Thread: Hello from the UK

Hi All,

I’m James and based in the UK.

So I’m relatively new to the art of shaving with a straight, having started a few months ago – but since starting I have stuck with it and not used any other form of shaving. In fact, I would say I haven’t mastered the art of it at all yet – but there is defiantly less blood involved now than when I started and the scars from those early days are virtually unnoticeable now.

For what ever reason over Christmas I decided I was going to start with a ‘cut throat’ – probably because it was something new to try. Did a bit of research online and then found that there are a plethora of razors available online – most of which are cheap crap, but not knowing what I should start with, it was hard to filter out the good for the bad. I also found out that it is really hard to find a shop in the UK that sells straights as well as knowing what they are talking about.

By chance one day while buying some cigars in Reading for my father-in-law, I noticed that the place sold razors and all of the paraphernalia that goes with it – so I took the plunge. The choice was a few razors of Chinese origin around the £40 mark, a few of (I think) German origin around the £200 mark and one Dovo at £89. So as I’d heard of this brand and knew it not to be bad, I went for it along with a Strop, paste, Brush and pencil thing to stop the bleeds (Only good for the odd nic I found out, not a replacement for good old fashioned stiches and gauze)

The first shave was not so bad, as I had read, the razor was unlikely to be shave ready, so before taking blade to face I partook in my first stropping session – thus ensuring the blade was not going to be shave ready. But it wasn’t so bad, I was tentative and although the chin was a bugger to shave, relatively speaking there was not too much blood.

Having grown in confidence, my second shave was a lesson in respecting the blade!! I now have a 1.5 inch, albeit fine, scar on my face which didn’t stop bleeding for close to an hour. I guess the red wine would have thinned the blood and impeded the healing process. I know have a rule: If I wouldn’t drive the car and don’t drive the razor.

So now that I have got the hang of it, I am now looking for my next razor(s) I also need to learn to hone, so probably need a cheapy to practice on as well. I love the idea of getting my hands on a razor that has age, history and a story to tell – but I’m guessing they come at a price.

If you’re still reading, then apologies for the lengthy intro… I look forward to learning more.

James

Welcome aboard!

Sounds as if you are off to a good start, but I'd recommend that you get a razor which has been professionally honed. It's likely to be a great improvement on a factory edge + beginner stropping. In the UK, Steve Dempster (at Invisible Edge) and Neil Miller (Strop Shop) will both do a fine job.

If you want another razor to learn honing on, the ebay sellers uk_merchant and taylors1000 both sell good razors. uk_merchant labels his sales 'not for beginners' if there are problems with the blades, all the stuff I've had from Taylors has been in great shape (YMMV, of course). The average price for non-shave-ready-but-not-rustballs, not-famous-name razors is probably around £20 - £40, so less than a new Dovo. Ebay is always a bit of a lottery and I know beginners are usually advised to stay away, but from personal experience those two sellers are the ones to look out for if you choose to go down that path.

Also, in case you haven't seen it, there's a library link at the top of the page, which contains a ton of useful info. The forum threads are worth searching if you have specific quesetions - a lot have been asked and answered before, and if you can't find an answer there are very knowledgeable people around here, so ask away.

Enjoy!