Thread: I blame James Bond! Hi from East Midlands, UK.

Hello all, hope you are well.
I saw the bond film, Skyfall last month and haven't been able to get this whole cut throat shaving thing out of my head, been lurking here for a bit, watching YouTube videos and some online "window shopping". But cannot decide what to go for in terms of blade.
Do I splash out on some expensive real blade, or do I go for a cheaper shavette style of straight?
Seen a kit that appears to have everything I need but haven't been able to make the decision to buy yet.
Here's hoping you guys can advise/convince me what decision to make.

Hello Noidle,

kits tend to be overpriced and crappy. get a real straight from Introduction to razors a brush from New Forest Brushes a strop from Hanging Razor Strops (cheaper strops do come available)

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the cheapest kit available.
It's just at the sort of price I would like to pay to give this hobby a go.
It was the bluebeards revenge shavette kit. Thought it might be worth a try for the price.

I'll have a look at them places and see what takes my fancy. Thank you.

Originally Posted by bombay

Hello Noidle,

kits tend to be overpriced and crappy. get a real straight from Introduction to razors a brush from New Forest Brushes a strop from Hanging Razor Strops (cheaper strops do come available)

Wow, if that's what's recommended to every person starting out then I'm surprised anyone has carried it on. For what you have suggested I would be paying a minimum of about £200 just to have a try at shaving in this manor! Enough to put anyone off I would suggest, we'll certainly enough for me anyway! :/

I would be willing to pay about what the brush alone costs to try it. I don't mind paying, but I just don't know if I would use it yet.
In this life there are no guarantees and I couldn't justify that spend!

I do appreciate your suggestions though and them sites have been bookmarked if I do decide to continue with this after my initial few attempts with a MUCH cheaper set up.

you can get a good semogue boar brush for a tenner and there were a few strops for £35 not that long ago on strop-shop. if you join theshavingroom.co.uk and look in the classifieds there you could find a vintage razor cheaper

Originally Posted by bombay

you can get a good semogue boar brush for a tenner and there were a few strops for £35 not that long ago on strop-shop. if you join theshavingroom.co.uk and look in the classifieds there you could find a vintage razor cheaper

Excellent, thank you.

You don't need an expensive razor, but you will definitely want a *good* razor. Getting a restored vintage blade is an excellent way to start out because it will first and foremost be a good razor, as well as significantly cheaper than a new production blade. There are exceptions of course, so don't expect to get something highly sought after and collectible (like a Wade & Butcher For Barbers Use, a Filarmonica, etc) on the cheap. But there are many good solid shavers to be found out there for a reasonable price.

There is also the classifieds section here at SRP of course:

Straight Razors - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Two things to look out for:

1) make sure it is a quality recognized brand:
Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki

2) make sure it is shave-ready. If it isn't it will not work well for you and you will have a miserable experience. Ask the seller to be sure if it is not clearly noted as such. This is where buying from a known member of a forum such as this one is helpful.

Also, bear in mind that as long as you look after it, a vintage blade will hold its value. So if you decide this isn't for you, you can probably recoup the cost.

Other than that, a cheap Boar brush will work. And there are any number of alternative stropping methods you can try too. So the startup cost *can* be high, but there are ways to keep it lower.

There have been some recent post in the beginners section concerning kits-they might be helpful. I would suggest looking around before you make a purchase. You should be able to get set up with a straight razor, strop, and brush for much less than 200 pounds. One way to do so is to buy a refurbished razor. The classifieds here usually has razors in the 50 dollar range. Also, Neil Miller in the UK has vintage razors on his website. He is a member of this forum and respected worldwide for the quality of his products. Be sure to look up the term "shave ready" in the library here, or in the search function. New razors from the factory are commonly not shave ready.

I have not used a shavette so I can't really help with that.

Looks like I just repeated what Canooger already said, so what he said plus 1. Sorry I didn't see that when I started my response;not trying to be a copycat.

A shavette is not going to show you what shaving with a straight razor is. If you want to try a real straight razor, you want one that is functional, at the very least. Being on a budget is a drawback

That being said, you can get away with a cheap boar brush and a simple shaving soap, and you can strop on newspaper for a while, untill you know if this hobby is for you. That leaves the straight razor. Whipped dog razors sell somethiong called a "sight unseen razor", which might be the cheapest route to actually try a real edge. I have not tried this myself, but many are satisfied with it, as I hear.

Best of luck, and have fun!

Cangooner the classifieds on here are great but once you pay for shipping, duty and parcelforce handling fees for a cheap razor it ends up costing as much as new one. thats why i recommend the English forum.