Thread: Newbie Questions

Hello Benji and welcome to the board. I think you will find that most everyone on this board is a straight razor shaver and would love to help you get started in our favorite passtime and passion. However, given your current circumstances (dorm room, shared facilities and tight budget), I would suggest that you consider a DE (double edge) razor. You can pick up a gillette adjustable for about $20 on eboy and the blades are about 50 cents each and last about a week each. The learning curve is not difficult and for less than $30 initial investment and $2-$3 a month your in bidness. The results from a DE will be better than you could ever hope from Gillette's new fusion razor or any other multi-blade fandango although I must admit, probably not as good as the Str8. Unfortunately, the straight razor route will be more expensive and even more inconvenient given your circumstances at school. This is not to say it can't be done but it will require a considerable committment in time and money. When you're first starting out, you need extra time to shave, extra time to learn the required skills and I just don't think the college dorm will provide adequate amounts of either of those two things. If you choose the str8 razor route you will get oodles of help and assistance from the fellas on this board. Good luck and let us know how its going.

To agree with many of my compatriots here:- Get a starter set from Tony (I don't know if anyone else even sells complete sets like that).

It's all high quality stuff, and you'll get everything you need to get started. In time, you'll likely want to try other soaps, and there are no end to the number of toys you might discovery you need, want, and have to have, but it's a solid base, and you won't have to upgrade your razor and strop any time soon. Or really, ever.

I don't know about the dorm room thing - you could always get a plug in hot water dispenser and shave in your room if you wanted to. They were pretty okay with my having a ton of fencing stuff in my room at college, so I guess you might be allright with it...

Ben,

I would worry about someone bumping into me while using the straight razor in the community dorm bathroom. Another route you may look into is a "Rolls Razor" on ebay. It is somewhat a hybrid between a straight razor and a safety razor. I have not used one, however, so I do not know how they perform.

Good Luck,
Mark.

They perform poorly. Not a good design. I'm not sure why but few have ever gotten them to actually shave well...I think its because they put all the components in a little box.

Dude, no brainer here - go with Tony's kit. See if you can successfully shave in your dorm. You can always graduate to other types of equipment when you become proficient.

-Rob