Thread: Hello all, new guy wanting to learn to shave right!

Wow, I am overwhelmed by the amount of info withing these small corners of the interwebs! Happy to have found this place. Long story short, I got some cash for Christmas this year and want to spend it on learning the art of the straight razor shave. I guess my first question is going to be, what all do I need to get started? I'm wanting to spend between $150-$250 to get started and after i get the hang of it the sky is the limit! Well that and my wife checking the bank statements! What would be a good start up package for a newbie? Thanks to all who may reply, and thanks to all who have contributed to this wonderfully laid out forum! I'm going to waste a lot of time reading the wealth of information here!

You need a razor and a strop minimum.

I'd try to go under 100 bucks on a new razor and get a good quality strop. Package deals can be found at site sponsors.

I highly recommend a brush and soap. That said you can shave just fine with high quality shave gel like aveeno.

Once you get the hang of things and see if you like the hobby. You can upgrade the razor. Your first strop will take some damage. So it's not worth getting a top line strop at first. You just need a good quality strop from a reputable vendor to start.

Michael

Hellou and welcome to SRP Jay!

+1 for the advice by the gentleman above.
Well to be honest, with that range you have absolutely a lot of options available for yourself, but it depends on what you really want.

If you want a truly beginner's setup, take a look at whippeddog.com , its usually a site for beginners with a budget run by Larry who is very helpful and willing to answer questions, whippeddog razors dont really look the best but this does not compromise the quality of shave that they provide and they come shave ready.

If you wish to go a little higher, straightrazordesigns is well recommended! you can get a razor and strop set from srd for a great price. your razor will arrive shave ready and you will recieve one free future hone.

You could also get the strop/razor combo from srd and a poor man's strop from whippeddog to practice on so you make sure you dont butcher any of your expensive strops, we all butcher our first strops! the poor man's strop is a good strop for practice and works well too!
im only a month into sr shaving so i might have a few errors, any corrections by experienced members is most welcome

hope that helps and happy shaving!
Hal.

What you get depends on what you want. If you don't care about pretty, go for whippeddog gear. Good, serviceable, pre-loved shaving equipment with a low price that will get you well under way. If you prefer new, then there are numerous places to get that from, but I recommend that you go through SRD or Classic Shaving.
To start off you only need a 'shave ready' razor and strop, but it will be better if you also get a shaving brush (Simpson, Thater, Vulfix and Semogue are respected brands with a range of price points, but there are others) and a shaving cream or soap to your own tastes. This is one of those things that you need to spend time trying to find what you really like. Price is not necessarily the mark of good quality with these either.
Keep in mind that a quality shave brush will last you years. A poor quality brush will be a constant source of annoyance and may last you some time as well, all the while shedding hair like a...Well like that bloke over there to the left
Optional things are shaving mugs and Scuttles. A lot of people like them, I don't myself, but I've never seen a need for them in my style of shaving. You might prefer it for your style. Any large mug will do the job if you want to try it out without breaking the bank any more than you need too.


Mick

Welcome! As has been said, for your budget you should be able to get quite a nice razor and strop. Add some good soap or cream (throw your canned "shave cream" away!) and a brush and you're rocking!

At this stage in the game, I'd spend the majority of your money on a quality shave ready razor and strop. A good lather applied with a brush will also do a lot to improve the quality of your shaves. You should be able to pick up decent quality items and still be within your budget.

Keep us posted on how it goes and welcome again!