Hello,

I have just started doing research into Straight Razors and my search has led me here.

A little about myself:

I'm 22 years old with a beautiful girlfriend I hope to marry on day, and our 4 month old son. We live in Pennsylvania near Allentown and I am beleaguered by a plethora of problems involving my face.

Now this doesn't mean I'm missing half of my face or anything (some of you more imaginative types no doubt jumped right to a radical image), but my skin is incccrreedddibly sensitive. Most after shaves leave welts and itching, the Gillette Fusion razor that was sent to me by the company on my 18th birthday leaves me feeling raw, and I get, maybe, two shaves out of my razor blades and at 18 bucks per four pack, it's getting old, fast. I recently, yesterday actually, visited the King of Prussia Mall and found an "Art of Shaving" store where my curiosity was piqued. Long story short, I came out with the idea that Straight Razors may be the solution to my issues.

What I got from the visit was this:


  • One blade from the straight razor vs the 3-4 blades from a Gillette razor may alleviate my skin problems because there are less layers of skin being removed.
  • Straight Razors, when taken care of, a single blade can, and likely will, last many years, with some periodic points in which I ship it out to a professional to be "honed".
  • For days when I need to shave quickly, I should have a Safety Razor as a back up.


This left me where I am now, this is the only shop around, and I certainly don't know where to begin with finding a reliable set to begin with. Hell, it's not like there are name brands to compare, not ones that I know anything about.

I need a couple of things from you pros here:

I need to know:
  1. What I need.
  2. Specific Recommendations for a beginner on a tight budget.
  3. Finally, is the Art of Shaving one of those novelty stores that sells garbage? Or is it actually a supplier I can trust? (Please note, I'm inclined to believe it's a novelty store since they sell a bunch of Gillette Razors with fancshy-schmancy handles, but the same blades that cause me no end of trouble)

Thanks in Advance!