Hello from Princeton!

Hi everyone,

I am completely new to straight blade shaving. A few years back I went on the hunt for ways to make shaving more enjoyable, and I first landed on better creams, brushes, and aftershaves (My first experiment was with Art of Shaving - thoughts?) Now, I'm getting the itch to transition to a straight blade. I have been looking for quite some time into blades, how to maintain them, and where to buy them, and I think I'm ready to finally do it. It would be awesome to get any help/suggestions possible with what blades to get, whether I should hone it myself or have someone else do it for me, etc. I have a million other questions, and it would be great to get the opinions of some of you veterans!

Thanks
ekaz

Hello ekaz and welcome.

1st off AOS products are fine, I tried their unscented cream and its performace was excellent. Personally I prefer scented creams and have a liking for Trumpers and Body Shop Maca root but there are so many good products out there we are spoiled for choice.

As for what to get you really just need a shave ready razor, check the classifieds, and a strop. Don't hone your 1st razor yourself, straight shaving comes with a learning curve and eliminating the variable "is my razor truly sharp" is important.

When you come to learning to hone, get one or 2 cheap vintage blades to practice on. Don't risk spoiling your good razor while learning how to hone.

Most of all, enjoy yourself. Ask questions, use the search facility, read and get stuck in!

All the best
Nic

Start reading the Wiki's for beginners on this site.

The essentials (since you already have soap and brush) are a razor, and a leather strop. And for most of us, a styptic pencil.

Do you have a budget? That will determine some of your choices, and some of our advice.

charles

The Art of Shaving has some incredibly nice products. Personally, I love their Sandalwood scents, and I have their Pure Badger brush that I use daily. That being said, it should be known that you're paying for a nice store to look at, and the ability to touch and feel the products before buying. Once you have a better handle on what you prefer in products, I'd recommend ordering from online stored, as they are much easier on the wallet. Not that money is an necessarily and issue, but less money on one product means more money available for another product!

I would prefer to have my first blade under 70, if possible so I don't feel horrible if it gets ruined.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ekaz

I would prefer to have my first blade under 70, if possible so I don't feel horrible if it gets ruined.

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There are no new, inexpensive, consistently-good straight razors -- the Dovo "Best Quality" is about as cheap as you should go for a new blade.

So I suggest you look into the vintage, "shave-ready" razor market:

. . . First stop: Larry at Whipped Dog -- Categories

. . . Second stop: the "Classifieds" on this website.

[Some people would reverse the order, but you need both a strop and a razor, and Whipped Dog has both.]

Vintage straight razors, if they're sharp, shave as well as new ones. If you get hooked, you can always decide to spend more money.<g>


Charles