Newbie - Intro

Hello all. Wanted to introduce myself. I'm KJ, I'm 34, married with 4 kids, I'm in the Air Force, and I keep pet tarantulas.

I am just about to break away from cartridge razors (Mach 3). I have my first DE safety razor in the mail now and can't wait to start shaving with that. I have been interested in shaving with a straight razor for some time now, but never knew where to start. Glad I found this community here. SO far from what I've read, I'm even more excited to try it out.

I've got my eye out at antique stores for straights. Hopefully I can find one soon. Once I get comfortable with the DE I'm definitely going to give it a go.

I may not be posting much right away, but I'll be reading a lot and may ask a question or two. Thanks!

Welcome to SRP. The DE is how I learned the fundamentals of wet shaving. Preparation, lathering and skin stretching. Good place to start. If you find any straight razors in antique shops make sure they are full bladed with little or no hone wear and no visible chips or cracks in the blade or scales. There is a razors to avoid list in the SRP Wiki linked below. Also send whatever vintage or new straight you find out for pro honing for best shaving results. :beer1:

Welcome KJ! We're glad to have you with us! :)

You'll find the DE a very different shave to a Mach3, and I use mine on days when I am in a rush. Combined with a brush and some good soap, a DE will give you a far better shave than an M3 ever could, with much less irritation and the added bonus that the blades arent a million pounds each..! :D

If you havent already, have a look at the Wiki and other articles linked in my sig line below.

Antique stores are a good place to find razors, but I would recommend looking in the classifieds here for a shave ready razor. The ones from the antique stores most likely will need to be honed as a minimum, and may need other work doing as well. If you get a shave ready razor from the classifieds, you can start hunting the antique shops for a second razor that you can take the time over to get ready for use.

Also check out places like Straight Razor Designs (owned by Lynn Abrams, the founder of this site), Shaving Shop, Classic Shaving and The Invisible Edge here in the UK. You can find details for all of these stores and more in the Vendors Corner here on the forum. All of these guys can sell you shave ready razors, strops and more.

SRD actually do a beginners pack with your choice of razor, strop, brush, soap and mug which is a really great way to get stuck in..!

Welcome again, good luck and keep us posted!

Welcome to SRP.

You may also want to visit the classifieds here as well and watch for a nice shave ready razor there. If you find one in an antique store you would need to get it honed which is an additional cost.

I like you ordered a DE.. but got the itch for a straight and ended up with a straight before my DE.. the poor thing has just been sitting in its box ever since.

Hello, KJ:

You already have received excellent advice, so I will just welcome you to Straight Razor Place. Everyone will be more than happy to help you out and guide you. Please post whenever you can.

Regards,
Obie

There is a gathering in Missouri on 6/5. You may want to come out and meeting some of the guys as well as improve your learning curve.

Welcome,

Lynn

Thanks all for the welcome and advice. I'll be sure to shop wisely at antique stores. I've printed out the list of brands to look for and to avoid to take with me.

I've also asked my Grandmothers to see if my Grandfathers left any shave gear behind that they could hand down to me.

Lynn, thanks for the heads up on the Missouri meet-up, I can't make it that weekend, unfortunately, but maybe next time.

Welcome to SRP and good luck with the razor hunting, however the more important thing i would like to say is THANK YOU and GOD Bless You and your family for your SERVICE. :tu:rock:

Well thank you. It is an honor serving our great country and proud citizens like you.

Excellent! Another tarantula keeper! I've seen many of your posts on other forums (ATS, etc.) Glad I'm not the only arachnid nut on this forum!

Well, fancy seeing you here. Never thought I'd see a familiar screenname here.

Love your Sig, my wife has CDO as well.

KJ,

Welcome to SRP. Glad to have you aboard.

You are following the same path I did on the way to straight razor shaving. That is, I began shaving with a DE--after using a multi-blade razor for decades. Then I took the plunge into stra8 razor shaving last December. Its one of the best decisions I ever made.

Again, welcome to SRP. Take care--and smooth shaving.

Thanks, the more and more I read the more intrigued I am with straights. But I do wan't to try the DE first (can't wait till it arrives). Being military, I have to shave every day. And with 4 kids I don't really have time to spare with shaving. My long term vision is to use a DE for daily use, and use a straight for weekends and special occasions.

I have a list of a few vintage DEs that I'd like to collect. While searching for those I hope to also find a couple straights that I can get shave ready. Who knows, If I get lucky, I may be shaving with a straight earlier than I thought.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thevez2

Thanks, the more and more I read the more intrigued I am with straights. But I do wan't to try the DE first (can't wait till it arrives). Being military, I have to shave every day. And with 4 kids I don't really have time to spare with shaving. My long term vision is to use a DE for daily use, and use a straight for weekends and special occasions.

I have a list of a few vintage DEs that I'd like to collect. While searching for those I hope to also find a couple straights that I can get shave ready. Who knows, If I get lucky, I may be shaving with a straight earlier than I thought.

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Hello, KJ:

Your plan is sound. For now, do what's best for you under the circumstances. Start off with your double edge and little by little move up to the straight. Or, as you say, you might end up shaving with a straight razor sooner than you think. Either way, we're all here to help. Good luck.

Regards,
Obie

Thanks, you guys are a big help. Been a while since I've been a newbie on a forum. Oh yeah, and thanks for giving me another addiction to obsess about. :rolleyes: