forum. I have always hated shaving with a passion and have tried every possible remedy for my irritation and ingrown hairs except for going vintage.

I am currently using an electric--and have been for a few months--and am happy that my irritation level is considerably less than with regular disposable razors...I still get a lot of ingrown hairs on my neck and end up plucking them with a tweezers before they get out of hand. Not fun.

One of the guys on the other forum suggested I come over here and ask the pros how I should get started...he didn't think my idea of hitting up ebay was a good one for a newbie. I don't have a huge amount of disposable cash right now but am very excited to get started. Any resources? Suggestions on a reasonably priced startup kit?

Thank you for taking the time to read this...I hope I've finally found a cure for my shaving blues!

For a full kit, visit with Tony Miller, who also is known as "The Well Shaved Gentleman"!

Randy

You've come to the right place. For starters, here's the best starter kit you can get for under $200 shipped.
http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.c...g?productId=55
That's Tony Miller's starter kit, which includes:
1) A shave-ready DOVO 5/8 razor (that way you know how a shave-ready blade performs and you can start using it as soon as it comes)
2) A hanging strop to align the edge before each shave
3) A paddle strop (make sure you paste it at least with 1.0 micron and 0.5 micron and you can even go for 0.25 if your beard isn't unusually coarse/dense/stiff) to maintain the edge. It will keep your blade shave ready pretty much indefinitely, unless you ding it.
4) A boar bristle brush (badger is better but boar is just fine, especially with hard soaps), a mug (to keep the soap in and to work up the lather) and a cake of Williams soap (that one is nothing to write home about, but will do the job until you try some of Colleen's stuff)
Once you develop your technique and get your hands on some cash, you can get the Norton 4k/8k hone to sharpen razors bought in a non-shave-ready state (pretty much any razor you'll come across unless it's a trusted vendor who SPECIFICALLY states that they are shave-ready. Factory honings generally fall short of the mark and antiques deteriorate over time) and then start sniping on e-bay and developing a major case of RAD (Razor Acquisition Disorder).
While you're waiting for that starter kit to arrive from Tony, read up on all of the help files and start browsing the forums. They're extremely informative. If there is something you're curious about and can't find the answer to, feel free to ask. We're always willing to help.
Welcome aboard!

P.S. I have a similar shaving background as you do...
1) Started with disposables (major ingrown/irritation issues)
2) A decade of electrics (no ingrowns or irritaion but performance was inferior and unsatisfying)
3) Went straight, never looked back

Many members will agree with me when I say you can't go wrong with any of the "beginner" sets that Tony Miller offers at thewellshavedgentleman.com. You will get a brand-new properly honed razor, a really nice handmade strop, and other necessary items to get you started without having to spend a huge amount of money. I spent less than $150 and have never regretted it. It eliminated the possiblity of blaming the less-than-stellar results of my first few shaves on equipment, and forced me to focus on technique to improve the quality of the now-outstanding shaves that I get from that very same gear.

That's just my two cents. Anyway, good luck.

Joe

Thanks for the quick responses! $150-$200 is way too much for my budget right now...I had my eye on some of those $20 specials on ebay and figured that would be a good way to start. I want to do it right so I will hold off for now.

You've made a good decision. One of those $20 specials gave me 4 scars and almost soured me to the experience. Fortunately I came across the SRP and learned a lot thanks to the extremely helpful gentlemen here. Now I just try to follow in their footsteps without making too many mistakes.
Let's see if I can come up with something cheaper...
Razor: There's a shave-ready KC for $20 shipped http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=8683
Strop/Bench hone: That will cost you about $55+shipping from Tony Miller if you just get his cheapest hanging strop and a pasted (go for 0.5 micron) bench strop.
Brush/Soap: Wilkinson plastic bristle brush and soap in a plastic container, $5 each at any Wal Mart. Plastic brushes are frowned on and they are more likely to irritate sensitive skin but the Wilkinson one is actually decent as far as they go. Use any old coffee cup that will fit the soap as a shaving mug.

Total cost, about $85-90 and you can't go any cheaper than that.

I would stick with Tony's items he is fair and will actually not try to sell you the most expensive items if you do not need them. As it is Xmas coming up just pop a little note and address it to Lapland

Remember reputation goes along way and Tony has huge amounts of that on SRP, Keep up the good work.

Welcome to the forum.

Also checkout http://www.shop.writerferret.com

This is the site of Joe Chandler aka on the forum as Joe Chandler

or www.billysblades.com - Bill Ellis aka urleebird.


Terry

I've been selling shave-ready razors for around $20. They're not pristine, but they would get you started. If you're patient, keep an eye out in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum. I have a batch of razors coming this week, and I might be posting one or two early next week.

Josh