Thread: Your 1st Straight Razor

My first razor was a RB&R 5/8 Spike Point I bought from Vgod here on the forums. I still have it along with a razor I sent to Max for work.

My first razor was a 5/8 Dovo best quality I bought on a whim from a knife store, It wasn't shave ready, but it turned out to be a good shaver.

When I went to the local barber supply to buy my first Dovo the owner convinced me to buy a handle assembly that holds 1/2 a disposable double edge safety razor blade to try straight shaving before spending the bucks on a Dovo. I did, so that was my first. I think it was called magica. It was a very good idea in that then I knew what a shave ready blade should feel like.

TI 5/8. New, not shave ready. Why did I buy it? Always had a hankering to go straight and hadn't found this place at that point. Great little shaver though, still use it.

I got a boker 5/8 magnetic steel off the bay for $77.00.
I had no idea what to get and I felt like my research was getting me nowhere, so I just decided I would see what was on ebay and there were about 14 bids on this one, so I figured if this many people thought it was a good razor it must be pretty decent.
Still a great little shaver.

Originally Posted by livingontheedge

Nice, what kind of wood are the scales?

They're desert ironwood with sapwood. There's an ebony wedge, too. The whole thing can be easily disassembled for cleaning or maintenance (or if I just get bored with the current scales).

My first straight was a stainless, 5/8 round Fromm Eagle I bought, in my teens, at a mall knife shop about 25 years ago. The only instructions I had said to "practice shaving a balloon first". I didn't have much of a beard then so I actually managed a few shaves, giving myself a bunch of paper cut like nicks in the process. I bought a strop too but had no idea how to use it.

The razor stayed with my folks when I joined the service and just a few years ago came back to me with a bunch of stuff from my youth (the strop was lost). It sat in a drawer until I decided to get back into straight shaving about a year ago. I didn't start up with the Fromm, though, since (after perusing this site) I realized it wasn't likely shave ready. I did eventually manage to put a decent edge on it and it's a good shaver. It isn't my go to favorite shaver, but I can never get rid of it; it is my sentimental favorite.

My first straight was the classic starter from RupRazor, the Double Arrow (or it was at the time, now known as the Gold Dollar). I still break it out every now and again, and still get a good shave with it. The better I've gotten the more I've realized that if properly honed, that razor is a steal.

The standard cheap 5/8 Dovo, I bought it 11 years ago at a store that sold cigars, lighters, fountain pens, razors, all that old "gentleman's" stuff. I was the only one I knew that used a SR so I didn't even know that it wasn't sharp "out of the box". After a while I tried honing it and fumbled through and eventually got an acceptable shave.

First one was A Chas F Schmidt off forums. However my Puma from eBay arrived the same day (probably from me not checking mail for a week).

A week later, the next four arrived... then another one. I'm still waiting on four more.

Currently bidding on about 13 more... will probably win two or three of them.

I'm addicted to restoring. Idle hands and all that. Thus far I've only picked razors in reasonable cosmetic condition, to prevent having to spend major time cleaning, and I've been focusing on perfecting edges. Past few days I've spent a lot of time practicing and improving my stropping. Next step is a complete restore (remove scales, polish, replace scales, set bevel, hone, strop) Eventually I hope to be making my own scales and replacing old worn out/damaged and ugly cellulose scales with nicer ones, I'm thinking hardwoods. Walnut scales would look very nice I should think.