Help with 1st razor choice

Hello everyone !!!
My first day on the forum, Christmas, and my first post.
I have been studying straight razor shaving, reading everything I can and watching a ton of videos. I'm ready for "step 2", buying my 1st razor and starting to shave. I've got my tentative choice narrowed down to the Boker stainless steel 5/8 razor with the black scales. I am looking for input on wether this is a good or bad choice as a first razor and if I could do better. I have been wet shaving for quite some time if it makes a difference but have yet to use a straight razor.
Any thoughts, opinions or input on this would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to make any mistakes at this stage if the game.
Thanks & Merry Christmas!
Pete <:-}

Hello Pete and welcome to SRP!
Vintage Bokers are great blades, current blades I don't have enough experience with that model to comment. I understand your concern, we all want to make a good purchase whether it's our first or many down the line. Perhaps others can shed more light on Boker's current models.
Ralf Aust is a brand highly thought of for new blades, not sure how they compare in price to the Boker.
I have a vintage Boker that shaves real nice.

first I like the avatar, I fly choppers as well. trex 250, 450,500 and 600. ok onto your question. now bokers are fine razors in the vintage ones, only new one I own is the edelweiss and it is a decent razor. could you do better for the same money? yes with a vintage from a reputable source. first off, I love the vintage ones esp. wade and butchers. look on the bst and see what you find. I saw a couple on another site just a few minutes ago. pm for the location, I don't like to post from site to site. if you have to have new the boker wouldn't be a bad choice there are far worse. be certain that from wherever you get it that its shave ready they do not come that way. next you will want a strop to go with it you only get one good shave before stropping its a daily chore.

Looking back at my own experience, even if money isn't of a concern, the most important thing to know about the razor you buy is that it actually is pro-honed. Very Important. You'll save yourself quite a bit of aggravation.

Now, if money isn't too much of a concern(more on that), but 2 pro-honed razors. If money is a concern, you could get 2 vintage pro-honed razors(ugly ducklings) ready to go from Larry over at Whipped Dog. They are listed as Sight Unseen razors. Many can vouch. This route will also save you quite a bit of frustration. Reserve one and keep it unused as the holy grail by which to compare your "working" razor.

Cheers, welcome and Merry Christmas!

Sharp ! Make darn sure it's shave ready by someone that knows what that really is.

And check here before you buy :<0)

Brands of Straight Razors to Avoid - Straight Razor Place Library

Welcome to SRP petercpfe: Bokers are very good razors. Just as other SRP members have suggested. Be sure your razor comes from a vendor who will re-hone the factory edge before shipment. If you decide to purchase a razor from SRD, your razor will arrive shave ready. Just lather and shave, no stropping required.

when i first started i was in the same boat as you !! i was lucky enough to have found this site otherwise i prob would have bought something not shave ready or a cheaper razor that would not have been able to perform and i prob wouldnt have still been wet shaving today !!..

my first razor i bought was from SRD and was the Boker stainless that you are looking at in a 5/8 roundpoint blade and found it to be a very good investment as well as a user friendly razor and came with a free "shave ready " hone job as well as a voucher for another when it needed it !!

a lot of lurking the forums , a few youtube videos , and Lynn's DVD and i was off to the races and i believe they stll sell the started kits where you could go with a less expensive model in a kit ..

another option is looking in our classifieds and vendors sections as they offer some great deals on some vintage razors that will catch your eye or even the whipped dog kits .. but if it was me starting all over again i would still prob start out with one of my first 2 razors 1) Boker stainless , 2) Dovo stainless because i didnt want to get the higher end or the lower end in case straights and i didnt get along ..
good luck in your purchase !

its his first straight, he still needs to know he will need a strop, resd your post you make it sound as he wouldn't need one.

Hi Pete. I've never used a new razor, nor a Boker, not a stainless steel razor, however...

There are at least three razors in the classifieds here that would be good purchases.

A new Boker will probably suit you well; a 5/8 is a good width. One thing about a stainless razor; they're reportedly harder to hone; as the steel is harder. Harder steel means longer before you need to hone, though.

Of course you'll need a strop, and eventually a hone; though you may elect to get someone else to hone your razor. I've only ever used two hones; a Norton 4/8 and a Shapton 16k. Generally it's the Shapton I use most of the time for just 10 - 20 laps every few months; but I rotate 6 razors and two DEs.

I like vintage stuff rather than new stuff so I would advise a particular razor in the classifieds, I'll give you a hint as to which one... Hewey and Dewey...

Carl

Many thanks to all that have replied so far and welcomed me to the forum!!

You're all making it much easier for me to zero in on my first choice of a razor.

As far as a strop I've narrowed it down to a 3 1/4 inch one made in the USA by Star shaving.

One thing that I am finding, however, is that many of the shaving websites, including SRD are pretty much sold out of razors. Oh well...I'm getting close

Pete <:-}

Quote:

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Originally Posted by petercp4e

One thing that I am finding, however, is that many of the shaving websites, including SRD are pretty much sold out of razors. Oh well...I'm getting closePete <:-}

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I'd be surprised if they weren't sold out at this time of the year. It was previously suggested that you look to Whipped Dog and/or the classifieds. The classifieds are a sure bet for an excellent beginner's razor. It will, no doubt, come shave ready, since it will be from a SRP member. In some cases they will have it labeled as a good beginner's razor. Take a look. A good vintage razor is one that has been time tested and generally well taken care off. And if not to your liking after acquiring more razors you can sell it for just about what you paid for it.

Welcome to the forum petercp4e. My first and second razors were Bokers. I love them. They are quality razors and not too pricey. The 2 I have are vintage, but I'm going to buy a new one soon for comparison. I'm also considering a Ralf Aust. Whichever you choose to start with, just make sure it's honed and stropped well. I'm sure you'll soon be after your second and third razors anyway. Some will be good buys, some won't. It's all part of the fun. The RAD will bite! Enjoy your journey!

SRD has the Ralf Aust razors in stock. Have not personally got one but his reputation is as one of the best modern makers. Also come with jimps top and bottom which would recommend. Am also new to straights and you don't want the razor slipping in your fingers while experimenting with different grips. All the best and have fun learning.

I started with the 5/8 aust from SRD and feel it was a good starting point. I liked knowing that what I was getting from SRD was REALLY shave ready so that I could focus on my shaving/stropping techniques knowing what a truly shave ready razor was supposed to feel like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Razorfeld

I'd be surprised if they weren't sold out at this time of the year. It was previously suggested that you look to Whipped Dog and/or the classifieds. The classifieds are a sure bet for an excellent beginner's razor. It will, no doubt, come shave ready, since it will be from a SRP member. In some cases they will have it labeled as a good beginner's razor. Take a look. A good vintage razor is one that has been time tested and generally well taken care off. And if not to your liking after acquiring more razors you can sell it for just about what you paid for it.

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To be clear, I haven't gotten from WD, I was just passing along information that I had seen as a viable option from some here in the past.

I did go the SRP Classified route for my first razor and got it pro-honed. While I was waiting, I picked up a few more vintage razors from local antique store for peanuts. :)

Welcome to the most friendly, helpful and informative site on the web!!

You will find members here of all different backgrounds, ages and occupations from all corners of the world and all with a quest for more knowledge about using and maintaining a straight razor!

If you take the time to search, 99.9% of your questions can be found in the Library (WIKI) however feel free to ask us about whatever it is that you are wondering about or having a problem with. It does help if you’ve done some research before hand so it narrows the problem down a bit.

If you are interested in what I consider a beginner's blade (fairly inexpensive) send me a PM as I have a few that would come shave ready.

Again, Welcome to an older but better way of shaving. It's a long strange trip but it's a journey well worth the travel. :tu