Help a n00b spend a (very) small fortune? (Warning: very long post)

There are some really nice post here! These guys at this site are the best, they help you out with there personal experience like nobody else. Which is a great thing when you have questions. I must say I jumped right in when after having a barber shave me with a straight razor. I bought everything at AOS for $350. My first shave was just as good as the barbers shave, and I was soooo happy. But I nicked my Strop more than I will tell you so I had to buy another one. I did a lot of practicing and watched a lot of videos. Now stropping is second nature just like shaving with the straight razor.

After four months my razor started getting dull, so I had to send it out for honing. Then I bought my own stones and now I do my own honing. While my razor was at the shop I had to buy a back up razor.

This is what I have heard, you are a collector when you have two of something.

Straight razor shaving is awesome, i've been shaving for six months and can't wait for my next shave. I'm telling you this because I now have 7 razors now. I bought a Georgetown scuttle and love it. I bought a small rice steamer and love that to, it makes my beard very easy to shave.

It's pretty cool to have SRP to look at and ask questions. People here really understand the finer points of personal grooming.

But most of all it's pretty cool to have your wife tell everyone her husband uses a CUT THROAT RAZOR to shave with.

Good luck with your decision, I say go all out and get a nice razor from SRD and get free honing. Practice using the strop with a dull butter knife and watch a lot of videos on youtube.

I agree with thebigspendur:

. . . You don't know, yet, what you'll like.

And I'd go further:

. . . You don't know, yet, whether you'll enjoy straight-razor shaving.

I'd be inclined to spend the money in two stages:

. . . 1) something from WhippedDog.com or the "Classifieds" here, with a
. . . . Poor Man's strop or a Star Shaving strop;

. . . 2) when you have some experience, a more-expensive razor and strop
. . . if you decide that you want them.

But I always was a cheapskate . . .

. charles

PS -- you don't have any hones on your equipment list, so you shouldn't be worrying about how hard it is to hone a stainless-steel blade. You don't have that problem, yet.

Yeah well I always say go big or go home. Seriously. It's going to take a while to learn, and if you love your equipment and dumped a ton oh cash into it, it'll motivate you to carry on during those inevitable points when you get frustrated.

Besides that - even if you did quit and you bought yourself a fine razor, you'll still have a fine razor to either show off in your den, easily sell if you want to get some of your moneys back, or pass onto someone else you might care for.

When it comes to brushes - why explore - if you can treat yourself right off the bat, go for it. The brush will always treat you right even if you (heaven forbid lol) went back to carts.

A strop is a funny thing for me. Though I would say go big I have destroyed a few. But I think I am the exception. Buy two "lessor" strops! They look great in the den.

Soaps - creams - aftershaves - they are all investments in yourself and will be used at one point or another. don't go overboard - you'll have a few things to learn so learning the subtlety's of each one right off will only complicate matters.

A good Norton or Naniwa 4.8 or 3/8k stone or any hone will never go to waste - unless you don't have a kitchen.

It's all good - go as big as you can. Nothing will go to waste. And you'll be glad you got quality right off the bat. If you can afford it - go big right off the bat. After that it's all supplementation :).

What I will conclude with though is what I think is the most important - the vendor. Make sure the vendor has a reliable reputation and will do you right with honing your first blade - it's huge. There is lot's of time to mess with stuff that's a bit off the beaten path later on, but initially you really want a vendor that's been around for a while and that will take the time to communicate with you if need - be.

That's my 2 cents! It's fun spending other peoples money :)!

I'm with earcutter here all the way. I'd also recommend the Stainless razors. It won't stop it from rusting, given time, in a humid bathroom, but it will go a long way to ensuring it doesn't, with the care you stated you would give it.


Mick

Well as far as mugs go, I have an apothecary polycarbonate mug in black from BestGroomingTools.com - Double Edge Safety Razors, Wet Shaving Supplies, Barber Razors, Shaving Soap, Shave Brushes, and I love it; in fact I haven't found the need for another mug at all, and if it slips out of your hand, or you bump it off the counter like I did in a half asleep daze, it will bounce! As far as razors, I would look into either Boker, Dovo, or Thierres Issard for your first from SRD, vintagebladesllc.com, or thesuperiorshave.com, all of these guys sell razors ready to go. I have bought from all three and can vouch for all of them as good businesses and sharp edges :tu For a strop a good 3" latigo will serve you well. I still use mine almost every other day, and still love it. For soaps, if you know you like Almond scents try Cella Sapona shave soap...very nice stuff. I don't like sandlewood, so I won't comment on it. Spieck makes a great soap stick and cream for a very reasonable price. Shoeboxshaveshop.com, italianbarber.com, westcoastshaving.com, SRD, and royalshave.com all carry very nice selections of soaps, creams, aftershaves, preshaves, and the like. As far as brushes go, I prefer the super and best badger hairs, not b/c they are cheaper, but some of the silvertip just feels flimsy to me, and I like the stiffer brushes for my wiry stubble; otherwise if feels like I'm just mopping my face w/ the brush. I would think about what type of beard you have and go from there based on that and preference of scents of soaps, and aesthetics last. If you hate your razor, but it looks pretty, then you got a nice paper weight. Worry about function first, appearance last. Even if the razor has cheap plastics scales, you can always have customs put on later. Myself or a number of guys can put about any material and different shapes and such for a reasonable price should you decide to, so don't get hung up on the scales; you can change those anytime, but the blade you're always stuck w/ no matter what.

Thank you all so much for all the advice!
I'd meant to mention in my post that I'm not interested in Vintage razors, in the same way I don't like Estate (used) tobacco pipes. I understand the benefits of buying that way, but starting out, I want to buy new.
Several mentioned trying out the Feather Artist razors, but to me that seems like buying a 4 Wheel ATV to learn on before buying a Harley. Yea, it's less expensive, and the same basic ideas, but not quite the same and you end up spending way more money in the long run.
As far as "it might not be for me", that just isn't the case with me :) SR shaving is something I've been interested in for YEARS it's only become a reality over the last couple weeks. I know it's something I'm going to pour myself into, but I'm sure it's a common occurrence and I appreciate the concern.

I think I've settled to a kit from SRD. The Dovo La Forme 6/8 wet shaving kit upgraded here and there. Getting the 3" Red Latigo strop, and upgrading(?) the brush to an SRD Overstuffed Silvertip #6 (it's so pretty!) Included in the order is a tub of SRD's shaving soap, any experience with it? Eh, I'll search the forums and see what I can find. REALLY excited about the Opus X scent! EO's from a tobacco leaf?!?! The very idea just sounds manly as hell!
Hopefully I'll be placing my order today :) and when it comes in I'll post pictures and a n00b-review of the products and probably contribute to the Cut Of The Day Thread LMAO!

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Originally Posted by ace

I'm going to go "against the grain" here and recommend the Feather SS Folding razor and Feather replacement blades. You can start quickly with this, know right away what sharpness really is, develop your technique instead of worrying about all the honing, stropping and other maintenance variables and learn how to shave quickly. When the blade seems dull, change it. It'll cost you around $150 with blades, and all you need to complete your kit is a cheap Walmart brush and VDH soap kit. This is truly the best of both worlds. Later, when you are sure that you want to continue with straight razors, you can proceed to make all the mistakes I made and spend all the money that I did. I have lots of straights now, of course, and plenty of other stuff, but if I had to have one razor for a really great shave, I'd go "straight" to the Feather SS.

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I agree with Ace on this one. Decide if you really want to be a straight razor shaver by using one with disposable blades first. A traditional straight requires stuff to keep it sharp. I also agree on the VDH kit to get you an introductory brush, shaving bowl, and good shaving soap for $10-$12.

The Feather is the very best of the line, but actually you can go as low as $20 to give straight razor shaving a try. Parker SR1 Barber Straight Razor and 10 Red Pack Personna.

As it turned out, straight razor shaving was for me. A few friends thought I was nuts for even trying it, but they already thought I was nuts. The dirty little secret that we have over here at Straight Razor Place is that typical shavers get ripped off all the time for buying the shaving gear widely available in stores. ";"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I agree with Ace on this one. Decide if you really want to be a straight razor shaver by using one with disposable blades first. A traditional straight requires stuff to keep it sharp. I also agree on the VDH kit to get you an introductory brush, shaving bowl, and good shaving soap for $10-$12.

The Feather is the very best of the line, but actually you can go as low as $20 to give straight razor shaving a try. Parker SR1 Barber Straight Razor and 10 Red Pack Personna.

As it turned out, straight razor shaving was for me. A few friends thought I was nuts for even trying it, but they already thought I was nuts. The dirty little secret that we have over here at Straight Razor Place is that typical shavers get ripped off all the time for buying the shaving gear widely available in stores. ";"

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I would not recommend a VDH kit or the Parker for that matter. IMHO it would not give you a fair representation of what a straight razor shave should be. I bought the VDH kit for 12.99 at Wal-Mart to try and that was after I had my brush from Frank Shave (good brush) and the Tabac soap. It really was a turn down, both on the brush and the soap.

Never used a Parker, but I read here from people that started with them and later bought a real straight, that it was day and night on their experience with both (straight been a much better experience). All I can say with certainty is that a Feather shave is 99% like the real thing.

The reason Ace and me recommended you the Feather is, it is a system that feels very much like the real thing without the stropping or blade maintenance. It is a way to truly experience a real straight razor shave every time with a sharp edge. Instead of having an edge degrading with use as you start learning how to strop, and later how to touch up the edge. This way, when you start stropping the full steel razor, you would know the effect you are having on the edge because you can discard technic as the culprit. It is a good building block for straight razor shaving. That's all.

Many of us have done it the hard way, and standing there figuring why you can't get a close shave is daunting sometimes. Yes, we all have worked thought it, but that doesn't mean there are better ways to go about it. Double O