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Well gents I placed my order for my first straight. I got the Ralf Aust 5/8 along with a 2" latigo strop from SRD. I do not belive I have been this excited for something in a very long time. Now if I can just start exercising patience now that would be great. I have been watching any and all videos straight razor related for 4 days now, as well as reading as much as I can. I plan to continue doing that well into my straight razor journey. Well guys expect many questions from me. Lol!
Congratulations, you are off to a good start with the gear from SRD.
Start practicing stropping on pants leg with a butter knife and very soon you will find yourself just rubbing your smooth face for minutes on end.
Congratulations. Your gonna love it.
I will definitely try out the butter knife trick! Thanks for that!
Resist the urge to strop the new razor until after the first shave. It will be delivered stropped and ready. Go S L O W
Time to start looking for your second razor, then your third and so on.;)
Started w/ a 5/8 Aust last spring - I think I'm up to 6 straights now. Welcome to the money pit!
Giddy up, 1st shave report please.
Oh man! I could have sworn I was posting my shave of the days here. Forgive me. I am on my third shave now. First shave was good though I did need to touch up with a DE. The second shave was good but I did nick myself pretty good (proud of that gouge). Todays shave was very good. I didnt need a touch up with a DE and only 1 small weeper. I am in love with straight shaving. It just feels more natural than DE shaving for me. I dont mean that like Im a natural shaver. I mean it just feels right. Its hard to explain. I loved DE shaving but it felt like shaving. Straight shaving just feels different like its how we are supposed to do this task. I hope somebody understands that. Lol! Well gents I appologize for not posting here. I cant find the post I made so I must not have done so. Tomorrow I will do a more official SOTD.
Curious, what you made select the 5/8 for your first. I'm still ruminating over my first, and I am looking at the Ralf Aust collection. The 5/8 at SRD is about half the price of the model they have in a 6/8, but Lynn recommends a full hollow 6/8 for a first SE. I realize that is not set in stone, but I assume there is a reason. That Ralf Aust 5/8 looks like a great value. Thoughts?Quote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
I want to just throw in my 2 cents. The way I looked at it was right now it was better to learn with a 5/8 razor. From my understanding and very limited experience it is more maneuverable than larger razors. In the end I am happy with my choice. Do I have my eyes on a few 6/8 razors, well of course. You can always get a larger razor later if you end up enjoying the straight shaves. The other side to this is what you think looks good. If you dont like the way something looks aesthetically then that is part of it as well. Also on the SRD website I got the Ralf Aust 5/8 with a strop for 148. Check out the razor and strop sets. I think that those are phenomenal deals. You need a strop anyways. I know I didnt answer your question exactly but I hope it helped a little.
Nothing wrong with your choice. A damn good one! :tu
Aust razors seem better in quality than most modern production. Good razor, good price. SRD strops are great!
Oh yes I agree whole heartedly. I love my straight. I would like one more Ralf Aust, a Boker, and a Revisor. The Boker will be an Edelweiss. The Ralf Aust and Revisor Im looking at 6/8 for those. However this will start in a few months once Ive rrally decided that straights are in fact for me. They are as of the moment.
And the next thing you know you have drawers and boxes full of them, they breed like rabbits I tell ya...Quote:
Originally Posted by RonPage
Smooth Shaving...
Yeah i bet. I do eventually want to get a couple vintage straights as well. However I would like those more to learn to hone. Then shave with them once I feel comfortable honing.
Ha! I like your planning. You'll add an Wade & Butcher to your list and likely a Torrey. Don't forget the French blades. I love my Le Grelot! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by RonPage
Very helpful, actually. I have been eyeballing that same set. And with your thoughts, I'll likely go that route. Will advise.Quote:
Originally Posted by RonPage
Thanks!
Smyth honestly man your biggest choice should be to research whether you want to start with a 2" or 3" strop. I dont have near enough experience stropping to help. Still all the advice I got was split down the middle. The 2" requires an X pattern motion and the 3" is just back and forth. Do I mind the 2" and X pattern? Not really but again take that with a grain of salt because I could not tell you that I am doing it correctly.
Oh man I would love a Wade and Butcher eventually. The ones with a barber notch look mean. I really love that style of razor. Though my favorite is shoulderless. It just looks sleek that way. I think im in trouble! Lol!
_______________________________Quote:
Originally Posted by Smyth
I think you will find that a 6/8 width will be easier for you to keep the blade FLAT on the strop (and hone). You will more easily develop a good feel for flat with a slightly wider razor. Few things are more important than keeping the razor flat on the stone and strop. Just my opinion............:gl:
I will also be getting my first straight soon. I am confused to get a 5/8 or 6/8. I see everyone is split. What is best for a newbie?
The best size for a newbie is 337/672 but it is very hard to find, so most settle for one of the second bests.Quote:
Originally Posted by iz858
5/8 and 6/8 are both great sizes to learn with. There is no starter razor. Just the first one you buy. 6/8 have a nice medium heft to them. 5/8 are easy to maneuver
I would go with a 6/8 - much easier to learn how to strop effectively without ruining your edge. The importance of stropping correctly cannot be stressed enough. I consider stropping the last stage of honing and often spend a good 30mins stropping a newly honed razor.
The whole maneuverability thing is silly - the only place it really comes into play is just under the tip of your nose and you quickly learn how to press the razor against your nose to push if out of the way. Honestly there is no difference in difficulty shaving with wider razors - don't be intimidated by them.
Also, no one has mentioned Theirs Issard - they currently produce some of the finest razors IMO - very high quality, hard, corrosion-resistent steel too. Don't forget Hart Steel - made in the USA by hand and very well too - better than any mass-produced razor.
-john