I would get whichever you like the most. They are all quality and you will be happy with all. Just make sure it comes truly shave ready.
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I would get whichever you like the most. They are all quality and you will be happy with all. Just make sure it comes truly shave ready.
Without a doubt, the Ralf Aust 5/8 is the best choice out of the three.
I can only speak to the Ralf Aust as I own the same one and I absolutely love it. Great steel and Lynn puts a killer edge on them. Keep it maintained and it will shave great for a long time. I also have their 3in strop with webbing and love it as well. You really can't go wrong. I have never used a dovo so ill let someone else chime in on those. Hope this helps.
Phil
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Either of those deals will get you a great shaver, plus the strop is good too. If you want vintage look in the classifieds instead of the hope f a good razor that hasn't been dremel end to death for your first razors, buy with confidence from SRD. And you will be ready to shave. Tc
As mentioned, any of those 3 will work just fine. I'm partial to 6/8, but that is just my personal preference. Just close your eyes and pick one. Then jump on in. The water's fine.
I would most definitely order the Aust. Comments about quality control issues are not that uncommon with Dovo, while with Aust you know who made the razors and you know that Aust has an outstanding reputation - something that Dovo lost over time.
If you buy from a source that makes the razor shave-ready before shipping it may not be a big problem, but Dovo is also known for selling razors that need to be made shave-ready before use, while Aust delivers a razor that you can shave with out of the box.
Regarding the size, I too started with a 5/8, but moved quickly on to 6/8, which then became my standard size.
Most of my razors are now 6/8 or larger and I just do not seem to use the 5/8 that often anymore.
As I found the 6/8 not any more difficult to use than the smaller razors, it might be worth considering.
Good luck, and if the early shaves should leave a lot to be desired remember that it will take time and patience and we all had to go through this.
B.
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Thank you all for the tips and advice. My next question is any suggestions on the strop? Is the one that will come with it good or do I need to upgrade to a 3 inch?
The SRD strops are all quality strops. the 2" Latigo in the links should serve you well. You will be sure to get recommendations to upgrade to a 3". Not strictly necessary, and I prefer a 2" or 2.5", personally. But won't hurt in any way. They are all pretty nice from SRD, anyway.
Remember to invest in a quality strop and something to maintain the edge too, I suggest you get it professionally honed too so you know how well it shaves after you hone it yourself.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by iz858
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.
A man who reads and learns and pulls it off perfectly!!! :rock:Quote:
Originally Posted by supersets
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.
:gl: