Thread: New to this, what should be my first straight razor

Hey I'm new to all of this I have done a fair amount of research on different types of straight edge razors, stropping, and honing. I kind of like the Dovo Black Star. Is that a good razor to start with? And then I have a question that is probably dumb but since it is a full hollow ground, if I wanted to eventually learn how to hone it how does that work? Because with a full hollow ground it has a curved edge so if i honed it it seems like I would take the curve out. Sorry if that last question was confusing. I appreciate any help that can be offered thank!

No worries!

I'll answer the last question first. Full hollows are easier/faster to hone because only the spine & the edge are touching the stone. There's much less metal to be removed compared to a wedge. Full hollow & extra hollow blades also tend to give more feedback which I think is good for a beginner. Makes it easier to learn the difference in feel when it's shaving nicely versus trying to rasp or pull. The thicker quarter hollow, near & full wedges appear to do better on thick, coarse beards from what I've read.

As for your first razor, Dovo is an excellent brand, as are TI, Hart, Wacker & countless others. I've heard some of the expert honers say they love getting a Dovo Bismark on honing jobs as they're so easy. I don't like them aesthetically, so I don't have any.

I think I'd recommend a 5/8 or 6/8 for a first razor. Whatever you end up choosing, be sure your first razor is professionally honed by the vendor you order it from. Don't rely on the factory "shave-ready" edge as some are worse than others and you want your first shave to go as smoothly as possible.

Edit: left out a word or two....

I like all my Dovos, you can't really go wrong with them as far as bang for buck. Honing, yes the steel has been hollowed out, laying flat on the hone is what sets your bevel angle, so lay the blade flat on the stone the whole time. It's a whole big right angle geometry quizz to get exact numbers, but the razors were designed to be sharpened laying completely flat. With a new razor though, they shouldn't need honing for a long long time, unless you ding the edge up on something. Stropping technique and how to hold the razor to your face should be your absolute first priorities. I forgot to mention, different blades, like wedges, smiling blades, and others use different techniques to hone, but for your everyday half-full-extra hollow the process is pretty similar.

If you can hold it and feel it in your hands, that would be the best. As long as you go with a good reputation razor, it is all good to start with any of them. You are not going to know what you prefer, until you tried several grounds, steels, and finishes. However to learn, any would do. I started with stainless steel dovo, and had to learn shortly after a month or 6 weeks, to retouch the blades. I have been in it, for about a year and started to hone a little while ago.
As long as you mantain the spine flat with the stone, you will mantain the angle and the hollow will keep. Yes, with hundreds of bevel settings and honing, eventually you will wear out the hollow and spine, but that is hundred or several hundreds of years with normal use and good care.
If you want to just learn how to shave with a straight, I recommend the Feather Artist SS razor. It is a Japanesse disposable blade razor, that shaves and feel like a full steel straight. You will skip stroping and honing until you are perficient with the shave. I recommended!
If you whant the romance, then only a full steel straight will do it. Good luck with everything!
Double O

I love the black star, it's a beautiful razor and perfect to start. Learn to shave with it, it'll be your friend for some months before yuo get well acquainted with the shaving technique.
Get it hone by a professional.
Don't try to hone it, it won't need for months.
Find somebody close to you who is good at stropping and honing and get his help at the beginning. That will allow you to learn without damaging neithet your razor, nor your stropping and honing tools.
Welcome in this fascinating world.

I started with a DOVO Best Quality. Learn to shave first before you start to hone. Once you learn how to shave, when you try to hone you will be able to tell if you did a good job or not.

I started with the Dovo Best Quality and it was a great razor to learn on (it is still in my rotation). I bought it as part of a kit from SRD. It came shave ready and with a gift certificate for one free honing. A full hollow is the easiest to shave with and the easiest to hone in my opinion (although I'm still learning to hone and still perfecting my shaving). I would recommend starting with a 5/8 or at the max a 6/8.

Originally Posted by Jbravo185

Hey I'm new to all of this I have done a fair amount of research on different types of straight edge razors, stropping, and honing. I kind of like the Dovo Black Star. Is that a good razor to start with? And then I have a question that is probably dumb but since it is a full hollow ground, if I wanted to eventually learn how to hone it how does that work? Because with a full hollow ground it has a curved edge so if i honed it it seems like I would take the curve out. Sorry if that last question was confusing. I appreciate any help that can be offered thank!

I think you're confusing a "smiling" razor (which means that the edge is curved, not straight) with a "hollow-ground" razor (which means that the blade, between the edge and the spine, has been ground away).

Hollow-ground razors can have either a straight edge or a smile (both OK), or a frown (not so good, and should never appear on a new razor).

Yes, there are special honing techniques ("rolling strokes") for honing smiling blades. But you shouldn't be thinking about honing your razor until after you've learned to shave with it.

The Dovo Black Star should work fine. Whether it works any better than a Dovo "Best Quality", I don't know.

. Charles