Thread: New Straight Razor Shaver (w/ pictures!)

I have been intrigued for a while with the idea of straight razor shaving, and as I am planning on shaving my beard soon and going back to a clean shaven look I thought I would give it a try. After quite a bit of searching and coming within seconds of ordering one of the "Do Not Buy" razors, I found WhippedDog.com. I emailed Larry and told him what I was looking for and that he had a S.R. Droescher (4/8 full hollow) on his site that looked like it fit the bill. He advised me about a starter strop kit and reserved the razor for me so it wouldn't sell in the mean time. Larry was a joy to work with, I really appreciate his help and attention when making this purchase. So I paid my money and the razor was promptly delivered. As soon as I opened the package I was happy about my decision. The razor came in a tattered original box, that with the help of some surgical tape was holding up surprisingly well for being >90 (?) years old. The scales are simple yellow bakelite, but I'm also simple, so we go well together. The steel had a light tarnish, but no rust and the edge looked great.

Larry says that his blades come shave ready and that they shouldn't be stropped before the first use, so I lathered up and took a crack at shaving my neck cleaning up my cheeks. This is the first time I've shaved my neck and not gotten razor burn since I was 17 and didn't really have any business shaving. The blade was great and I was able to make it through without any loss of blood. When I was done, I stropped the blade and then remembered that I had wanted to take a picture of the edge before I used it but I forgot. So, I'm including some pictures of the edge Larry sent me with the caveat that this is post-shave and more importantly after the first strop of my life.

For comparison, here is a picture of a very expensive pair of tungsten carbide edged surgical scissors taken at the same magnification.

To be fair to the scissors, they haven't been sharpened in a while, but the manufacturer said they should never need sharpening, and they do still cut like new. So all in all, I am happy with my decision to try this new way of life, and more importantly I am very happy with my choice to buy from Larry at WhipppedDog.com. Now is probably a good time to mention that I am in no way affiliated with Larry and we had never spoken before I emailed him about the razor. This is just me expressing my gratitude for an affordable way to try something new, with something that will last when all is said and done. If I had bought a blade that was secretly Pakistani steel I may have been turned off forever, so I consider what Larry does to be a service to buyers as well as to the survival of this now-esoteric tradition. I hope everyone can have as good a first experience as mine.

Here are some pictures of my humble first razor:

Glad to hear about your good experience. What is the name on the box? Looks like the address is Kansas City.

Trying to peel away the tape lifted the surface material as well, so I'm afraid I can't tell you what's underneath. All I can see is an "e" followed by what I think is an "l". The top of the box says "Blue S..." but the rest of the word is covered, I assume this was a box for some Blue Steel model, but I'm not sure of the make. On the inside there is also a note that reads: "This Razor must be handled with care on account of its extreme thinness and temper, as it is easily broken, and no broken razor will be made good." Maybe someone on here can identify the box.

The box is most likely from a heckle bros razor. The where a company in Kansas City that imported razors from Germany

It is good that you had an enjoyable first experience. It is also good that you included the high mag comparison of the blade and scissors. Now I know I won't need much magnification to check an edge because if you magnify enough all edges look like they would not cut paper. Thanks for posting that. Hope your journey continues to be pleasurable.

Bob