I'm still relatively new to straight razor shaving and all that comes with it, having only been shaving with a straight since January. But I got to thinking about my experiences so far and thought maybe I'd share some of them and my associated thoughts with everyone. And, if there are any new guys out there that haven't taken the plunge yet maybe they could learn a little something from my experience so far.

First off, I purchased my first straight razor, a re branded Dovo Forestal, from the Art Of Shaving. I love the razor, however I wish I could go back in time and not buy anything from them even tho I wouldn't trade my sr for the world right now. The service was Ok, however the price wasn't. I walked out with a small strop, a razor, ti strop paste, cream, aftershave lotion, and some shave oil. I also left the store $400 lighter than when I walked in. On top of that my razor is branded with the stores advertising. After I saw what the real Forestal looked like my heart broke. It broke again when I discovered srd and Srp.

If you haven't taken the plunge yet, I would strongly suggest that you do your research and source the most cost efficient way to do it and try to buy your equipment online if you can. The AOS is good for getting a razor in your hand and getting a feel for the razor so you get an idea of what you would like. And to even compare a Ti vs. A Dovo. But if you buy from them you will end up with a razor that's just isn't as beautiful as the manufacturer intended, and you may be walking funny for a few days because of the unpleasant rape feeling that your wallet just took.

Secondly, I would really like to say that honing isn't as big of a deal that a lot of newbies, myself included, make it out to be at first. It really isn't. A lot of us get pretty intimidated by it at first, either because of the cost of the hones or because you haven't tried to sharpen anything since you were 9 and your dad taught you to spit on a knife hone to sharpen your pocket knife when you were in boy scouts.

If you've already made the commitment and invested in a straight razor, go ahead and do yourself a favor and invest in a set of hones. They will last forever unless you are Lynn Abrams, and honestly, it really isn't that tough. I own both the norton 4/8k and a naniwa set: 5, 8, and 12k. I would recommend the naniwa, and from what I have read here most people do also. Granted, it's an investment, but it's well worth it. Get the hones and watch Lynn Abrams honing videos on YouTube and jump in.

Also, while I'm talking about honing, most of the old timers here will tell you to just go ahead and buy a shave ready razor, and if you shop at srd, then you've got a leg up on already. The main idea for this is that you can jump right into shaving and keep with it, and when you are ready to tackle honing you will know what a good shaver feels like.

But what about the guys who are using an heirloom razor, or like me bought a dull razor at AOS or ebay?

I did the exact opposite of what most people recommend. And personally, I see it as being just as valid as buying a shave ready razor to begin with. I learned what a well honed razor felt like through practice, and conversely I am very familiar with what a shave from a dull razor feels like. I am very proud of how my honing has progressed and I get instant feedback on that progression when I go to shave. And, I feel that I do a pretty Damn good job. Also, for those who are worried of ruining their fancy razors by learning honing: think about it this way: You can learn on a razor that you keep for a lifetime and every mark on it came from your hands and told a story to your grandkids and develops a personal connection with you through your trial and error. Or it can look perfect and tell a story of someone else's hands to your grandkids.

What I'm trying to say is don't make it out to be more than what it is. It isn't easy, but it really isn't that hard. Just jump in like you jumped into shaving and stick with it. When you go into something with confidence you already have a better chance of success than you did before.

I'm not saying all of this to countermand advice given to others here. Just that there are different routes to take for everyone, I explained what worked for me, so just do what works for you.

I think that's enough of a book for now lol. I would love to hear others opinions on what I wrote, or conversely have people give their input on their beginnings and the advice they'd give or what they'd do differently.

Thanks,
Bpfoh