1 Attachment(s)
A bit of research finding me still clueless
I started becoming interested in straight razor shaving only a couple days ago. After reading through the wiki I started to look for my first razor but even now I'm drawing a blank. The first thing I did without knowing anything was to research different brands and varieties of soviet razors (I am huge into soviet/Russian/Slavic culture and history, so a part of me gravitated towards this. The first thing I found of decent-seeming quality was a vintage Trud razor. It had very minor rust, however not being on the actual blade. The first concern I developed was a couple of very small nicks in the blade, that could possibly be honed out of it (?). The second blade was actually a kit, that came with strop, brush with stand, and a bowl, along with a Gold Doller 66 razor. My concern with this, was that I've read some bad testimonials for the brand of blade, and the seller claimed it needed to be honed and stropped as well. The third (and final) blade was in a similar kit on a website called Whipped Dog. It was a sight unseen deal, which comes with a Straight razor with cosmetic, non-shaving flaws and Poor Man strop kit. The main concern here is that I don't actually even see the razor I'm buying, and I do not know the credibility of this website. Would anyone here be able to address my concerns? I'll also note that all three buys are of very same price, and that without a strop (if I bought the soviet razor), I have found a DIY strop page on this site, and that none of the deals come with proper tools for honing.
A bit of research finding me still clueless
The first is going to end up costing you a lot more money in the long run. It is going to need to be sent out for honing. And depending on how bad the nicks are may need a major overhaul.
The gold dollar deals are normally not the best. I like the gold dollar blades unlike most here but they do require a lot of work to make shave ready and not great for a new shaver. They are better for people wanting a to learn how to restore/ modifying a razor. The strops that normal come in those typically are not very good.
The third option whippeddog.com is a good deal and well know site. The owner of the site is a member here. Many, including myself, start into straight shaving with his razor kits.
A bit of research finding me still clueless
The $55 dollar deal and the $46 dollar deal are basically the same.
With $55 dollar deal you will get a razor that is not a show piece but if in the future you wanted to make it so it would not be that hard.
With $46 dollar one you get a razor that is pretty beat up but is still a shaver. If you later decide to make it a show piece it would take a lot of work.
Personally I would go with the 55 dollar one. But ether will get you where you want to be.
