Sick of the safety-mass-market crap, willing to learn!

Hello everybody!

I'm from Germany and just found this forum. During the past weeks I more and more realized how dull and inefficient my year long way of shaving really was.
Now, after a long time of being single, my new girlfriend reminded me that there was something to get rid of in my face. Because she is totally right and worth the effort, I did shave more often, with some success only though.
Two things:
1. I didn't really shave every day for years since I didn't care, every 3 days or so was ok.
2. I didn't care about how properly it was done

That changed 5 weeks ago. I started to read some stuff on how to properly prepare the face with hot water, got myself a badger-hair brush and tried some soaps and creams. Proper preparation with steaming towel (or out of the shower), cold water and proper disinfection really helped to improve major razor burn and limited visible and burning nicks. The thing is, after week 2 the improvement stopped and that's where I got stuck.
I can shave (close) to BBS results (love that word) if I don't shave for 2-3 days or so, shaving every day seems to worsen the result quite a lot though.The everyday-shave also causes more irritation than I would like. Tried every disposable thing out there, any safety razor I could get my hands on and a DE too.
Well... I began to really think about it some more and started reading on straight razors (the scientist in me had found something new to figure out) . People who use them seem to get far better results than with anything else out there with less irritation and nicks, so it sounds very very tempting. I've never had a 'proper' shave, I asked around, nobody does it anymore, in several cities, nobody... they only cut hair!! Argh. I wanted to let a pro do it for me to see if it really is that good... well, couldn't find any less than 100 clicks away. Get to the point, I'm already convinced to at least try it and get me my own gear. Something I wasn't really able to figure out:


What difference in blade quality is really there between 65$ and 200$???
DOVO seems to make some quality stuff, so I got me pricelists and read specs about their razors. The major add in price seems to be the material the handle or scales is made of most of the time. Since I don't really feel that nostalgic about the thing yet, I couldn't care less!!
I've read that stainless steel is harder to hone and strop sometimes, duller and does not give any major advantage over carbonated steel or carbide compounds mostly used.
That leaves the shape of the blade as a last difference that could matter but opinions on that are inconsistent.
now: should I get a more expensive one right away or will 60 dollar ones be "good enough" to get a positive impression. Will they be sharp enough so a hanging leather (juchten) strop will do or will I have to get more sharpening equipment? I'm really tempted to go and buy me one tomorrow at a hairdresser wholesaler I found two days ago, since I hate my Gillette Mach 3 so much by now, I can't stand it anymore :) I know what BBS feels like and I am willing to learn to get there. No problem to spend the extra time in the morning, I already love the whole hot towel and proper lather thing.... so: What next?



Regards and happy new year from Germany

Andreas

I would caution you against getting somethin off the shelf as your first straight. I haven't yet bought a new-in-box razor, but from what I understand, they don't come shave-ready. You'd be far better served to check out one of SRP's vendors' websites, or the B/T/S forum. That way you'd be getting a quality razor, shave-ready, and probably for less than $60 to boot.

The hanging strop will do at first, but eventually you'll need some touch-up equipment. I'm still new enough myself that I don't really feel confident making a recommendation, but it seems that a bench hone with 0.5 micron paste, or a pasted paddle strop from Tony Miller seem to be the popular choices in that department, with some members using higher-grit barber hones as well.

As soon as you get just one "perfect shave," you'll never want to go back to your old ways again!

There is also a learning curve with a straight. I'm new to it as well and have nicked or cut my face several times now. You'll find that nicks/cuts are almost exclusively user error so if you go slow, pay attention to how the razor is acting while you shave, you should do just fine.

I'll second Tomlin's advice on finding an SRP vendor, quality products that are shave-ready and very affordable. Also, depending on your budget a 4 sided pasted paddle from Tony Miller is a great choice. You will get one side with plain leather for daily stropping and 3 sides that you can have him apply abrasive pastes for refreshing an edge. Eventually, you want a hanging strop for daily use but if your budget is tight, the paddle is a good way to start. Contact him and spend a little time with him, he's a stand up guy and will get you something that will suit your needs. He also has a starter's kit that includes strop and razor. It's a decent, no nonsense Dovo that will suit you just fine (I have one from him and enjoy it greatly).

As to the cost variances, I can't speak to it but it does appear that those razors with more "special" scale material (ivory, mother of pearl, etc) are more expensive than a plain plastic handle so I think you're right in that. As to if there is a difference in the blade quality, I don't know.

Welcome aboard. For starters I'd also recommend one of Tony's starter kits. A $10 e-bay special will shave you just as well as a $150 piece if you catch the right "special" and I've caught a few :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by randfee

What difference in blade quality is really there between 65$ and 200$???
DOVO seems to make some quality stuff, so I got me pricelists and read specs about their razors. The major add in price seems to be the material the handle or scales is made of most of the time. Since I don't really feel that nostalgic about the thing yet, I couldn't care less!!
I've read that stainless steel is harder to hone and strop sometimes, duller and does not give any major advantage over carbonated steel or carbide compounds mostly used.
That leaves the shape of the blade as a last difference that could matter but opinions on that are inconsistent.
now: should I get a more expensive one right away or will 60 dollar ones be "good enough" to get a positive impression. Will they be sharp enough so a hanging leather (juchten) strop will do or will I have to get more sharpening equipment? I'm really tempted to go and buy me one tomorrow at a hairdresser wholesaler I found two days ago.

Andreas

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I agree with the others that eventually you will have to get something more than just your juchten to maintain your razor. I would PM LX Emergancy up in the Netherlands and see if he has any razors available right now he has a deal or two sometimes and or if he can recommend anything a little closer to you than the U.S. for equipment. I believe he may even be able to Hone a new razor up for you if that is the route you want to go.

ok... so you all recommend getting me a pre-honed razor with something like a paddle strop. A set from Anthony like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190066306043

Hm... I don't understand why the guys in Solingen would not properly sharpen their razors when they sell it... who can explain that to me? Another mass-product effect? I just can't believe the machinery and the manufacturing process is not accurate enough... hm
I could go ahead and buy a set from him on ebay and have it shipped to my moms in NC or to europe right away. If you guys say that is the thing to go for, I of course have no experience whatsoever :) I'd be hard for me to wait that long... hahahaha
Anyway, who is this guy in the Netherlands? Couldn't find anyone with the username 'LX Emergancy'.

Thanks so far guys!

Hi,

Try....... LX Emergency

John

LX_Emergency
http://straightrazorpalace.com/member.php?u=1235

Heres the guy I was talking about.

They only sharpen their razors so far because the rest is skilled craftsmanship. They would have to pay a fortune to get their blades shave ready, Its economics. I also doubt that a shaving sharp edge would survive the shipping process, or could be depended upon too.

Hi again,

I meant to put in my last post that you could also be looking at the German Razor Forum ......http://forum.nassrasur.com/

John

Tim's right. Another point is that the only real test as to whether a razor is ready to shave is to shave with it. That presents some health issues and practical ones, as you can guess. It's hard to test more than one or two razors a day per man. :)

Josh

Nah, they just haven't made a deal with the right industry -- the wool industry, of course! Now, I'd better lay a patent on the idea before the wool farmers and the razor honers get together...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by randfee

ok... so you all recommend getting me a pre-honed razor with something like a paddle strop. A set from Anthony like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190066306043

Hm... I don't understand why the guys in Solingen would not properly sharpen their razors when they sell it... who can explain that to me? Another mass-product effect? I just can't believe the machinery and the manufacturing process is not accurate enough... hm
I could go ahead and buy a set from him on ebay and have it shipped to my moms in NC or to europe right away. If you guys say that is the thing to go for, I of course have no experience whatsoever :) I'd be hard for me to wait that long... hahahaha
Anyway, who is this guy in the Netherlands? Couldn't find anyone with the username 'LX Emergancy'.

Thanks so far guys!

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Honing a razor is a manual process that requires experience and patience.
Even if the razors are still new, it may take half an hour to make it truly ready for a perfect shave (just pulling a number out of thin air here).
So you see that it would take a lot of manpower to make all those razors perfect.

And it would not increase their sales much, so it is not economically viable to do it.

Btw, the guy you are looking for is 'LX_Emergency'

He's sent me an e-mail and we're working on his shaving kit. I still have a nice few pieces lying around.

Figured you'd have something nice lying around. I hat to see a newbee forced to pay international shipping just to get a good starter blade. For the good E-bay stuff don't forget about Manyware, RandyFee might just be able to inspect his stuff personally.