Thread: First Post. First Purchase. Advice needed.

Hello Everyone!

Well the month of No-Shave November is drawing to a close and as such I've been looking forward to and thinking a lot about my shave December 1st. This lead to thoughts of a new razor to replace the one I have that's getting pretty old, and lo and behold I stumble upon the lost art of using a straight razor. This is perfect! No hassle with cartridges or new razors, no more spending money every few months, and best of all, a new skill to learn that will have life-long benefits! There's just one problem. I do not own a straight razor. I don't know the first thing about the different kinds or how to use them properly. And what the heck is a strop?

And so, here I am. After stalking around this board for a while, I was very impressed with all that I read and therefore decided that out of the many boards I am prone to stalk, I would take the plunge and actually join this one. And now, my question.

What should I buy? I've read some of the other threads so I won't leave it that generic. As far as my facial hair goes, I'd say it's about average. What I've got is somewhat thin in coverage but the individual hairs are pretty coarse. It grows out straight up until it gets some serious length and starts to curl, but I'll usually shave far before then (it's only gotten that long two or three times when I purposefully grew it out). I usually shave about every other day or before I go out. Now I'm looking to buy a good quality blade, but I'm also a college student so money isn't exactly plentiful right now. I realize though that this is a big investment so I'm open to spending a solid chunk of change for something of quality that will last. Also, what else do I need? I know a strop and a brush and cream, but specifically what kind (same thing on the price here)?

And with that lengthy post I leave it to the capable minds of this forum to guide me on my way. Any advice is welcome, and thank you all in advance!

Welcome to SRP. I suggestion buying the least expensive badger brush (Tweezerman for about $15), soap shave stick (Tabac, DR Harris, Palmolive), and/or cream (Taylor of Old Bond Street or Proraso green tube).

How much is your budget for a straight razor and strop?

Send me 500.00 bucks and I'll set you up !.... Just kidding.........Some good advice has already been given. Make up your mind about the cost and dive in. You could find a local barber and see what all the ruckus is about but that sets you that much further back on cash if you like it. I hear the same thing about whipped dog all the time and I agree that is the least expensive way to go . I just can't buy sight unseen and you sound like your sure about wanting a nice razor. Just remember what ever you do start SHARP. I wish I would have. I made it through it but I never give up on anything and love a challenge. Plus , although I am not a wild spender, if I want something I just get it, and take care of it.

I always recommend a new entry level Dovo because they are good and relatively inexpensive. You need a strop too so you might want to go for a starter kit. A few of the vendors that support this web site (banner ads) have starter sets. One of them, SRD, offers free initial honing and one free subsequent honing when the time comes.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I always recommend a new entry level Dovo because they are good and relatively inexpensive. You need a strop too so you might want to go for a starter kit. A few of the vendors that support this web site (banner ads) have starter sets. One of them, SRD, offers free initial honing and one free subsequent honing when the time comes.

this is the route i took about a month ago except i didnt like the looks of the entry level Dovo and went up to the stainless steel ... if its in your budget i think your getting a great deal on some quality razors !!

Welcome to srp

There are plenty of options, so the question is what are your priorities, i.e. what is more important to you and what is less. You already mentioned the money, so if you may have to make trade offs.
The things that increase the cost are: brand new, sought after brand, honing it yourself.
You need shave-ready razor and a strop. If the razor isn't shave-ready you'll have to either pay somebody to make it so, or you'll need to buy hones and spend considerable amount of time to learn how to make it so.
In addition (or perhaps before anything else) you should consider using good soap/cream and brush to prepare your beard for shaving. No matter how you remove the hair this part would make a huge difference compared to the standard approach with canned goo.

Have fun

Originally Posted by TucoRamirez

How much is your budget for a straight razor and strop?

I would say $200 would be the most I would be willing to pay. It would hurt, but for quality it'd be worth it. $100 or lower would be a lot easier.

Thanks for all yall's advice so far. I'm very anxious to buy, just wanna make sure I get what's best for me.

I know we all try to avoid taking any commercial advantages here. I have no interest one way or another since I have never sold anything on this site. BUT, the best razors I have purchased were bought from members here. A beginner can do a lot worse than buying from one of our members and its not recommended enough. Again, I have no personal interest since I'm never selling anything. But you can get a great blade at many different price points and (depending on who is selling it) it may come shave ready. You can buy the standard Dovo (I did) but there are more interesting and better values available. I know its hard as a new guy that may not know the names and brands. But I took a shot on a razor I had never heard of or seen/heard of since. Its one of my top 2 or 3 razors. Check out the new Dovo's but also browse the mall area here on the forum. You might find a great buy.

Welcome!
+1 to all the good advice already given here. Start out inexpensively. There are lots of quality gear available for little cash. Whippeddog, in particular, sells a starter kit for just a little outlay of cash. The reason you want to start out cheap is that your tastes in shaving gear will change. There are so many variables in types of shave soaps, shave brushes, strops, and razor sizes and grinds. As you develop your skills, your preferences will also develop.

Starshavingsupplies.com for the a strop
Tweezerman or Van der Hangen shaving brush, find that at a local drug store
Classifieds on SRP for a used one or at least a vendor that sells a shave ready straight that's at least a 5/8 or 6/8
1 puck of williams mug soap (good stuff cheap!) about $1

I'll bet that you can come in under $100 and have a decent setup
Once you get the hang of thing's you will probably want another straight (one that's in use and the other as back up when the first ones out for honing)

Good Luck!!