Hello from Boston- RJ that is

Hello everyone, I have just stumbled upon the site this evening as I was searching for information about straight razors and shaving. There is certainly a lot of information to be gleaned from this site, in fact, it is somewhat overwhelming.

At any rate, I just recently decided to give shaving, with a straight razor, a try. I know absolutely nothing on the subject, but I thought that I would just take a look at the different razors that are out there, by one, and dive right into it.

Of course, I did not want to invest too much money, in case it doesn’t work out for me, so I opted to purchase a very cheap razor off of e-bay. I believe it was less than ten dollars.

On my first use, I was surprised that it didn’t seem too sharp. It kept pulling, and by me making multiple passes in order to try and cut the hairs, I ended up with a lot of razor burn.

The entire experience was uncomfortable, and it did not leave me with a smooth, clean shave, as I hoped it would. In fact, I had to go over my face with my regular razor.

Aside from the fact of not getting comfortable shave, I found the handling of the razor to be a bit awkward. I wasn’t quite sure if I held the blade at the correct angle, or not. The angle of the blade seemed to be needing change; depending where on the face and neck, that I was shaving.

I am not giving up all that quickly however, and I think that by finding this forum with all of the information available, I will eventually get the hang of it.
Best regards,

Hi, rj, and welcome to SRP! First thing's first: who made your razor? Go to the Wiki section here and look for the page entitled "Brands Of Straight Razors To Avoid." If your razor is on that list, you bought junk. If it is not, GET YOUR RAZOR HONED BY A PRO! The Classifieds section in the toolbar above will ultimately lead you to a list of honing services. I've had my razor honed by Lynn Abrams and was very pleased with his services.
Do you have a strop? If not, Larry over at whippeddog.com has inexpensive strops that are good for beginners. He enjoys a fine reputation here. In the interim, you really need to learn to strop. Use an old leather belt and a butter knife to improve your technique. AFDavis has posted a stropping video on the SRP homepage that is worth watching.
Ultimately, you will probably want a brush. You can purchase a serviceable one at many pharmacies/drug stores/ chain stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens et al. pretty cheaply. For example, Wal-Mart sells a brush/soap combo pack made by VDH that goes for around $15 U.S.
There are some great shaving videos on YouTube. Look for any made by GeoFatBoy -- he does a good job of demonstrating how to do it.
Hope this helps you, and I'll see you in the trenches, buddy!

Hi, rj, and welcome to SRP! First thing's first: who made your razor? Go to the Wiki section here and look for the page entitled "Brands Of Straight Razors To Avoid." If your razor is on that list, you bought junk. If it is not, GET YOUR RAZOR HONED BY A PRO! The Classifieds section in the toolbar above will ultimately lead you to a list of honing services. I've had my razor honed by Lynn Abrams and was very pleased with his services.
Do you have a strop? If not, Larry over at whippeddog.com has inexpensive strops that are good for beginners. He enjoys a fine reputation here. In the interim, you really need to learn to strop. Use an old leather belt and a butter knife to improve your technique. AFDavis has posted a stropping video on the SRP homepage that is worth watching.
Ultimately, you will probably want a brush. You can purchase a serviceable one at many pharmacies/drug stores/ chain stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens et al. pretty cheaply. For example, Wal-Mart sells a brush/soap combo pack made by VDH that goes for around $15 U.S.
There are some great shaving videos on YouTube. Look for any made by GeoFatBoy -- he does a good job of demonstrating how to do it.
Hope this helps you, and I'll see you in the trenches, buddy!

Hello mapleleafalumnus,

Thank you for replying to my post and the great advice you’ve given me. You asked me, “Who made your razor?” The razor, I believe, is “Gold Dollar.” I went to the Wiki section page entitled, "Brands Of Straight Razors To Avoid, " and couldn’t find this particular razor on the list.

As you can see in the photo, some of the blue printing came off of the blade after the first use. The razor, of course, is made in China, so there is no big surprises there. I paid under ten dollars for it so I don’t expect very much.

I am wondering if getting this razor honed would be worth it. Better, I should use it for practicing, on how to using a strop, then getting get a better quality razor “shave ready” razor to learn with. What is your feelings on this issue?

Next, what size and type blade should I start out with? I kind of like the concave shape (on both sides) of the blade on my razor. What about blade width, and type of steel, stainless or carbon steel? I have been hearing the brand Dovo a lot, so I assume they are of good quality and their lower end models would me a good starting point to begin with.

I am avoiding shaving with my straight razor since my skin is still very irritated from my last shave. I am going to check out the videos, and visit the other areas that you recommended. I don’t want to pester you with too many of my questions, so I’ll just say thank you and have a pleasant day.

RJ Boston


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From what I've read on them, Gold Dollars are gambles. Some of them are good steel not ready to shave and some of them are just not good at all. You might be able to find someone to try to hone it up for you.

RJ:
As Nelson posted, Gold Dollar rozors are a gamble. The consensus appears to be that they can be made shave-ready, but do not hold an edge for very long and require frequent honing.

"I am wondering if getting this razor honed would be worth it. Better, I should use it for practicing, on how to using a strop, then getting get a better quality razor “shave ready” razor to learn with. What is your feelings on this issue?"
That is an excellent idea! You won't be out any extra $$$ on this blade. I wouldn't put any more into the Gold Dollar.

"Next, what size and type blade should I start out with? I kind of like the concave shape (on both sides) of the blade on my razor. What about blade width, and type of steel, stainless or carbon steel? I have been hearing the brand Dovo a lot, so I assume they are of good quality and their lower end models would me a good starting point to begin with."
Dovo 5/8 is the standard recommendation for rookie shavers like yourself. If you purchase one from Straight Razor Designs (a vendor here on SRP), it WILL come to you shave-ready, and I think they offer a 2nd honing of the razor for free -- an added bonus. Check up on that because I'm not absolutely certain. Don't worry about steel type just yet -- that really refers to how well it will hold a "shaveable" edge. Blade width: 5/8 is a good size for rookies to learn on because it is easy to handle and master. Avoid the "big boys" razors, i.e. 8/8, full wedges, etc.
Happy to help you out, buddy, and I'll see you in the trenches!