Greetings From Tampa, FL!! Advice Needed! :)

I have been bearded for the past 10 years and have been told that a "cleaner" look would better aid my career. Being the type of guy I am, I quickly gravitated toward the idea of the straight razor. I am a TOTAL noob, haven't purchased my first razor yet, and am a little overwhelmed by the amount of information/opinions out there. I want to invest in a razor that I can hand down to my (now 2 year old) son. As a man who grew up without a father in his life, passing down certian "manly" traditions (tying a tie, shaving, opening doors for women, throwing a football, etc.) is extrememly important to me as I had to teach myself such things. I think that the old-world tradition of straight razor shaving would be a wonderful tradition to share and a blade I can offer my son would make it that much more meaningful. I would be grateful for any and all advice on product, process, technique... ALL of it. I thank you for having such a forum and for allowing me to take part in it. Looking forward to hearing from you all. Happy shaving!

Welcome to the forum!

This is a good place to peruse information.
Straight Razor Place Library - Straight Razor Place Library

The quick basics;
0) If you can, meet with a member. To find someone close click here http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...sername&order=
1) buy a razor from a reputable place, the classifieds are good place to start for inexpensive options if price is an issue.
2) get a strop, this is extremely important. Buy less expensive or replaceable, as you will probably cut it up.
3) decent brush and soap will be cheap, the Van der Hagen set is a decent set up from Walgreens or other pharmacy/big store.
4) keep the pressure light and the blade almost flat on your face. Start out slow.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Hi and welcome. As said the library will answer most of the basics. A bit of time reading will help you make much better choices. Keep it simple to start and go slow. Having a back up like a de when starting is also a good idea as it will take a bit to get decent shaves. Good luck and any questions feel free to ask

Welcome to the group. Be sure not to overlook the vintage razors. They pop up all the time in the classifieds, often at extremely affordable prices. (the classifieds are going to be the death of my marriage, I fear)

Imagine passing a razor on to your son that was already 100 years old before it made its way to you. That sort of thing.

You're right. There is a lot of information out there, and it's easy to get caught up in analysis paralysis. It boils down to just a few essentials:

1. A razor
2. A strop
3. A brush
4. Soap

Focus on those four before you get caught up in everything else. My advice is just to buy something from a reputable seller at a reasonable price. I went sight unseen from WhippedDog.com for that very reason. I was overwhelmed by the choices so I just rolled the dice and let Larry pick one at random for me. From there, you'll at least have some point of reference.

Good luck!

Welcome to the forum. So I've got a question: only one razor? Why not pass on multiple razors, honing stones, shaving brushes, and other assorted accessories?

Here's something to consider: http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ary-diary.html

Hello and welcome.

Good advice so far, all I would add is this:

I wouldn't worry too much about getting an heirloom razor at first (just in case you don't take to it) the important thing is that it is truly shave ready.

From my limited experience I can tell you that if you do get into it, you will get more razors along the way and when you have more experience about what you like and what works well for you, you will be better informed to get the razor you want to pass down to your son. I too had no father figure growing up and think that your sentiments are admirable.

Good luck on your straight razor journey.

Thanks so much for the info! I have to say, this has been to most welcoming forum I've ever been a part of. I was wondering if there is a way to filter members (in that link you posted) by location? I've looked a few times but can't seem to find it. Thanks again!

I kinda forget what I did, but I think I just searched "florida" in location. Bear in mind that this forum has been around awhile and quite a few people have come and gone. Here's a quick pic to help search. Basically, you can advance search all the things, then I would sort them by post count. Just click posts once or twice will sort them descending or ascending. I think it usually sorts by highest then descending on the first click.

Attachment 243046

Welcome to the forum.