Thread: Girlfriend needing helping picking out razor

Alright, so, I want to get my boyfriend a straight razor just because I can, yes he uses them already BUT I don't know what kind/type he has. He has a thick beard that never comes off and he normally just uses it to just tidy up where a beard shouldn't grow :-p. I was looking at a "Near NOS Blue Diamond Straight Razor by C. Weber - Butz Rheineck, 5/8"" or a "Le Grelot Shoulderless Straight Razor, 6/8"" now, I have no clue if these are good. I am willing to spend 150-200$+ but I need to be pointed in the right direction. If you have any favorites, or razors that are your dream razors any input would help! I read a thread froma girl who wanted to get her bf one but he had never shaved with a straight razor before so it didn't help me out too much!

Thanks so much for anyone who can help me out in anyway!

Welcome to SRP. YOUR boyfriend is a lucky one.
If you could take picture of his razors and post in this thread that will help us a little more.
there is Plenty of Straight razor's out there .
We need to make sure we won't guide you wrong direction.
gl

Lucky guy...as Joed said, Straight Razor Designs would be the best way to go. Buying off Ebay can be quite "iffy" considering you want to be getting a worthwhile gift. Great thing about buying a straight razor from SRD is that it will come honed by Lynn Abrams who is a true guru when it comes to getting a razor truely shave ready. Even better is that any razor bought from them right now comes with a certificate to be rehoned...a $20.00 VALUE.

Ok thank you he deserves it, even if he thinks he doesn't and I'm crazy for spending money on him.

I will have to next time I am at his house. I would show you his beard as well but I am not sure if he is active on this site which is also why I made a cover name "Alandaalex" ! Is there at least any you guys could recommend to me to check out?

Well, there are two ways to approach it. You can get a razor similar to what he uses, or different than what he does (presuming he's in one style mostly).

The two main types are full hollow ground and wedges. the full hollows have quite a bit of metal taken off from the sides of the blade, so the blade is thin and slightly flexible. The wedge type is almost triangular in the profile with very little hollowing. Those are more hefty too and were popular in the 1800s. In the 1900s the full hollows are the standard blades.

The other characteristics is the point or the tip of the blade. It can be rounded or square. The square point is better to keep sharp edges around facial hair, but round points are not too bad.

In your budget you can get a brand new razor, or really nice vintage one, so you don't have to compromise on the condition on the razor, which is good since the razor is a gift.

If he sharpens his razors it's not terribly important whether the razor is already shave-ready or not, but it's always nice and appreciated (at least by me, but I'm lazier than most ).

Other than that there are a handful of modern production brands (dovo, thiers-issard, boker, revisor, wacker) and thousands vintage ones. The most sought after vintage ones like puma, filarmonica, dubl duck... are going to cost quite a bit just because of the name. If it's me I'd get a nice vintage boker for a full hollow, and for a wedge probably joseph rodgers - those are plentiful and not hyped up, so you should be able to get a very nice one within your budget.

Originally Posted by Alandaalex

Alright, so, I want to get my boyfriend a straight razor just because I can, yes he uses them already BUT I don't know what kind/type he has. He has a thick beard that never comes off and he normally just uses it to just tidy up where a beard shouldn't grow :-p. I was looking at a "Near NOS Blue Diamond Straight Razor by C. Weber - Butz Rheineck, 5/8"" or a "Le Grelot Shoulderless Straight Razor, 6/8"" now, I have no clue if these are good. I am willing to spend 150-200$+ but I need to be pointed in the right direction. If you have any favorites, or razors that are your dream razors any input would help! I read a thread froma girl who wanted to get her bf one but he had never shaved with a straight razor before so it didn't help me out too much!

Thanks so much for anyone who can help me out in anyway!

get him brand new, and make sure it is German! he'll love it and love you for it. DOVO is king! And yes get it honed from the supplier . I don't care if he does his own honing. Shave ready is just that shave ready! Lets remember she asked for help not a class on straight razor.....JR

Originally Posted by Ramroddc

Lets remember she asked for help not a class on straight razor.....JR

Sure, and let's also remember that the opinion of one enthusiastic newbie is not necessarily the best advice for a girlfriend looking for the appropriate razor for her boyfriend.
For example it's always better to educate oneself on what is a heavily worn razor before purchasing it, than trying to invent ways to put the steel back.

Well.... back to the topic, I myself having a goatee(sp) I like a square point razor for cleaning up neatly around it. The following razor will be my next purchase:

Dovo 255887 'Bismarck' Straight Razor
and the guy sharpens it before he sends it out. It's ready to shave with.

Yours, Jim

Nice looking blade.

I think it's very handsome and we know it has to be of excellent quality being a Dovo. Plus the price is excellent. I would've paid more for that razor......

Jim