Thread: Hello straight razor virgin fron New York

Welcome!!

I would definitely buy from the classifieds, unlike Ebay, members care about their reputation, so if it says shave ready it probably is.

A round point 5/8-6/8 are the recommended starter razor and they aren't just for beginners. It's easier to cut yourself with the square or spike points

thanks for the reply. I buy a lot from ebay but a razor would not be one of them.

I bought my first straight razor from the classifieds here, a 5/8 Dovo round point. There are a lot of great people here to answer any questions you have while going down the razor road

Ebay isn't bad once you are experienced and know what to look for and know how to put an edge on a used razor. Not a good place for a beginner to buy their first razor

Originally Posted by pathology101

thanks for the reply. I buy a lot from ebay but a razor would not be one of them.

thanks everyone I can hardly wait to get a straight razor and get started. Just be gentle with me is all, we have all herd this line.

Welcome!

You have a leg up by already being familiar with a DE, so you know about shave angle, how to make good lather with a brush, light pressure, etc. I'm pretty new to straights, but it didn't take long to figure out the differences between DE shaving and straight. The blade is longer on a straight, so you have to be more aware of the contours of your face, skin stretching is really important, and beard prep plays a bigger role; you really need to soften your beard for a comfortable shave. Preshave oil really helps, too.

Hello friend...thank you for the response. I will have to look into the pre shave oil. What I do now is I brush my face with a cheap bore hair brush. I charge it with bath soap like dial or zest, don't use ivory it will burn your face. Anyhow I just brush it on my face and rinse and repeat. I have been using a de ssince I was 15 and I am 53 now. my first razor was a gillete with a black handle. I also have a few gillete crome looking ones. As a matter of fact I just bought my nephew a merkur not a future model for his graduation present. He loved it.

I have been using shaving soap for the last 20 years, never would I use shaving cream out of a can again. I just use Williams shave soap it comes in a box for .89 cents.

Anyhow thanks for the advise.

Originally Posted by pathology101

Hello friend...thank you for the response. I will have to look into the pre shave oil. What I do now is I brush my face with a cheap bore hair brush. I charge it with bath soap like dial or zest, don't use ivory it will burn your face. Anyhow I just brush it on my face and rinse and repeat. I have been using a de ssince I was 15 and I am 53 now. my first razor was a gillete with a black handle. I also have a few gillete crome looking ones. As a matter of fact I just bought my nephew a merkur not a future model for his graduation present. He loved it.

I have been using shaving soap for the last 20 years, never would I use shaving cream out of a can again. I just use Williams shave soap it comes in a box for .89 cents.

Anyhow thanks for the advise.

That is fine. The Williams shave soap will do ya for now. The Merkur is a god razor. I have an old one that is nice. You might have one of the nicer Gillette's also. A really nice one is the Fatboy which is adjustable from 1-9, then there's the Super Speed which has a flair tip on the bottom that you turn to open & close it for replacing the blade. If you look on the bottom side where the blade goes, you will see Gillette & a letter & number. That is the date code for when it was made like my Gillette Fatboy says E1 on it which is 1959, Jan-March.

Hi and welcome. I would buy from the classifieds they should be shave ready and tend to be sold to a true price point intead of overpriced like ebay. Dont forget to get a strop as well. Good luck getting started and any questions feel free to ask.

I agree with Rod. There are some decent entry level ones there now, for less money than you could buy a quality new razor. PM the seller if you have questions.