Thread: Just poking my head in

Hey guys, new to this whole world and super excited! I have wanted to get into straight razors for over a year, this is the summer I make the jump. I know absolutely nothing besides glancing through a couple of the begginer guide posts, so what should I look for in a potential starter or two? Should I buy used/new? Good idea to buy one to shave with and another to practice honing? Sorry if this is all covered elsewhere. Again, pumped to join the community and soak up the years of wisdom!

Check out our library as it has info on what is recommended for a newbie. Dont worry about honing for the first year. Pay someone to do it as it eleminates one factor is learning to shave. Knowing your edge is right is best. Have two razors so one is used while the other is out for honing. No pressure! Shave the lather as they say not the face. I could go on and on but read some more info here and it will all fall into place. Remember that it take 100+ shaves before you start to understand how it really works.

And BTW, welcome to SRP!

Yup, what Jerry said.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi..._Place_Library

Enjoy yourself and welcome to SRP.

Mark

Welcome to SRP!

A lot of great folks and info here, as said check out the library. You'll get lost for a few hours there for sure.

Enjoy and have fun!!!

Welcome aboard.!
I agree with Jerry and Mark.

Hi and welcome. You will have enough to learn shaving and stropping without honing as well. Learn to shave and actually keep your razor sharp with stropping then worry about honing. For a razor new or vintage in good condition either 5/8 or 6/8 round point. Plenty of good deals in the classifieds here. Good luck and any questions feel free to ask

I'm going ATG on advice here and feel you can learn to hone at the same time so long as you get good instruction (hopefully in person at a get together or with an area mentor) and keep at least one or two razors as references for what a well-honed razor should shave like.

Most mentors here will caution you against learning to hone while you are learning to strop and shave because it adds an extra variable to the equation as to what you may be doing incorrectly when you start out shaving with straight razors. Poor stropping technique can especially degrade a shave-ready edge, so many will recommend you get that mastered first.

Starting into everything nearly at once worked for me but primarily because Glen (Gssixgun, Senior Moderator, razor restorer extraordinaire) allowed me to come visit him at his place and learn to hone with him watching for the typical mistakes a newbie would make and correcting them on the spot. He even shot a video of our session just to make me extremely nervous and up the chances for mistakes.

The main thing about honing is that it's nothing like sharpening a knife; it's at least a magnitude greater in difficulty and requires much practice to get decent at it. Of all the help requested here on the forum, I would estimate honing is #1 or #2 along with lathering properly.

Just my $0.02 so you know what you're getting into should you go ATG on the general consensus to wait a while before learning to hone your own razors. Oh, and definitely get adequate hones should you go this route. E.g., no 1/4 Nortons please!

Thanks for the welcome and advice, I will start checking the buy/sell forum regularly. For a used 5/8 or 6/8, what is a price point I should be jumping on? I realize that this varies with condition and maker, just looking for a rough guide.

Welcome to the site. I'm fairly new myself. Lots of good advice. Buy a styptic pencil. They're not expensive, but necessary from time to time. The price for a razor ... well, a couple of things come into play. You will shop for what you think you can use - blade grind, size, etc. and what your wallet can stand. Prices really vary but have no bearing on how well a razor shaves. I've bought a new razor & a couple of used razors. They all shave well & I've managed to cut myself with each (hence the styptic pencil). Start with a particular size & grind, then try one a bit different. You may discover a preference. At the very least, you'll discover how addicting this all can be.

Originally Posted by scarface99

Thanks for the welcome and advice, I will start checking the buy/sell forum regularly. For a used 5/8 or 6/8, what is a price point I should be jumping on? I realize that this varies with condition and maker, just looking for a rough guide.

The Buy/Sell/Trade area is a great place to pick up a 5/8 or 6/8 vintage razor that will most likely come shave ready. New items appear every week so check often. The good deals go quickly, too.