Newbie looking to buy a shave ready razor need advice

ok so title pretty much explains it have been reading through this forum quite a bit but i have no idea what is the best razor to start with, i dont want to spend a lot at first i want to get one i can practice with and dont mind it not looking pretty.

i want something that will last a while though. Im a chef and i have plenty of waterstones up to 12k and more so i know i can sharpen then, also i believe i should be able to strop on them just like my knives any input on this??

if you guys could suggest a few razors from the classifieds that would be great!!!! thanks in advance!

Welcome to SRP. It would be unfair IMO for me to recommend one seller over another. There are feedback ratings for sellers just as there are for ebay sellers. If the razor in the classifieds is advertised as 'shave ready' it should be what it claims to be. No guarantees though from SRP staff. The classifieds, like ebay, is caveat emptor. Sharpening razors is different than knives. The SRP Wiki has tutorials and videos and there are stickies in the honing forum with videos. If you're referring to stropping on leather and canvas or linen that is the way it is usually done. From your post it sounded like you said you strop on the waterstones ? That is not usually done. I'm moving this post to the beginner's introduction forum where you'll get more feedback.

I've always been satisfied with razors from the classifieds. Straight razor designs has some good beginners setups, any of the advertisers on this site, also you can check out the venders section here for some other shops, one of my first razors was a dovo, that was about 4-5 years ago and it still looks practically new. Good luck and have fun

-dan-

If you're experimenting, and don't want to spend much money on a "first razor":

Razors for sale « Holli4's Straight Razor Page

Whipped Dog Straight Razor Sales

and the "Classified" section of this website.

By general agreement, the Straight Razor Designs Dovo's are very nice 'entry level' blades. I have one, mixed in with a bunch of vintage blades.

I suggest _not_ getting a "spike point" or "square point" razor to start with. Stick to "round point" or "muted square point". Others may disagree.

Charles

PS -- don't underestimate the importance of "shaving technique". Honing is only a part of the adventure.