Thread: Poking at the world of straight razors

Hi from Ottawa, Canada.
I've been developing an interest in straight razor shaves and am at the point where I'm on the hunt for a decent razor that I don't have to break the bank to get. (I don't have much of a bank to break since I'm getting married and renovating my basement over the summer).

I figured that a good place to start would be to troll this forum for as much information as I can get.

Looking forward to some nice shaves...hopefully.

Try the classifieds my friend. You'll get a good razor for cheap and it'll be shave ready most likely. Also you can try the whipped dog and get a sight unseen razor on the cheap. Of course, the catch with sight unseen is that you won't know what it looks like before you get it in your hands and it probably wont be pretty but it will shave. Another option is drop some hints that you want a razor for a wedding present haha. But, like I said, the classifieds are going to be your best bet. Your going to need a strop also and depending on what you get they can come with a hefty price tag. Of course you can find some in the classifieds here but they aren't always cheap. I suggest getting a strop from Straight Razors Design because they have replaceable strop materials for cheap so if you ruin your strop by slicing it or nicking it you dont have to go and spend a ton of money for a whole new strop. Also while ebay will sometimes have "great" deals, you most likely don't know what to watch out for and might get sucked in to a bad deal that is too good to be true. Also look at the list of razors to avoid on this sight. Again, if you buy from the classifieds you won't have to worry about getting a razor from one of these companies that make poorly made letter openers. Well good luck and welcome. This forum has lots and lots of knowledge be sure to take advantage of it.

Edit: Sorry, I realized after I posted this that I mean the classifieds of this site and not the newspaper, and also that whippeddog.com is the site for the sight unseen razors. Also, if you want a brand new razor classicedge.ca is in Ontario so shipping I don't think will be that bad for you and they send there razors shave ready and do good work. Of course there is straight razor designs like I mentioned above.

Welcome
+1 from cos
If you can't find what you need in SRP forum you probably don't need it.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Dave

Thanks for the suggestions.
I've already scrolled through the classifieds of this forum and was in the middle of negotiations for a $50 Wade and Butcher when I got informed that the razor had been bought by someone else that had come by after me . There aren't all that many other options out there for ~$50. I'll have to look into some of those other places that you suggested....except the wedding present one, I want to pick this myself.
I did a quick tour of Ebay but I'm pretty wary of my own ignorance when it comes to knowing what is and isn't worth the money. Though, I'd not feel bad about honing a razor to ruin if I'd only paid $10 for it (I can get my hands on good lapping film relatively cheaply and easily).

In terms of a strop I'm wondering how hard it is to make one. There is a post about that (both leather and denim) and it looks relatively easy.
The questions are:
Will any old leather do?
Is it worth my time?
I'll have to do some more information gathering to figure that out.

Thanks again.

Well making your own stuff is definitely fun and worthwhile. You will save money and be proud of using your own stuff. I made a strop myself both leather and fabric. I followed the directions that are in the wiki for making your own stuff. I used denim that I bought at a craft store for 5 bucks a square yd., which needless to say is more than I'll ever need. For the leather part, I just went to a furniture re-upholstery place and asked for some scrap leather and they were happy to give it to me. Just make sure the leather is smooth and flat. For beginning though, I suggest just buying a strop that is properly made so that 1) you know what a real strop is supposed to feel like, and 2) you will know that when you shave and its not comfortable you can keep the variables to a minimum as to whats to blame and most likely it will be your stropping technique and not the strop if its a well made strop. If you make your own, well it might not be that great and your stropping technique wont be that great either leading to 2 reasons you might not be getting a great shave with one you can't fix and the other taking time to fix through practice. You can get a cheap strop at whippeddog.com and its aptly named "the poor mans strop" it aint pretty but it'll do. Most people will suggest you get a 3" wide strop so you don't have to learn the x-stroke but they're more expensive and the x-stroke isn't hard to learn your just more likely to get some nicks here and there on your strop.

Heres the link for the poor mans strop which includes everything you'll need to keep your razor in shaving condition for quite a while.

http://www.whippeddog.com/products/v...-man-strop-kit

That makes a lot of sense. If I can get one for not so much then I've got no problem with buying something. Good point about limiting variables as well.

Welcome to SRP!

I can tell you this as far as making a strop is concerned- if it works for you, then yes! As far as any old leather working, it should be fine. There are varying degrees of leather, and the general consensus is that they typically work okay. The differences between them are usually the draw, or resistance felt, when stropping. Some like less and some more (me personally, I LOVE more draw... makes it feel like I'm accomplishing something), but ultimately the strop brings the blade to shave readiness.

It doesn't have to be a strip of leather, either. People have stropped on leather belts, the back of a wallet, the palm of their hand (your skin is simply leather that hasn't been tanned yet... it would take a while, but in a pinch...) and also on newspaper and gotten the desired result.

Be aware that you will most likely nick, slice and blemish your first strop as a beginner while you're learning. Even the old timers still do so on occasion. With that said, you don't have to pay a small fortune to get a quality strop, and if you do ruin it, you're not out a lot of money. Like cosperryan suggested above, the strops from Straight Razor Designs are regarded as high quality with low component replacement cost. I actually have one on the way, as my two current strops aren't in good working order.

As for the razor, keep checking the classifieds here and checking out the vendor sites. Make sure you get a shave ready razor, and furthermore, if a vendor advertises the razor as shave ready, a quick search or post here should tell you if they truly are coming shave ready from that vendor. ABOVE ALL ELSE, DON'T RUSH THE DECISION!! Doing so could put you in a bind and leave a hole in your wallet. We have to learn to slow down a bit when shaving with a straight razor, and that starts with the purchase of your first one. One of the Moderators/Senior Members here has a saying he uses to describe honing, but is applicable across all aspects of shaving with a straight razor: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast". Patience is your number one friend if your just starting off or if you've been doing this for 70 years. It makes for better equipment, a better shave and a better overall experience.

Any further help or advice you require, simply ask... we love to help out around here! I can truly say this is one of the best internet communities I have ever been a part of.

Funny how patience tends to make a whole lots of things better.
One thing that I've had a hard time pegging down is honing wear. Is this when the toe and/or heel curve upwards (I don't mean like on a curved blade) or does it have to do with the honing marks that are left on the spine...or both?

See post #3 here for a visual representation. (link)

Hone wear can be a flattened spine (instead of round), a smile in a blade which shouldn't have one, a frowning blade, a rounded toe (not to be confused with a rounded point... think more about the shape of a butter knife) or flattened shoulder.

If you're asking in regards to picking out a razor, it's good to know what you're looking for, but just make sure it's a reputable source you're looking at.

The patience aspect is probably the biggest key to getting good results with straight razor shaving. Be patient and realize your not going to have excellent shaves right off the bat or for quite some time. It just takes time and practice to get that muscle memory down. There will be certain parts of your face that your going to be scared to shave especially when you use your weak hand and yeah you'll probably cut yourself, but one day after struggling with that part for so many previous days it will click and you'll conquer that part of your face and you'll think to yourself "why didn't I figure that out earlier, of course it makes sense to hold the razor that way" . For me it was going against the grain on my jawline and neck and across the grain on my upper lip. I have some nice scares too from it but then one day I figured it out and I felt like a genius but also kinda stupid for not figuring it out earlier when it was so obvious.