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Hello,
Just forgive me, gentlemen, but I have to ask: what do you think about the straight razors with the blade you have to attach a half of blade from DE razors. Do they work?
The regular razors you use are really expensive here in Poland; besides I'm really frightened of all that straps, stones etc. which improper use can destroy the razor.
So could you please let me know if this razor with DE blades is worth of buying? It's only 8 $ here...
Cheers
Pawel
That's the kind of straight razor I learned on. They are, in my view, easier to cut yourself with than traditional straight razors. But they also give a close, close shave. It was pretty beneficial to learn on this type, since when I moved to a traditional straight razor, it was easier to use.
Pawel,
I went right from the Mach3 to the straight razor. I also purchased the strop and the hone. It is more work then the disposable but being able to hone your own blade is a rewarding experience. In addition you never run out of blades with a straight razor. :D . You can also consider purchasing a razor from a member of the group this way you know it will be both good and sharp.
Where in Poland are you from?
My grandfather came here in 1915 from Warsaw
Rich,
But all that stuff is really expensive and hard to get here in Poland! That's the main reason for trying to start with sth cheap to see if I'm patient enough to do triple-lather, to learn the technique and to see the close shave effect with my sensitive and strange growing grain :-)
Which members sell the razors here and do the deliveries to Poland? Please guys contact me to let me know. Are there any razors worth buying in price of 30$?
Regarding your question - I come from Bialystok, the town in eastern Poland, but work and live in Warsaw now. Your grandpa made a right decision moving to NY, beside all economic and political reasons, you have a better chance to get nice razor than me :-)
Cheers
Pawel
Check the User Gallery. Lynn and Andrew sell some razors there. Tony miller's strops and his razors too are in the Gear For Sale folder. Have a look at the restoration master's site too. http://www.billysblades.com/Straighr%20Razors.htm .
It's an inexpensive way to begin str8 shaving. These razors require you to be more carful than a str8 and they have very little weight and are not as forgiving. You should understand that if you learn well on one of these you will probably have no trouble learning a regular str8.Quote:
Originally Posted by paero123
I started on one of those, but moved on to str8s very quickly. I still use a replaceable blade str8 as well (Feather) and I love it. In my opinion it's worth trying. I would just be careful that you get a decnet brand because there are some poor quality ones out there. Some are intended for hair trimming.
And which replaceable blade str8s do you, gentlemen, recommend? Those I saw in few shops looks really 'poor quality' ones so I would try to find those worth of buying
Cheers
Pawel
I don't know what you can get, but generally, the Dovo Shavette is the best quality, but it's also more expensive.Quote:
Originally Posted by paero123
If you were willing to shop online, you could go to classicshaving.com and buy the Fromm replaceable blade razor and a package of blades for under $20. It's a little heavier and the blades are about the length of a real str8.
I recently started and went straight from Mach 3 to normal straight. Bought a cheap one of ebay which turned out to really suck and then got a great one from David Uthe on the board here which made it almost easy. Stropping is not difficult but I'm glad I did have that cheap razor as I practiced on that until I was comfortable enough to trust myself not to wreck my proper one. My recommendation is go for a proper straight and Im sure the guys here will help you out with all your shaving/stropping questions
In my humble opinion, most likely you're going to end up buying a real straight razor anyway. You may be better off buying a straight razor from one of the members here. You can pick them up relatively cheaply. That's not to say you're getting a cheap razor, however. It will be honed and shave ready. The members here that sell razors, that I know of are, Lynn, David, Tony Miller, and Andrew. Just ask and I'm sure you'll get plenty of replies.
With respect to the strop and related supplies, that's all I started out with...a razor and a strop. There are plenty of resources out here at this site which you can read and learn from. Also, if you have any questions, the members out here are awesome and will answer any question you may have.
Good luck,
Jeff
I don't think that ANY straight that uses a half DE blade can be any worse than the blade you stick in it. Personally, I'd buy the cheapest one because you'll never use it again after you buy a real straight. I bought a cheap Paki one and it worked just fine (after I put a good Gillette blade in it, that is). I imagine it would be OK to learn on. I learned with a real straight, I bought the disposable one out of curiosity (it was $1.00)
Pawel, I see you're in Poland. I have a bottle of Polish potato Vodka in my freezer at this very minute. I must say, it makes a great martini. It's also very good on it's own.
Pawel,
I have a cheap one at home and it works fine; (its a Hess EZ shave) there are lots of options out there.
You needn't to spend a lot of money for a real straight, either. A barber hone can be had for under 20 bucks, a basic leather strop within a few bucks of that, and a useable (even shave ready) razor can be had from between 15 and 1000 bucks. Check Tony Little's offerings. Good stuff.
keep your eye open on ebay, or look at the various deals guys here have for sale.
also, just curious, are you the guy that sold me the WARS shaving cream a while back? if you are, its good stuff.
John P.
Quote:
Originally Posted by paero123
Paero, you can use any repblade str8 you can find, the feiling is the same as the more expencive models. You don't have to spring 50+$ for razor, strop and hone just to get a feel for straight razor. I used a replaceable blade straight that costs 1$ to learn on...
Nenad
OK, thanks, guys, for your help.
Anyway I will propobably start with any DE like Merkur HD to develop the technique. I have been a wet shaver from many years with my Gilette Sensor Excel but after reading some articles over Internet I decided to try healthier, closer, more comfortable and ... cheaper classic shaving with brushes, creams and single blades :-). I hope it will also be more funnier way to start my day than 10-minutes of one-pass episode as usual :-). As I remember the times before pivoting head double blades (before mid-80s I believe) shaving with DE was horrible and painful to me - maybe because of the lack of knowledge I know from the forums now or poor quality of Polish razors (sth like http://www.vion.com.pl/files/hm75.jpg still produced as I can see); the blades were good (Feather Platinium coated - I have a package of unused ones I found in my closet). We'll see I'm going to buy original Merkur; if I score a success it will maybe be a time for str8 razors then... :-) Or should I start with Shavette?
joesixpack: which patato vodka did you speak about? I'm not familiar with vodka as I'm a wine lover but I know we have some vodkas produced in Poland which are our export stars as Zubrowka from Bialystok (my hometown)
JohnP: not, I'm not Pawel who sold a WARS cream to you, it's popular first name in Poland - I also bought WARS to try with my Sensor but I'm really curious about Palmolive Leather not available in Poland unfortunately
Cheers
Pawel
Luksusowa.Quote:
Originally Posted by paero123
Cheers! ;-)
Just curious - how much does it cost in US? ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by joesixpack
Ciao
Pawel
wait a second, I thought you want to try straight razor shaving? The Merkur is (excelent quality) Double Edge razor, and it has nothing to do with straight razor shaving. If you want to try real straight razor shaving with replaceable blades, get Shavette, Feather or whatever straight razor lookalike repblade. The technique is totally diferent with DE and straight razor. DE razor is still popular method of shaving, and today (ironicaly) improved a lot with use of good quality shaving soaps and (badger) brushes. Your's not so good experience with this type of blade is most likely blamed on poor preparation, and maybe wrong blade to skin angle.Quote:
Originally Posted by paero123
Nenad
To superfly: well, I read all the forums as shavingmyface.com badgerandblade.com, ask some people as Charles from Qed etc. and all of them recommend me to try first with DE to exercise the technique of 'right angle', passes with/across/against the grain as much safer, step by step way of trying classic shaving. They say jump from Sensor to str8 would be too much and even discouraging...
Is it really different technique with DE and str8? The same blade angle, the rules etc.
Cheers
Pawel
It is. There is nothing alike in this two types of shavers and techniques for their using except for the blade angle on skin (advised ~30 degrees). Go to help section on this site, and download the Lynn Abrams (the founder of this place) shaving video. It will give you nice insight on straight shaving.Quote:
Originally Posted by paero123
cheers,
Nenad
p.s. I started straight shaving from Mah3.
I would say this advice is generally correct, although there are people who went from a Gillette system to a str8 with no problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by paero123
I went from an electric to a Gillette to a straight in just under two weeks and am still enjoying each new adventure (I mean shave) every morning. I can't speak from experience with regard to a DE, having never used one, but don't be shy about diving directly into straight shaving.
Ed
I think str8 shaving is like motorcycles--they are not for everyone and you know it when it is for you.
I went via the DE route but only for 1 month. I knew I wanted to be a str8 shaver as soon as I read about. Just took me a month get the razor.
I got more nicks and cuts with a DE first shave than my first str8 shave. One reason is overconfidence in the "safety" part of "safety razor". Straight has no such false advertizing. It is a "cut throat razor" so instills caution from the get go.
The DE is really an unnecessary cost if you are heading to a str8 anyway and the only reason I don't regret getting a DE is because I still need it to shave my head. (my avatar is really a self portrait caricature)