Thread: A (Hopeful) Straight Razor User

Hello all, I've been hanging around this forum for a while trying to get some information about straight razors. I'd like to buy one and get started using them but I'm in a bit of a bind. I've been a DE user for about six months now and I've got great results from them, but my blade supply is starting to dwindle and I've decided that a straight razor might be an excellent investment. I would like to buy a good shave-ready razor for a relatively low price, as well as a good strop for it. As I said, I've been a DE user for a while and I have a good Vulfix brush, classic shaving's soap, and some various aftershave treatments. I wouldn't like to spend a large amount on the razor as I'm on a slightly limited budget. I've been looking at Tony Miller's stuff off of his site and I like what I'm seeing, but I'm still not a 100% sure what I would like in terms of razors.
I need a cheap price on a good razor so I'm beginning to think that purchasing a new one is out of the question. Could you guys give me some insight in how to go about getting a good razor and strop?

For strops I'd definitely recommend you get something from Tony. If a budget is your limitation express that to him and he'll tell you what he can do.

For razors, go to www.billysblades.com or just check the Links. There's lots of affordable stuff in the For Sale Forum too.

X

If you check out the buy & sell forum you will quite often find razors sold by members here which have been re-furbished and are truly shave-ready. They are usually (though not always, owing to custom scales and the like) cheaper than a brand-new razor. That will leave the strop, and I can't recommend Tony Miller's enough. I think you'd have a hard time finding anyone around these parts that would recommend much else.

let me add the the start up cost of straight razor shaving is more then DE shaving. the razors are usually more expensive then you need a strop and then you will need something to do touch up honing on it periodically inorder to keep it shave ready. the cost of that is more then DE shaving up front but then thats really all you will need to keep you going for very many years to come.

1 - shave ready razor here, like others have said check the buy/trade forum for some on there in the 30-45$ range. also there are a few member sites selling their own refurbished and in great condition razors.

2 - a strop to use before each shave to align your steel

3 - a touch up hone/pasted strop to do touch up work to keep your razor sharp


as for the touch up part. you could buy a 4 sided pasted paddle from tony miller and have 3 sides pasted with abrasives which you would use as the touch up and the 4th side is just plain leather to use as your daily stropping. alternatively you could break that up into 2 pieces... 1 being a normal hanging strop for daily use and the 2nd being one of this 2sided bench hones pasted with 1.0micro and 0.5micron abrasives for your touch up needs. whichever way you do it that will keep you going for a very long time. but as i said the price is goign to be more at the beginning then using a DE however you don't have to buy blades continuously forever.

do it right from the start and enjoy your experience and learning. if you try to skip parts here and there the result will be unsatisfactory and you won't enjoy yourself or get the best shaves going forward.

all said and done that above shouldn't cost you more then 100$ and could be much less. take some time and pick up a good shave ready razor from a member here when you find one your like in your budget range.

~J

Joe is also selling a shave ready 6/8 Kropp for $50, which is a great price.
http://www.shop.writerferret.com/ind...products_id=97
Tony's strops are definitely the way to go for stropping and for touching up. I'd get the most basic strop and a 1-sided bench hone pasted with 0.5 micron paste for touchups.

I like the looks on the Kropp, fifty dollars for me is about in the appropriate range to purchase a decent razor. The strop I will definitely be purchasing from Tony as his strops seem to be the highest recommended ones here. I figure if everyone else is getting such great results with one, then I should give it a try. As for the paste, does it really make that much of a difference in maintaining the edge?

Either use a paste or a fine finishing hone every 5-15 shaves, to maintain the edge. You could luck out and get a finishing hone for about $20 but you could pay as much as $200 (depending on the stone and the price you catch). Tony sells bench hones with abrasive pastes on in the $20 range and you'll be ordering a strop from him anyways. That's why I'd pick a single sided 0.5 micron pasted bench hone from him as the most sensible option.

Edit: I think Tony calls them "Bench Strops"

Originally Posted by highlanderpa

As for the paste, does it really make that much of a difference in maintaining the edge?

Pasting only helps to delay the inevitable. You can go a LITTLE bit longer between hones. It's not used on a regular basis if you're honing properly. Pesonally, I think if you have to strop with a pasted every 5 to 15 shaves you're probably stropping wrong or something

I had a razor honed by Lynn Abrams that I didn't have to rehone for almost a year (no pasting). I have 7 razors in my shaving rotation and have gotten my honing down where each sharpen lasts me close to as long as Lynn's did for me. I only use a norton 4/8k combo. For me pasting isn't worth it.

For someone who's new or doesn't want to get into honing right or just prefers to do some touch up periodically pasting is a good thing.

I got into CrO2 after working with hones for a while. The number of shaves between touchups depends on several variables:
1) Edge properties (hardness, bevel angle, how fine you honed it)
2) How often you use it (if you have 10 razors in your rotation, 15 shaves per razor is close to 6 months)
3) How tough/dense your stubble is
4) What you expect from the razor

Originally Posted by FUD

Pasting only helps to delay the inevitable. You can go a LITTLE bit longer between hones. It's not used on a regular basis if you're honing properly. Pesonally, I think if you have to strop with a pasted every 5 to 15 shaves you're probably stropping wrong or something

You'd be surprised. I really like the feel of a razor that's been freshly polished on chrome oxide, and I tend to refresh them every 5 shaves or so just to get that feeling back even though they're just as sharp as when they were when fresh (and even more smooth and polished). And I've never had to take a razor back to the stones after the initial honing (except for dings and experimenting with hones), if you refresh before the blade dulls noticeably this seems to keep them going just fine.