Thread: Which straight razor should I get?

Originally Posted by iz858

Is the one I put on the link good or should I upgrade?

I really think that either one you put on the link would do fine for a starter as long as you get it shave ready it will be ok. Now some will perfer one over the other but each razor is different just a little so get either one and enjoy.

My opinion would be to go with the Ralf Aust 5/8 and go with SRD's modular strop. I'm about a month or so into shaving have acquired a few straights in both sizes and (for me) the Aust 5/8 I have the easiest time with. I started with a hanging strop and am pretty sure I dulled my blades a little bit while learning to strop. I think your chances are less with the modular kit plus you'll have what you need to refresh the blade every now and then. As they say, YMMV. Good luck and enjoy!

those razors to me are one the expensive side. I got a Antoni Tadross razor for a great price, but then had to have it honed. Not such a great price then as I thought when I first got it. I have seen many razors that say they are shave ready and from what I've heard were not. I have heard of one place that I may should have got my first razor from now in retrospect. Whipped dog razors and look at his sight unseen razors. He has two categories of them the sight unseen for $43, and sight unseen flawed for $28. He has new Dovo razors and vintage razors listed on there as well as Strops starting at $25 and going up to $68. I encourage you to check out his sight, you might just like what you see there.

I own both the Dovo "Best Quality" and the Ralph Aust 5/8 straight razors. The Dovo best quality is the more slick looking razor, I like it more than the Ralph Aust. They're both excellent razors, the Dovo came factory shave ready, and it really looks the best. Not too big like the Boker Edelwise, or the Ralph Aust. If you have a big hand, then the Ralph Aust might be your choice, but my hand is average, and the Dovo fits it prefectly. Now I love the Ralph Aust too, but the Dovo Best Quality is my choice. The difference was the way it shaves.....the Dovo was factory sharpened, the Ralph Aust was sharpened on synthetic stone, and it wasn't as comfy as the Dovo. I had to resharpen the Ralph Aust with natural stones, and it made a huge difference. Once you got used to the comfy shaving of a natural stone, you will know the difference, trust me.

Out of those mentioned I only have an Aust, but it is a fantastic shaver. Most of the rest of my blades are vintage, and they can be a great way to go, but I'm glad I chose the Aust for my first one. I bought it from SRD, and would purchase another one from them in a heartbeat. It was a great razor to learn shaving with a straight on. The edge has maintained its keenness, and has only gotten smoother with time.

Also keep in mind that many blades that say they are shave ready, whether from the factory or not, are not truly shave ready. That's one of the reasons I'm happy with with my purchase from SRD. They put a wicked edge on a straight razor, and it lasts for a long time, as long as you don't booger it up with bad stropping.

Well, I went the opposite route. I'm a newbie as well to straight razors, and have been using a shavette for a few months. Money has been quite tight this summer as the hospital were I work at has been cancelling a lot its workers frequently due to low patient census. Guess nobody wants to have surgery summertime. I don't blame the, lol.

Anyway, I got me one of those so-called "shave ready" vintage straights from Ebay. Got me a Shumate Antiseptic Barber in very good condition, at a very low price and had it sharpened by a pro. As to my strop, I also bid and won from Ebay a pair of vintage strops, a Dubl Duck Satin Edge and a no name. The Dubl Duck's leather and linen strops were usable but needed freshening up. The other strop's satin was good but dirty and the leather I could salvage and make a paddle strop in the future. I've read on the forum on how to revitalize vintage strops and followed what they wrote. So now I got me good vintage SR that shaves great and a strop that does what its supposed to do and if gets nicked during stropping, i wouldn't mind at all.

Originally Posted by supersets

Well, I went the opposite route. I'm a newbie as well to straight razors, and have been using a shavette for a few months. Money has been quite tight this summer as the hospital were I work at has been cancelling a lot its workers frequently due to low patient census. Guess nobody wants to have surgery summertime. I don't blame the, lol.

Anyway, I got me one of those so-called "shave ready" vintage straights from Ebay. Got me a Shumate Antiseptic Barber in very good condition, at a very low price and had it sharpened by a pro. As to my strop, I also bid and won from Ebay a pair of vintage strops, a Dubl Duck Satin Edge and a no name. The Dubl Duck's leather and linen strops were usable but needed freshening up. The other strop's satin was good but dirty and the leather I could salvage and make a paddle strop in the future. I've read on the forum on how to revitalize vintage strops and followed what they wrote. So now I got me good vintage SR that shaves great and a strop that does what its supposed to do and if gets nicked during stropping, i wouldn't mind at all.

A man who reads and learns and pulls it off perfectly!!!

Perfect way to wade into this to decide is this is something you like, as you mentioned, inexpensive razor, cool vintage strop refurbished, and you're good to go for as long as you want. Congrats, wish I'd this before I dove in....great story that contains a great guideline to get started.