Hello from NY

[polkapolka]

Been a lurker and figured it was time to join and get my game going! Thank you all for the wealth of knowledge! I remember as a kid my father having a straight razor he used to keep his neckline clean. The smell of older aftershaves (think English Leather)always bring me back to that. When he passed away I asked my mom if he still had it, but apparently it got lost over the years. I kind of want to bring that sort of nostalgia to my children.

Quick question... I feel I'm committed to giving a good try at straight shaving but one never knows. Would anyone advise picking up a shavette over a classic razor? I love the idea that I'll be able to get myself into it, but to be honest I don't really know if I can justify the extra expense. Seems like a shavette could be a smaller hit to thee college fund.

Well thanks again for all the info

[bouschie]

If you are going to jump in then go with a straight razor. Be sure to get one that is truly shave ready. Straight Razor Design; Whipdog or B-S-T is a good place to start.

[tcrideshd]

I say a straight, but the expense will be up there in the beginning. A couple of things you need no matter which way you go is a brush and soap. If you go straight then you need a strop, and one of or guys to hone for you till you get decent at shaving and stropping. If you go shavettes then at least go with a Feather or even less expensive a Kai. The blades will always be sharp so you can learn without the honing chore, which you won't get decent edges for a bit any way, so I think a shavettes is a pretty good way to go. Also read, we have a library full of info. Tc

[petercp4e]

Hello and welcome to SRP.
A straight razor is a little more of an initial investment due to needing the strop, but is more forgiving and has a richer history.
A shavette is a plug and play, no maintenance, kinda plain way to go but is less forgiving.
It's just a matter of sorting things out and figuring what you like and what will work best for you.
Enjoy the learning process and your time here on the forum.

Pete <:-}

[celestino]

Welcome to the forum.

[boz]

Hello
I started with a shavette since I soon moved to straight razor the cost of the shavette was lost. If you watch this site you will see inexpensive shave ready razors for sale. You will also need a strop read up on them here than chose an inexpensive one from Amazon or Ebay. A beginner will probably destroy there first strop so don't buy an expensive one for at least 6 months.

[Dieseld]

Welcome to SRP!!!

As you've seen, there's a lot of great folks and info here. Check out the library.
As to a shavette, that's your choice. But as mentioned, check out the B/S.T there's always a good inexpensive razor there that's shave ready.
The advise on the strop is solid. buy an inexpensive one. Not sure if there's any good ones on Amazon though. Try Whipped Dog, I've heard they have decent ones there.

Enjoy and have fun!!!!

[Wayne1963]

You could get an inexpensive straight from the B/S/T here. The straight plus a strop may set you back more than a shavette, but by the time you buy a few boxes of blades for a shavette, it's a wash. Plus, the straight is much more forgiving on your face.

[polkapolka]

I've been using a brush and soap for sometime, all the foams I use to use dried me out too much so I had to switch sometime ago to that.

[polkapolka]

Thanks for the food for thought gents! Looks like a small majority would say to skip the shavette and jump into a straight. Already have a stop for my kitchen knifes so I can probably save some there. I'll watch the sale forum to see if I can pick something up for a small enough price to not make me feel guilty about it. In the meantime I'll continue to gather info and drown myself in info!