Thread: Hello from Phila, PA

Hello All-
Been reading a lot on this site lately and thought i should join up and start some interaction to help me w/ purchasing a straight edge.

I've been using the Schick Hydro for the last couple years and am happy w/ the shave I get from it but I always wanted to try straight edge razor shaving so here I am.

I think I made a mistake though, I purchased a set of (5 or 6) straight edge razors from ebay for $40 w/ a leather strop...the red flag should have went up when I realized the price was so low. I got them and they are dull as a butter knife. I do like the weight of them though. I tried to sharpen one but no luck.

I also bought a Parker shavette on amazon. Its very light in my hand and I cant seem to get a good feeling for it in my hand. I knicked the H E double hockey sticks out of my face this morning just trying to shave my sideburns.

So this is where I am. I would like to spend $100 - $120 on a straight edge that is shave ready and has a nice weight to it. Does anyone have any suggestions? Most of the places I have looked at have been on line so I really cant hold it, feel it. I am thinking of going with a Dovo but there are so many different kinds (metals, sizes, handles, etc).

Any recommendations would be appreciated. I've been looking on the classifieds and havent seen anything that floats my boat yet.
Big 45 is coming up next week and I want to buy myself one as a b-day present to myself.

thanks guys, keep the knicks and cuts to a mininum

Alex

Welcome to SRP

Hello Alex,

Welcome to SRP! Don't worry about the mistake; you might want to post some pictures of the razors as they may not be a total loss. As a general rule, until you learn more about vintage razors, you may want to stay away from ebay. If you don't find anything appealing in the classifieds, check out Straight Razor Designs (SRD). True, you can't hold the razor before purchase, but you'll find that Lynn & Don give great advise. When I bought my first straight from them, I basically told Lynn what color scales I liked and what my price range was, and he picked out a great razor for me. Do you have a strop and brush? Obviously this will have an impact on what price razor you ultimately purchase.

I have no experience with a shavette, but you will find numerous threads where it is said that they do not behave exactly like a straight razor. As you have discovered, shavettes can be a bit aggressive.

Welcome to your new obsession,

Greg

Welcome to SRP Alex,

You have already found out how tough this can be to get into sometimes but that really is not a big problem. I would say as a general rule of thumb you will need a new strop and razor for the traditional experience. Larry over at whippeddog.com has gotten many new guys going on their journey for a good price.

Now to the parker you picked up you did good. They are a very harsh mistress but can teach you a ton about straight shaving. Most of the technique used for the shavette will transfer to a traditional straight. Some things you should know about shaving with a disposable is that it is very unforgivable you will cut yourself the blades are always very sharp till your ready to toss them. This is even more so then with a traditional straight cause the blade is much thinner, the razor overall is lighter and because of the thinner blade any pressure will cause the blade to flex and cut you. The information on the forums and wiki about traditional straight shaving does transfer to the disposable. Also this site helped me when I was first starting http://www.shavemyface.com/downloads...azor-Shave.pdf. Another thing about the disposable razors is they will give you a nasty razor burn if you don't prep your face right. So I suggest you get a cup, brush and soap puck, Van Der Hagen makes a nice starter set that you can get at walmart for about 10 bucks. In my experience the canned stuff just doesn't work well with any type of straight. Also the number one recommended pre shave item seems to be a shower before shave which I think makes a big difference. From there you can expand a lot on pre shave prep. One last thing before shaving with the disposable or traditional learn you face, ie the way the hair grows and shave with the grain for the first pass always or razor burn is likely to follow and always let the blade do the work no pressure on the blade.

Welcome to SRP I am a newbie and would say do not worry about it we all have a learning curve. Don't get discouraged it take time.

Welcome aturco, and happy birthday. There's a lot of good info in our Wiki that can help you decide what sort of razor you'd like to start with. You may be able to at least break even on your e-bay purchase by reselling your blades to folks who want to restore them. Check in the Classifieds/Want to Buy listings. Also, post pics of those blades and we can tell you if any are worth sending out for a pro honing. Heck, since it's your birthday I'll hone one for you for free. I'm no pro, but keep all my own blades up to snuff. PM me for details.

For a first blade, I'd recommend a half hollow. It's a little more forgiving of technique than a full hollow, and will have more mass if mass is really what you like. Dovo makes new half-hollows in 5/8 and 6/8 widths, but I've only seen one vendor carry them regularly. I've ordered lots of stuff from him and he's a good guy: The Superior Shave. His site is pretty text-heavy. These entry-level Dovos are called Dovo Best Quality; this link goes straight to their dedicated page at Superior. These are carbon-steel blades, which is the standard. You can get stainless in other models, too, but the main reason for that is if you're worried about rust. I've got one stainless blade and all my others are carbon, and it's plenty easy to prevent rusting.

There are razors out there to avoid; there's a list of them on our Wiki or you can search the site for "razors to avoid."

You'll also need a good strop; put up pics of the one you got with the razors and we can probably tell you if it's good to go.

You should have two working razors in house, so you'll still have one when it's time to send the other out for honing. So treat yourself to a nice Dovo and PM me about sharpening one of your others (unless they're all Kriegars or something else on the not-worth-honing list).

Best wishes to you!

Thank you roughkype!!!! I wanted to get a Dovo on SRD but they do not have the one I want in stock...called them over the weekend but havent heard back from them...Am really liking the black bismark 6/8. Since they are out of stock i was looking at the Thiers-Issard being offered from the art of shaving...i was going to take a ride up to the mall and look at them. Any thoughts on those vs. the DOVO? I will get the pics posted of the one i got from e-bay and you can let me know what you think. I like the weight of the ones i got and if I could get them in working condition, they would make good back ups. I will get the pics up shortly. Thanks for the offer and the information!!!

Alex

Welcome to SRP and you have nice taste in razors. I have both a Dovo Bismark and a Thiers Issard (TI) razor and they are excellent shavers. Most would say go for the TI if you can afford it. I sold my Bismark to a friend who is just starting out and he loves it. I usually shave with an extra hollow ground razor because I like the control of the light blade, but it sounds like you prefer a heavier feel, so I would recommend the
Thiers Issard, it is an excellent shaver, and I like having it in my rotation. If you have the opportunity to check it out in person I recommend you do so. Good luck on your selection and please ask if you need any help...there are plethora of wonderful folks to help you here.

Hi again,

The AOS models won't be shave-ready; factory edges generally aren't. Sometimes you even need to re-set the bevel. At AOS you'll pay a little extra for the fact that AOS has added their own stencil to the blade. Their target customer is more the person who wants a fancy handle for his disposable blades. Many of their creams etc. are very nice but they can't really support the straight razors they sell. I wouldn't buy a razor from a vendor who didn't also sell hones.

All that said, I like the shape of the Bismark. I don't actually have one but have some in that style. There are TIs that have that shape as well. TI steel is said to be harder than German steel. I'd like to try a TI someday, but haven't done it yet. Go to AOS, handle the goodies, buy some nice soap or cream to thank them, but order your razor from SRD or Superior or another vendor who truly knows what Shave Ready means.

I read that Philly's a mess from the storm. Hope you're all OK and the cleanup isn't too awful.

Thanks guys for the feedback, this is great....I took a quick ride up to the AOS in the mall, you are right it didnt feel very sharp, the ones I looked at. The barber up there did tell me that using the shavette is a good way to go and he has good luck w/ them. He uses a dovo, i have the parker. I have to get some new blades. I was surprised how light the shavers are. The TI stainless steel handled one was really heavy but again they did not appear to be sharp, did not/could not hone them or stop them for me so I will order from an online vendor. Roughkype, does the vendor you provided the link to assure that the razor will be shave ready, honed, etc right out of the box? he has the one i want but i couldnt find on there that they set them up like SRD does. I am going to see if i can get the Bismark, if not I will get something from Dovo a little less expensive. I really like the look of that blade though.

Philly didnt get hit that bad, the rivers are cresting, etc a lot of downed limbs from trees, etc. My power was off so my sump pump didnt go on and now there is water down there, got the fans on and the dehumidifier going. It will be okay in a couple hours. a

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