Thread: another newbie here

So recently i have had some odd obession with straight razors. Well not just with straight razors but the art itself.. I like the looks the idea and the old school mentality of it. I have been doing hours and hours of research on many diffrent site and have come to think this one by far is the most helpful.. Now I would love to just pick your guys brain. First of all is there any "shavers etiquette" that I should know before hand. Last thing I want to do is piss of someone thats a pro with a razor hahaha. Second due to the fact I live in a small town theres very little to non that I have found that still practice straight razor shaving today. If I do so find someone is it okay to ask for advice or lessons from them? Or will I come off in a bad way? One other thing I wanted to ask and I know you get this a million times but what should I start with from what I hear Dovo is great but is there a certain type I should look for?

Thanks ahead of time and please give me all the cronstructive critisim you can it will help!!!-

-Another Newbie-

You should ask away.

As far as etiquette goes, I would suggest you read the forum rules just to be on the safe side. But if you use clean language and remain polite I think you will have no issues. I also use this as my site of choice because of the fast responses from very experienced straight razor users.

I will say it is important to remember that there are "best practice" ways to start, but you will find that a lot of things are very subjective. The experienced users here will all very gladly share their advice, and some may differ from others. You will have to decide what is best for you.

As far as a first razor, there are many inexpensive options on the classifieds here.

If you need everything to start wet shaving, my personal experience was Straight Razor Designs. I got my first razor (Dovo Best Quality 6/8) and strop (3 inch black laigo) from them, and it was great value for the high quality. Any associated vendor with this site is a good bet. You can also check out Whippeddog.com if finances are an issue.

Welcome and enjoy! I am pretty new, but have been having a BLAST learning and growing!

Also, people here love to meet and help. You should share where you live, either in this thread or by editing your profile to share that info, and if someone lives near by I'm willing to bet you could get some help!

Welcome to the forum. Yes, Dovo is a good quality razor. That is, if you want to spend that kind of money to start out with or you can search the classifieds here or look on Ebay or maybe whippeddog.com for a nice used / restored razor. Just make sure it is "shave ready" Meaning it has been professionaly honed and stropped for sharpness. If you can find somone in your neck of the woods who uses a razor I'm sure they would be more than happy to give you some tips. You may want to check the member list here for people in your area who are mentors. Lots of good people on this forum. Enjoy and good luck....

Welcome to SRP!

Fire away with the questions.

Putting your location in your profile helps with finding other people in your area.

Hi mrmurph,

Welcome to the forum, glad to have you!!

Shavers etiquette... Not really, this forum is, as we like to say "gentlemanly". Respect and Good Manners go a long way here.

Asking for help is encouraged here, and here's a local help list of members that are open to one on one sessions. Local Help - Straight Razor Place Wiki Listing your general location is also helpful.

On what to get...The best place to start is linked below, the wiki. It has the info on basic necessities, and much more do's and what to look out for on the dont's.

The beginners tips is also excellent info!!

Enjoy the forum!!

Best Regards,

Howard

That's some good advice above.

For your first razor, wherever you buy it make sure that it is shave-ready. This has already been said, but cannot be stressed too much as it makes a world of difference. The vendors mentioned above are also excellent suggestions.

Another advantage to including your location is that someone may be aware of a good local vendor depending on where you live. Also depending on your location, there may be someone local listed in the local help list: Local Help - Straight Razor Place Wiki

And please don't hesitate to ask questions. The best approach is to do lots of reading in the Wiki and forum, and then feel free to post questions or to ask for clarification, suggestions, etc. These are two good places to start:

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Good luck - and welcome!

EDIT: I clearly need to type more quickly...

I too am very new to the straight razor world. Just finished my 5th shave with my Ralf Aust Razor I got from Straight Razor Designs yesterday. As many others have posted about the shave readiness of the razor, the maker of the razor may not be as important as the actual "shave-readiness" of the razor itself. That is not to say that you should just buy any ol' razor out there that says it is "shave ready". Make sure the maker is a reputable manufacturer first. Check whatever razor you're thinking of getting against the list here on SRP, located here, to ensure it is a good, quality razor. If the one you're looking at isn't on the good list, make sure its not on the naughty list, located here.

I would recommend the Ralf Aust Razor and Strop kit from Straight Designs for a starter kit. This was recommended to me by the guys at SRD as well as from many of the gents here on my first post as well. That post has some good info on it about whippeddog and other entry level razors as well, and helped me a lot with my decision.

One thing I really thought helped me decide between buying a new or used/vintage razor was not the price but the idea that I felt that buying new might help me strive to care for my razor and other shave gear, and really put a lot of effort into learning a little better than if I only spent $20 bucks on an old beat up razor. That's just my thought process though probably not everyone's

Welcome to the world of straight razor shaving and don't hesitate to ask any question you can't find the answer to. Everyone here is super helpful and will respond very quickly to any inquiries you might have.

Good Luck choosing a razor!

Hi MrMurph, and welcome to SRP! I lived in Iowa City for a couple of decades, and saw with interest that three or four guys formed a small group there through this forum. That was three years ago or so; don't know if any of them are still there. You can find our member list under the Community drop-down above, and search to see who's nearby. Opt for the Advanced search and put in "Iowa" or city names. You'll find some folks in cities that the state search doesn't capture. Check their most recent post date; they might have dropped away.

I think NoseWarmer is in eastern Iowa, and know that Geezer is in western Wisconsin. If you hear of a meetup happening within a five-hour drive, get a room and make the drive--it's well worth it!

The Soap Opera on Iowa City's ped mall used to stock some nice shaving soaps, but that stock was pretty thin last time I visited. Maybe they've restocked since the bump from the Bond movie, though.

Best wishes and happy shaving!