Gday from Western Australia

Gday another straight shaver prospect from Oz!
Been reading this forum like crazy on last couple of weeks and have found it immensely useful. Tried my first straight shave today and found it comparable to a cheap disposable single blade. Although I suspect this may be as my beginner set from shave hut isn't shave ready.
Anyhow have purchased a sight unseen from Larry (whipped dog) and 12k hone so hopefully his shave ready will give me something to compare to get the muhle up to scratch. Cheers for stopping by
Hayzee

Hello, welcome to srp. i am pretty sure muhle straight razors are on the brands to avoid list, i would try and get a refund. do you know what your new razor is going to be yet?

Hi how are you,how far north? I live in Perth and work just outside Dampier.
Welcome by the way.
All the best Ed

Welcome Hayzee
Can't go wrong here I think
From an ex gropper now ind Qld
Regards D

Welcome to the forum hayzee.


Mick

Pretty close to Dampier mate, live in town at Karratha. Nice to know not the only one up here going backwards in time with my shaving routine!
And thanks for the advice Bombay but its bit late as had my first shave with it this morning. Managed to get most areas but left upper lip and a lot of the neck for the gillette fusion. Did look for the muhle on the things to avoid and srp approved lists but couldn't find it. Only info i had was manufactured in Germany (good) and cheaper version of Dovo from google. That said i have the day off today so although i couldnt get the HHT this morn after stropping repeatedly. I just gave it a fair crack with bit more pressure on the linen and leather and it has passed on 2/3ds of the blade. Will wait on the cheaper shave ready blade from Larry to compare before i go crazy honing it though.

ah my mistake, if its made by dovo it will probably be fine. i wouldnt bother at all with the hht, i would use the unseen razor solitary for a few weeks, so you can nail the basics and using the one razor removes a lot of variables.

Dont quote me on that, just what I have picked up on a google search from a forum. I mostly went with the fact it was manufactured in Solingen Germany and hoped that included the blade not just the scales. Am expecting the shave ready blade from Larry in a week so for now was going to practise stropping and the basics with this one and then use it as a guinea pig to learn honing to get my skills up to scratch while still having a proffesionally honed razor.
One question, it came with a Cyril Walter strop with linen backing, i have worn this in partially as suggested in the wiki with condition and a bottle. I get very little resistance from the linen but the leather feels good (in my 1 hours experience), is this normal for the linen?

yes thats normal, the linen is really to dry the blade and the leather is to smooth the edge

Cheers mate, i thought the linen was for a more aggressive strop. Should i chase up a canvas strop to use aswell then?

no 100% genuine linen is meant to be the best for the material side, canvas is just a cheaper alternative for the same job. nothing in the straight razor world is aggressive, you should not be applying much pressure at all and then even less pressure again when shaving

Righto, thanks for clarifying. For now its mostly waiting for Larry's razor and hopefully i don't dull the edge stropping it so i can eliminate the razor issue from my shaving and focus purely on learning how to use it properly.

Hello Hayzee from the States. Interesting point on the razor you are using. If it wasn't on the good list from SRP and it said made in Germany it could be one of the switch-er-roos where the blade is made in Pakistan, shipped to Germany and assembled so they can say made in Germany. They shave but don't hold an edge very well because of crappy steel. The linen, or canvass side actually provides a bit of abrasion as well as cleaning the blade. The leather side finishes and smoothes. With a properly honed blade by a pro your first shave with it is without first stropping it. After the first shave then 50 or so on the linen/canvas and 50 on the leather before and after each shave. I will do a first lather, let it sit on my face while I do the first stropping. Rinse face, re-lather, shave, alum, splash or lotion then strop again and on with your day. And make sure that while stropping you are using what I call neutral pressure, that is the weight of the blade itself, nothing added. Properly stropped each time it can be anywhere from six months to a couple of years before your razor needs to be re-honed.

Welcome again, and enjoy the ride.

have you watched through these yet? http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...st-2012-a.html

please will you paste a link to your strop, i think you will probably have canvas in the first place anyway

Hi and welcome. The linen should be fine. There are lots of strop materials and leathers but the all work. Changing probably would make much difference and you'll nick your first strop so stick with what you got till better then worry about it all. Most razors don't come shave ready unless it was honed. Good luck. Ed

This is the link to the beginners set i purchased
Shaver Hut Entry Level Beginner Straight Razor Starter Pack
The description of the strop is fairly contradictory to what I have been hearing in this thread and reading up on other articles as it refers to the canvas as a light hone. Feel free to let me know if its a rip off e.t.c.!

kit seems quite ok for a beginner, i think the brush might be completely floppy and scritchy, you might want to find something with more backbone like a nice semogue boar brush. you might find you actually like it though. i wouldnt use any of that strop paste, as you come to strop just run your hand over the leather to heat it up and transfer natural skin oils.

'ideal strop for sharpening' is bs, but you wouldnt want to be without one

Iv previously had a cheapo synthetic brush used with the canned shaving creams until it fell apart and this brush and cream is night and day difference. So for now am fairly happy. Will probably get a soap though as i prefer the slicker feel. One question on the strop conditioner, is it just more viscous dubbin or completely different?

i dont really know it is always just described as leather conditioner, you could always put it on some leather gloves or something. i imagine it is gentler than dubbin though

If it is the same as the tubes it is an animal fat from memory. But as Bombay said just rub with your hand and you should be fine

There isn't much in K town in the way of shaving gear is there? The chemist in the shopping centre sells a few aftershaves and witchhazel when they havent run out, and the supermarket sells Palmolive soap or fauldings cream.
Do you know of anywhere else, should I have a shaving emergency?
Regards Ed.

Gday Ed,
Couldn't help you much at this time as I have only just converted over to the higher end shaving products in the last 1-2 weeks with what i got from Shaverhut.com.au Seeing how they have fairly quick and free shipping over $40 will probably stick with them as ordering stuff in up here gives the salesguy the (must work for Rio Tinto so i will charge extra syndrome). I try and stick local or at least Aussie sites where i can so if you have any recommendations of knowledgable staff and good prices that would be great.

Also have gone back to cartridge for now until i get the Shave ready from Larry. 2nd shave with the Muhle was horrible did 1 pass. Re stropped. tried again and was just very unpleasant regardless of angle.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hayzee

Gday Ed,
Couldn't help you much at this time as I have only just converted over to the higher end shaving products in the last 1-2 weeks with what i got from Shaverhut.com.au Seeing how they have fairly quick and free shipping over $40 will probably stick with them as ordering stuff in up here gives the salesguy the (must work for Rio Tinto so i will charge extra syndrome). I try and stick local or at least Aussie sites where i can so if you have any recommendations of knowledgable staff and good prices that would be great.

Also have gone back to cartridge for now until i get the Shave ready from Larry. 2nd shave with the Muhle was horrible did 1 pass. Re stropped. tried again and was just very unpleasant regardless of angle.

---

Go to the down under forum, there is a thread about supplies, mensbits/mensbiz can never remember which are supposed to be good, am waiting for an order from them. Himage are also supposed to be good, but I think a little expensive.

They're both good Ed, but you need to look at the stock from both as they seem to carry different stuff in the expendables like fragrances and soaps etc. And one may carry a razor your after but not the cologne, and the other carries the cologne but not the razor etc. Prices are about the same, but Mensbiz I believe, gives you freebies and Himage doesn't charge for postage on anything.


Mick

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MickR

They're both good Ed, but you need to look at the stock from both as they seem to carry different stuff in the expendables like fragrances and soaps etc. And one may carry a razor your after but not the cologne, and the other carries the cologne but not the razor etc. Prices are about the same, but Mensbiz I believe, gives you freebies and Himage doesn't charge for postage on anything.


Mick

---

Yes men's biz gives free stuff, I will find out what tomorrow, and postage is free on orders over $20, which is pretty much anything.

G'day Hayzee. Welcome to the forum. Lots of Aussies here these days.

Okey dokes, I got a sample of anti aging cream, not terribly exciting, but the order was only $20 delivered so can't really complain. The musgo is nice but the scent isn't great.

Well HIMAGE do offer free shipping but unfortunately its not much good as castle forbes preshave oil hasn't arrived yet! Been in contact and they've sent another though so customer service isn't to bad.
Really need to stay off the shaving sites but, put an order in for some colonel conk soaps and proraso with menzbiz and "acquired" a couple of vintage ebay specials! How does the musgo lather up Ed?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hayzee

Well HIMAGE do offer free shipping but unfortunately its not much good as castle forbes preshave oil hasn't arrived yet! Been in contact and they've sent another though so customer service isn't to bad.
Really need to stay off the shaving sites but, put an order in for some colonel conk soaps and proraso with menzbiz and "acquired" a couple of vintage ebay specials! How does the musgo lather up Ed?

---

The musgo lathers very nicely, I am still getting to grips with it, yesterday was musgo only,today was musgo, Palmolive soap and glycerin uberlather, I made it a bit wet today at first but it thickened up nicely on second lathering. What proraso product did you get? I have the pre/post creamy balm stuff, its nice and soothing, but the eucalyptus smell is a bit Vicks vapo rubby. I am hoping that my Italian colleague will have managed to get some omega which is meant to be very much like proraso but less scented, along with some cella.
Back on topic, the musgo probably lathers the best out of what I have.

And Gday John,
Hopefully the more of us shaving straights results in more/cheaper/available supplies locally!

Went with the classic green tub shaving soap, I like the idea of the lid doubling as a shaving bowl if travelling and plan on the container as my travel soap storage in future. Thought it best to start out on the smaller sizes and cheaper brands to set the benchmark before i go nuts buying a heap of the fancier types.

There is no comparison with quality Hayzee. and quality doesn't have to mean expensive unless it's also containing a great scent. Penhaligon's comes to mind for quality and great scent, but you pay about $60AUS for a tube of it. For an easily forgotten to rotten scent (depending on what you like) Wahl Shave cream is quality at an affordable price. Most everything else quality falls in between these two price ways.


Mick

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hayzee

And Gday John,
Hopefully the more of us shaving straights results in more/cheaper/available supplies locally!

---

Hopefully. I got around the problem by running a US postal address with a mail forwarding company. It helps me buy razors, soaps etc in the US and then get them forwarded to me in Australia. Even with two lots of postage, in most cases it works out cheaper.
You don't have to pay a fortune to get good stuff though. Plenty of sellers from India selling Old Spice (lime and musk) shaving cream at very cheap prices and free international postage. It's a good quality product and cheap. Godjej is also a shaving cream from India which is good quality and cheap. You used to also be able to buy tubes of a shaving cream called Wars which was made in Poland really cheap but I think they stopped making it.
Nathan at Mensbiz does a great job of supplying the Australia market. Well worth looking at what he sells.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johnmrson

Hopefully. I got around the problem by running a US postal address with a mail forwarding company. It helps me buy razors, soaps etc in the US and then get them forwarded to me in Australia. Even with two lots of postage, in most cases it works out cheaper.
You don't have to pay a fortune to get good stuff though. Plenty of sellers from India selling Old Spice (lime and musk) shaving cream at very cheap prices and free international postage. It's a good quality product and cheap. Godjej is also a shaving cream from India which is good quality and cheap. You used to also be able to buy tubes of a shaving cream called Wars which was made in Poland really cheap but I think they stopped making it.
Nathan at Mensbiz does a great job of supplying the Australia market. Well worth looking at what he sells.

---

what does godjej smell like?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by edhewitt

what does godjej smell like?

---

The lime unsurprisingly smells like lime. The standard is mild and to me is definitely a pleasant "shaving" scent.

G'Day Hayzee and welcome.
Sorry I'm a bit late to the party - life has got in the way lately.

Gday Havechat, no worries parties still going!
That your bike in the avatar? Tried checking out your profile for better photo but couldn't zoom in. Am half way/nearly finished my gen1 Vmax project

Nothing like a Vee Twin I reckon...Except maybe a V4. I like cruisers. I love power cruisers. I own a VT750.


Mick

Precisely why i went with the Max, why have one v-twin when you can have 2! Took a vt750 for a spin, very comfy bikes with the grunt when you need it