Quote Originally Posted by jasalvas View Post
Now, given the information provided, I would like to hear what razors and strops you guys recommend.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing your feedback!
I'm still pretty new, but here is my $0.02.

First off, keep using the DE. It's great practice on the prepping for the shave and still allows you to map out your beard growth.
For your first Straight Razor (SR) and Strop, I would go one of three routes. When buying a SR, the most important thing is that it is truly shave ready. These options will give you that.

1) Cheapest: Buy a SR off of the classifeds here or try the "sight unseen ugly" razors from Whipped Dog.
2) Mid Range: Once again, look at the classifeids on this site, there is a range of prices. Look at some of the websites for members who have vendor badges here. They will usually have some cheaper SR (not a popular name, not a mirror polish or whatnot).
3) "Higher End": You can start getting some new or good looking vintage razors in this range. Look on the classifieds, memebrs vendor sites, and any of the sites that have advertising banners on this forum.

For a strop, go cheaper with your first one. EVERYONE nicks up thier first strop sooner or later. Part of the learning process. The options above are a good place to start looking for strops as well.

Best of luck, its a great hobby