Thread: How to choose razors?

Hey everyone,
My boyfriend really wants a straight razor, he's really into knives and all. So I want to get him a razor for his birthday... and I have absolutely no clue which brand/style/sizes/shapes? to get haha it all confuses me.
He does not have experience with using straight razors before.
He also likes vintage stuff.
Please point me in the right direction!
Thanks.

Originally Posted by jess

Please point me in the right direction!
Thanks.

Welcome to SRP, the right direction is here:
Straight Razors - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

as far as which razor , that is very individual and comes with experience.
Anything that is shave ready and 5/8-6/8 will work just fine I think.

use the wiki link at the top of the page, there is a ton of information there to get you started, specifically in the beginners guides.

Some of this depends on how much you want to spend -- not surprising, but you have a lot more choices at $150 than you have at $50.

There's three basic places to look, if you want to put some time into this. First is this site (in the classified ads) and on Badger & Blade. Second is on commercial sites like Classic Shaving and Vintage Blades. And third is on eBay.

Out of all of them, eBay can be the most difficult, because you don't know what you are looking for, and there are lots of people selling trash, although there are some diamonds in there too. Web stores like Vintage Blades and Classic Shaving both sell new razors AND old razors that have been restored or maybe were never sold in the first place (this last group is called NOS or "new old stock" razors). Finally, most members here and at B&B are selling pretty nice restored or lightly used razors, usually for a price that is much better than what's available through a store.

So, to recap:
Best prices, riskiest pool of choices = eBay
Highest prices, safest pool of choices = web stores
Middle ground on both metrics = here and B&B

Try to find a 5/8 or at most 6/8 blade -- the larger, heavier blades are more difficult for a beginner to control. And try to find a full hollow or 3/4 hollow (the shape of the blade), because again the more hollow blades are easier for a beginner to control.

Good luck!

Your boyfriend is a lucky man. Your taking the effort to get him something he is interested in.
Best bet is to buy a shave ready razor from the classifieds. You will need a strop, a brush and quality cream or soap.
Ruprazor.com has great starter strop. cheep.
An affordable cream that give good results is TABAC. About 8 dollars. Surprisingly the cream or soap has a big effect on the quality and comfort of the shave. Cream is also easier for beginers.
The brush also has an effect on how well you whip up the cream.

Well good luck and let us know how you did.

If you get a razor online just be sure the ad says it's shave ready. Not all blades are, some need to be honed first.

Most of the blades you see in the classifieds here are shave ready by the way.

Happy hunting.

Originally Posted by jess

Hey everyone,
My boyfriend really wants a straight razor,
.......
Thanks.

You did not tell us what he shaves with now?

A good shave with a straight razor depends in
part on a good shave soap and a good shave
brush. If you are not convinced you have found
a great blade, shaving soaps, mugs and other
bits for the kit make great gifts and work wonders
for any blade shaver (disposable, double edge, injector,
cartridge, the whole list of them).

Also, look for a starter kit, blade, strop, brush, soap
in case he does not have the full kit. One of the
sponsors here has a blade+strop kit that gives me
the "want-it-s"....

Yep! Your boyfriend is a lucky man. If you ask my wife what she thinks of me shaving with a str8 razor she will answer with three simple words...."He's crazy, man!" The reply I see most for a newbe from members here and B&B is "Try ruprazor.com". The word is the Gold Dollar str8 razor and Filly strop combo Ken sells can not be beat for the money and quality of the products.

Hi,
As mentioned before, you'll need a few things, so I think the easiest path is to get a starter kit. The one below comes with a no frills, but classic high quality Dovo 5/8 razor, a strop, a brush, a shaving mug, and soap-- basically everything he'll need. The thing is, razors are a highly personal item, and if he likes shaving with a straight, he'll probably want to eventually buy another one (or 2 or 3). Start with the classic, and let him pick the frills later.

Vintage Blades LLC::Straight Razor Sets::Dovo Straight Razor Sets - Carbon Steel::Dovo "Black Best Quality" Straight Razor Set

-Chief

Welcome to SRP! Since your boyfriend has never shaved with a straight, he will need to learn a few things. It's not rocket science, but there is a learning curve and the information here at SRP will help him understand what to do and what not to do.

As others have mentioned, there's more to shaving with a straight than just getting a straight razor. He will need a good strop (since he's into knives, he may already have a good strop), shave brush, soap or cream and a styptic pencil.

My suggestion would be to give him a gift certificate to buy what he will need instead of a straight and point him to SRP. If you are set on giving him a straight, then follow the advice others have already given you.

Good luck!