Originally Posted by
BigJim
. . .
I'm looking for a razor to start with; what some might call a starter razor.
1. I'm looking for a razor that's of decent quality. It doesn't need to be flashy, showy, or expensive.
2. I want a razor that's truely ready to shave (not "shave ready" but ready to shave). That means A) I buy a razor and send it to a reputable honemiester, or B) I buy my "starter razor" from a reputable person who will ship it to me honed and ready to shave. I want this b/c while I've honed knives, I've never honed razors before and that's something I want to do, but not something I want to rely on myself for just starting out. Plus, I want this razor to serve as a base line to judge my eventual honing on (for that purpose I've bought another "category" of razor--a "practice razor" we can define those in another thread)
3. I want a razor that I can round over, chip, break, ruin without it ruining my day/week/month or longer. I've got a couple family heirloom razors coming my way. They aren't starters simply because I'd hate it if I ruined my great great grandfather's razor doing something stupid simply b/c I didn't know better. That's why I wouldn't consider an expensive razor a starter either, just for how I'd feel if I broke it out of ignorance/lack of experience.
That's it for a "starter razor"--something that is truely ready for me to start with.
Then there's a list of personal preferences.
Personally,
I'm hoping to find a bigger razor. I'm 6'4" with big hands and hate fiddling with tiny instruments. I'll have an easier time controling something that fits my hands.
I'm aslo hoping to find a heavier razor. I have thick whiskers, both lots of whiskers close together, but each individual is also very thick and stiff.
To that end a wedge or a wider razor will be a good thing, I think.
Lastly, I'm looking for a starter razor that's cheap. It doesn't need to be pretty, it just needs to do a good job. It doesn't need to have fancy details or a big time name. I've got a wife and three kids--their groceries, doctor's apts, and warmth are more important than the shape of my neck (which is why I'm getting in to straights). In this regard the cheaper the better so long as it qualifies for my first three points of a "starter razor".
Might be wrong, but for someone looking for a starter razor, this is where I'm at.