101 things to try with a straight edge

I thought it might be useful to gather the collective wisdom of SRP. Although there are countless shaving accessories and razor brands, what could be distilled down to a 'must-know' or 'must-try' list? I'll start it out:

* Sample American steel such as Genco

* Compare to German steel from Solingen (dubl duck, Dovo, etc)

* Compare to English steel (Wade & Butcher, anything from Sheffield, etc)

* ...Versus Spanish or Swedish steel

* See which size fits your face best: 4/8, 5/8, or 6/8. You can adjust up or down from there...

* Feel the difference in feedback and agility between a full-hollow and wedge style blade and find your preference within those extremes.

* Understand the difference between 'hard' and 'soft' steels (see above)

* If you have facial hair such as a goatee or mustache, try a spike point for precision

* Try out heavy (horn or wood) scales versus lighter scales (celluloid) to feel the weight and balance between scale and blade

* Try a blade from the 19th century versus the 20th or even 21st century to compare steel evolution (silver/carbon/stainless/etc)

* Restore at least one razor to appreciate the effort that it takes to remove years of neglect

* learn to hone your own razors so that you can teach others and rely upon yourself

* customize a razor to your exact preferences, or at least have a razor restored/sharpened/rescaled to suit your needs.

* It's perfectly ok to like flower-scented shaving soaps and balms... It's also ok to like musk/leather/oak/tobacco scented soaps and balms

* On average, a $2,000 custom razor will not shave 100x better than a $20 dollar razor from a reputable company. There is a point of diminishing returns with a razor. After that, it's about asthetics.

* You can get pretty far with a pre-honed razor, some folded newspaper or a leather belt for a strop, and a puck of Williams mug soap.

* Don't knock the newbie who thinks straight razor shaving is like what he sees in the movies. It's a gentlmen's art and needs to be passed on...

* nobody is getting rich in this hobby

What would you add to this list?

As for the must do/learn, I think I'd trim the list actually. I think different sizes and different grinds are something well worth trying out and learning to hone is something worthwile as well. Everything beyond that can be enjoyable and/or educational, but not really a must.

As for the must-know. The point about cheap and expensive razors is a good one, and that you can get far with very little. I'd add "Do a good amount of research and make sure you can keep your ADs in check before venturing out on ebay".

* Spend more than you can really afford on a razor you don't really need.

* Buy a rare or beautiful razor for $2.

Never knock anyone else's likes/dislikes in a razor as long as they're shaving..... that's why there are so many different ones out there!

Watch close and find an old eBay blade to learn cleaning/resto/honing with.

Sounds like a fun list. I bet it'll actually grow with time and interest.

Oh man, this needs to get back up to the top!

* Learn the patience needed to properly groom yourself the way it used to be done.
* Appreciate the fine art of the barber.