When we discover straight razor shaving, or wet shaving, most of us are quite curious and very excited. The new world comes with a lot of questions such as:
Where to start? What do I need? How dangerous is it? Who is right and who is wrong?
Finding answers is easy - a quick search on the internet yields a wealth of information. The problem is separating the wheat from the chaff, as all opinions are not created equal and sometimes the loudest are the ones to avoid.
While there are some shortcuts, you really get what you pay for. The only way to not be taken for the proverbial ride is if you do your homework.
This being said here are some shortcuts:
- Take advice from those with experience, especially with experience helping other beginners. On this site look for those who have the badge 'Mentor'
- Be aware of conflicts of interest.
- Be realistic.
- For example, going for 'dirt cheap' is not a good idea, instead go for quality - even if you give up with quality equipment you can recoup part of the cost via reselling, and it'll cost you the same or less than going with a throw away equipment which could be subpar.
- As another example the 5/8 size of a razor is most popular by far for a reason. Stick with a standard razor (5/8 or 6/8) instead of an outlier (something like a 8/8 or odd looking custom) no matter how much hype you may see about the latter.
- Do your homework and look in the background of those offering to help you. While there are many genuine and honest people who love this hobby and help new guys to get into it and be successful, there are also some who are primarily interested in getting your money, or raising their own profile (again with the purpose of getting business).
