Thread: getting a straight razor as a gift; clueless! what do i need?

Hello all!

I'm a 20-year old college student from Minnesota, and I'd like to get my boyfriend of two years a straight razor for his birthday. He has mentioned many times that he would like one, and I'm very excited to get this for him

However, I don't really know the first thing about straight razors or what he would need to use one. Obviously, he would need a razor, but I'm sure there are other things (like shaving creams and lather brushes and stuff) that he would need too.

Could anyone give me any advice on what supplies I could get and where I could get them? I wouldn't mind buying them separately. Keep in mind, however, that I'm a college student and am on a budget, though it can be bent a little :P

Welcome to SRP.

First he will need a shave ready straight razor, good place to look would be the classified section of this forum, should be some within your budget.

Next he will need a strop, thats a piece of leather for the final touch on a razor before the shave. You can get a practice one for $30 from Tony at http://www.thewellshavedgentleman.com

Best place for soaps, creams, brushes and other bits and pieces, is Colleen from TGQ http://www.thegentlemensquarter.com you simply can't beat her products, great quality and decent prices to match

Oh and the world of straight razor shaving DVD by Lynn Abrams, founder of SRP for $20 is a must.

The basics to start with would be a razor, strop, and either shaving cream or soap, mug/bowl and brush. You can look through the newbies section and that will give you lots of ideas of what to get. What might be best is to get a starter kit from Kenrup, try pm'ing him to see if he has any. I think his kits come with razor, strop, and shaving soap. The brush you can get at Walgreens, Walmart, etc. A boar brush will be about 5$-7$. They also have inexpensive soap as well, between 1$-4$. For a bowl or mug a latte mug works or a coffee cup is what I used to use. This will get you started and assumes that when the razor needs honing you will either send it out or purchase the equipment for doing it yourself.
Hope this helps

Bob

Hello and welcome to SRP!

I'd refer you to the following recent thread where a gentleman had a very similar problem. My advice to you would be largely the same as my advice to him. I would disagree with both Bob and Old School- at the start the DVD is not necessary, though it is a great advantage. TBH I have yet to buy it. What IS a must is that you get your b/f to sign up to SRP! Similarly a shaving mug is not necessary IMHO. All that is definitely needed is a shave-ready razor, a strop, a brush and some shaving soap.

Incidentally have you thought of trying straight razor shaving yourself?

I think the kit from Kenrup would be most appropriate, if I had seen it, I would have gotten it myself. You just can't beat it. Look in the Vendor's corner forum, and there is a starter kit thread by Kenrup. You didn't mention your budget. But that's 65 bucks, then you need a brush, mug/scuttle, and soap/cream. Gugi has a nice brush to sell I believe, and if not, I hear good things about Vulfix which is inexpensive. I like the Georgetown pottery scuttle, but I think it's 40-50 dollars, and you can just use a coffee mug. So, 65 for Kenrup's starter kit, say around 30 for a brush, and get some shaving soap from Rite Aid or the druggist of your preference. 100 bucks should do it.

I'm new to straight razor shaving and just purchased some stuff from Kenrup. After reading through the forums, the universal recommendation is to get a razor from one of the vendors here that is shave-ready. Otherwise there may be a somewhat ugly learning curve with a not-so-sharp razor.

I agree with the reccomendations posted. For a modest priced brush check out Cream Best Badger Small Shave Brush | Shaving Brushes & Kits | Men's Grooming | Bath & Body | Crabtree & Evelyn. If you decide to purchase from a retailer or online vendor be sure to follow-up on having the razor honed to be shave ready.

Max

Magpie: There is a term being used in the above posts that may be a bit confusing, that is: "shave ready."

Most straight razors available for sale are not sharp enough to be used for shaving, that is they are not "shave ready." This is especially true for brand new, store bought razors. There are plenty of horror stories of guys who either purchased or recieved a new razor, attempted to shave with it and only succeded in getting a wicked case of razor burn and being permanently turned off from straight shaving.

To be made "shave ready," a straight razor must be sharpened on a very fine grit sharpening stone known as a hone. It is then further made shave ready using a strip of leather known as a "strop."

To make (and keep) a straight razor shave ready sharp is an art form all unto itself. Your boyfriend may or may not be willing to go through all of this-but hopefully he will be!

With regards to acquiring a shave ready razor you may wish to do the following:

1. Purchase a shave ready razor from the classifieds on this site. Look for razors that are described as shave ready-they will be clearly described as such if they are shave ready.

2. Purchase a razor from some other place, tell your boyfriend that it is not shave ready and that the razor needs to be sharpened before use-he will be very impressed with your knowledge Then have the razor sharpened using the sharpening service available on this site. That will give your boyfriend a clear baseline understanding of what a truely sharp razor should be. If he decides he wants to sharpen his razor he will know what to strive for. If you go with this option, you will still need to acquire a strop.

DO NOT bring the razor to a knife shop in the mall and have them sharpen the razor. The tools and methods used to sharpen kitchen knives is completely different from sharpening a straight razor. These people will only ruin your razor. Go to someone who specifically sharpens straight razors. Or use the service here. I have not used this service, but I have heard only rave reviews about their skills.

I hope some of this helps. There is a lot to learn but it is a skill that is well worth learning.

~Robert

Magpie,
I think kenrup's starter set will be the best value for you. As for the brush and soap, spend ten bucks at the drug store for both of them. If he enjoys it and sticks with it, he will invest in a softer brush and a higher quality soap. I will warn you, if he does enjoy straight shaving, you may be held responsible for nudging him onto the slippery slope of acquisition disorder. My only other advise is to direct him to the forum. He will get all of the help and info a noobie could possibly need here.

Good luck.