Thread: Padawan learner from Norcal

Greetings from Norcal-

It is hard to believe that is was only 2 months ago that I had a barber used a straight razor to clean my side burns that caused my OCD to kick into overdrive.

I never thought about shaving as an art before then. I would get up in the morning, use whatever shaving cream/gel was on sale and power stroke my face with the good ol' Mach 5.

Fast forward to now and I have been shaving with a Parker SR1 setup. Yes, it is not a true straight razor, but the initial investment was only $20.00. The soap and brush kit I got from Amazon is $9.00. Even with this minor investment I am all in. I have 4 full face shaves under my "belt".

I do intend to own a real straight razor, but I am still getting sticker shock when I look around the web. I have read posts about looking in antique stores for razors, but restoring a razor may end up costing as much as buying new.

I intend to read, read, and keep on reading and hopefully someday be able to provide some helpful info. If not, I can try to add some entertainment value.

Mario-

Reading is a great place to start.

I was given a family razor and set about restoring it first. Then reading when I discovered that I couldn't hone it to be sharp enough. I learned a lot, but really should have gone the other way around to start with. It's a great way to shave and a fantastic hobby to boot.

This forum is one of the greatest resources there is, use it well.

Welcome to SRP

I jumped in feet first by starting with a vintage razor and learning to hone it from gssixgun's youtube videos. It can be done however it is not the ideal path if you are on a tight budget. When I looked earlier today in the classifieds there were a few razors for under $50. Whippeddog.com is also a good budget option.

If I was starting again with what I know now I would start with a budget stater kit from SRD or one of the other venders that pro hone the razors. Then learn to hone later, on a vintage razor. As you have already found there is a learning curve to these addictions. Adding learning to honing to learning to shave is just making it harder.

Jonathan

Wellcome Mario,where in Norcal are you located?

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Wellcome Mario,where in Norcal are you located?

Brentwood.

Originally Posted by Mario

Brentwood.

Wellcome,Great corn from brentwood

Welcome, your in the right place to learn all you ever wanted to know (and more) about shaving! As far as antique store razors go, clean up isn't terribly hard, kind of like chess (hours to learn lifetime to master) I found my first razor for $5 at an antique store, did a little clean up, then sent it out to be honed. I was very happy with it, spent less than $25 total on my first razor, and recently passed it on to a friend. So antique stores are viable but I wouldn't recommend trying to hone yourself. The big advantage is you know exactly what your getting.

Welcome, my friend. Hope you enjoy the SRP!