Thread: Beauty and Barber Razor

Hey guys, I've been wanting to try using a straight edge for a while, so I bought a couple of cheap Beauty and Barber brand razors and a strop on ebay.

I only spent about $20, but that was the point. At least to get the hang of shaving and stropping the blade. (I was too afraid of spending a couple hundred bucks and then screwing it up somehow)

In any case, I got the B&B razor and stropped it, but it's definitely not shaving well. (No $hit! it's a $20 razor) I guess my question is, even though it's not a good razor, should I still be able to get it sharp enough to get a decent shave and find out if I want to make the larger investment? Or do I really need to just jump in and spend a couple hundred bucks?

I'd love to go into a shop, but I live in Bloomington, IL and can't find anything here. Chicago's just 2 hours away, but I have no idea where to go there that would sell or have knowledge about straight razors.

Idea's/suggestions?