Take a look at this W&B... Quickly if possible :(

i see what you mean... flat and perfectly square requires a lot of careful grinding... but, in order to get a perfect curve, especially from one razor to the next, wouldnt that require MORE labor intensive work? just curious :) id love to think that the blade he wants to sell me was hand forged... i love that kinda stuff... classic, built to last forever... you wanna know why i want my first straight to be such a nice piece? because my son is going to learn to use a REAL razor... not a walmart mach 3... and when hes ready... hes going to get MY first straight as HIS first straight... and so forth into my childrens generations... so this purchase is going to be crucial for me... know what i mean? i just dont want you guys to think im anal... lol

well i am... but for a good cause :D

I will suggest, in strong terms, that you buy from the Buy/Sell Trade forum and not from Ebay for your first razor. What you really want is a ready to shave razor that has been cleaned, honed and shave tested. You do not need any surprises and you do not have the tools or skills necessary to restore or hone a str8. Be good to yourself and your son!:)

Sorry if I am coming across as harsh, that is not my intent. I just would like to see you start off properly.

Just my two cents,:)

believe me man, that was far from harsh :) advice well taken... im going to leave ebay alone... the only problem is, theres not much of a selection running through here... you know? even at B&B there arent a whole lot of really nice razors coming through... especially W&Bs... i guess i was kinda looking to catch a non guru off guard that was selling something he found somewhere or was given and had no idea what the hell he was doing.... around here things are priced just below what they are worth.. and while thats cool, im sure most of the people around here scour ebay and other places for those same "deals" for about half the value of a razor... was hopin to pick up on that :)

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Originally Posted by randydance062449

I will suggest, in strong terms, that you buy from the Buy/Sell Trade forum and not from Ebay for your first razor. What you really want is a ready to shave razor that has been cleaned, honed and shave tested. You do not need any surprises and you do not have the tools or skills necessary to restore or hone a str8. Be good to yourself and your son!:)

Sorry if I am coming across as harsh, that is not my intent. I just would like to see you start off properly.

Just my two cents,:)

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+1 for Randy. While I bought my first str8 from a vendor here (Vintage Blades), all the advice, guidance, and expertise is here and gave me enough insight to pay for a honed razor versus just one out of the box from the factory. That small detail made all the difference (hot-knife-through-butter feeling or the cutting-bread-with-a-ball-bat feeling). Blades, soaps, strops, hones...follow the advice here and you will be a happy shaver!
:bow

Greg

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Originally Posted by Wildtim

A smiling blade is a curve like a saber, in fact some are called saber grind for that reason.

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This is a bit off-topic, but I wanted to clarify this: a saber grind is something else - when the blade profile is convex, not concave / hollow. This can be tough to hone, as when you lay the razor on the hone the edge may not come in contact at all. A saber grind may or may not be a smilie

The tapered blades (tip wider than heel) may not be classic smilies but I do count them as such because they aren't really straight either and have curves at the tip and heel, in addition to the general slope. And yes - that's not from improper honing

Cheers
Ivo

Why do you have to have a W&B? As a new straight user myself, I think you would be much better off buying something in the $30-40 dollar range, shave ready from the B/S/T here. You might also take a look at what Jim at Vintage blades has - I bought a nice, simple 6/8 Dovo from him, honed by Lynn, that is a great shaver. And besides needing just the razor, you will also need a strop. Tony Miller has some excellent beginner packages as well. You may as well start off on the right foot instead of the frustrated foot.

Dennis

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Originally Posted by Dennis

Why do you have to have a W&B? As a new straight user myself, I think you would be much better off buying something in the $30-40 dollar range, shave ready from the B/S/T here. You might also take a look at what Jim at Vintage blades has - I bought a nice, simple 6/8 Dovo from him, honed by Lynn, that is a great shaver. And besides needing just the razor, you will also need a strop. Tony Miller has some excellent beginner packages as well. You may as well start off on the right foot instead of the frustrated foot.

Dennis

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Great advice - my first three razors cost me about $35 each fully restored and shave ready. I sold two to a newbie for what I paid for them after deciding they weren't for me and still have one - a very nice J. Holler 5/8 with a 3/4 hollow blade that shaves very well.

Yep, get yourself a good starter razor. Then keep your eyes open and what you are looking for will come around eventually.

For example, I had been looking for a smaller Friodur. I saw nothing for several months. Within the last couple of months a half dozen have come up for sale here and on ebay.

I put a fairly aggressive bid in for one on ebay. Then Iwan put one up here at a reduced price. Fearing I wouldn't win the ebay razor, I bought Iwan's. Of course I won the ebay razor for just under my maximum - so now I have two and a big hole in my wallet :shrug:

Another razor will always come along. Be patient.

Jordan

yeah... patience i guess is the best thing... i just have very little of it :) when i see something i like....... i want it..... its a scary thing for those in my way LOL usually i put every ounce of effort i have into getting it as quickly as possible... then i calm down... lol little things every now and then i obsess over... i did the same with my DE, now that i have everything i wanted, i cooled down...and am enjoying it :) same with this...

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Originally Posted by Warlockdlx69

yeah... patience i guess is the best thing... i just have very little of it :) when i see something i like....... i want it..... its a scary thing for those in my way LOL usually i put every ounce of effort i have into getting it as quickly as possible... then i calm down... lol little things every now and then i obsess over... i did the same with my DE, now that i have everything i wanted, i cooled down...and am enjoying it :) same with this...

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Your fist razor is kind of like your first motorcycle anyway. It should be in good shape, but at some point you will probably lay it down and wreck it. You wouldn't want that to happen with your custom bike you shouldn't want that to be your dream razor either.