Thread: Making sure I have the right set up...

I was looking to purchase the full straight razor set, and I want to make sure I do it right

Things I plan to buy;
-straight razor (obviously)
-strop (leather and fabric)
-chromium oxide (to be applied to one side of the fabric part of the strop)
-Norton 4k/8k combo stone

I do not plan on doing any razor restoration, I just want to be able to maintain my razors. I know everybody has their own way of doing this, I was just wondering if the materials I listed would be sufficient for maintaining a straight razor?
(The leather and fabric strop before every use, the chromium oxide if the razor starts to get a little dull, the 8k stone every few months and the 4k stone in case things go wrong)

Even though I have a Norton 4/8, I prefer the Naniwa 3/8 because it has a more 'velvety' feel to it - YMMV

Your shopping list sounds fine, however, if your straight razor comes to you shave ready you could probably get by with a barber's hone for awhile. You may also want to get a second razor to have a back-up in case something goes wrong.

Would the barber's hone be a replacement for the chromium oxide?

I agree - the broad list looks good. Now comes the tricky (and fun!) bit: what razor and what strop?

James.

Do you have a brush?

I really like dovo's "carpe diem", but I feel like there's a decent chance I'm gonna wreck the razor on a stone, so I figure it makes sense to start with a cheaper one until I trust myself. I'll probably get a generic dovo razor.

There's not really that big of a chance of wrecking a razor on a stone particularly if you do your research (read, watch the videos etc) first. Follow your heart, seize the day (lol!) and enjoy your shaves.

James.

Originally Posted by mjsorkin

Do you have a brush?

+1...

I pretty much had the exact same setup when I started. The Norton 4/8 (or Naniwa 3/8) is a great stone to learn on (I did), and you'll be able to shave off the 8k side no problem. The only thing you might desire at some point down the road would be a finisher, like say a Naniwa 12k or something comparable.

In all honesty though, take it one step at a time. Learn to shave/enjoy your straight razor first, and worry about honing later. Take it from someone who tried to teach themselves everything at once....it's just too much to take in & kind of took the fun out of it!!