Originally Posted by
CalamityMel
Hello all,
Is there a good resource for finding straight edge razors that are a bit more swanky looking? I've tried Etsy with no luck, although there are so many options for brushes it's downright silly by comparison. I've seen some nifty ones out there, but never for sale.
Beware the fancy blade! There are loads of straight razors available - especially on Ebay and less than reputable storefront sites that sell fancy *looking* razor-shaped objects. An RSO is something that looks just like a straight razor but which will never ever function well as one. Most often the cause is really crappy steel, but also weird scales can throw the whole thing out of balance. So if you find something that catches your eye, post a link here on SRP and you'll likely get plenty of feedback in terms of go for it or don't touch it with a bargepole. We don't do valuations here, so we won't say whether something is worth X.XX$, but we certainly will warn you away from anything that we believe to be an RSO.
That having been said... there are *loads* of razors that one might call fancy. I suppose fancy is in the eye of the beholder. Some of the current production razors have gold wash, fancy etching, filework on the spine, etc. Custom makers will be happy to work with you to get exactly what you want, but expect to pay top dollar for that. Custom razor makers are after all highly skilled artisans, and their work is rightly highly valued.
I'm not in need of face shaving or anything, but as a lady I would like to shave my legs and other less-easy bits as well such as underarms and bikini areas - should I have multiple blades? I saw mention of differing numbers for blades in another thread, so I'm assuming that's for blade length...?
Most often the numbers associated with blades denote the width of the blade - i.e. the width from the spine to the cutting edge, measured in 1/8" or 1/16" increments.
Do you *need* multiple blades? No. But it is handy to have at least two if possible. That way if one has been sent to be honed or repaired, you are not razorless. Warning though - it is very easy to go from 2 to five, five to a dozen, etc... :)
In conjunction with that question, what are some recommended shaving creams and moisturizers for sensitive skin, and how do people cope with shaving knicks when they're starting out? I can't imagine everyone uses the TP method as much with all the fancy things out these days....
Best thing you can do for your skin and for your overall shaving experience is never to use anything that comes out of a can again! Get a boar, badger, or silvertip (higher quality badger hair) shaving brush and some proper shaving soap or creme.