Newbie to the site, and the SR shave.

i just started browsing this site yesterday, and i figure di would post. i had been seriously contemplating a straught razor for years now, because i have never been happy with my shaves...i tried the electric route...mach 3, everything...

so after alot of online research, i decided to make the investment. i made three purchases from different sites yesterday, and i bought the following items.

razor - https://www.fatcatenterprises.com/pr...7bc32a6739e1ee

brush and stand - http://www.shavemac.com/index.php?ar...p;item_3=99040

strop & hone - http://209.35.185.42/ShopSite/Straig...Kit_Num_1.html

and some assorted soaps from Colonel Conk

my questions are these -

did i make good purchases? i tried to do as much research as i could, and i think i got good deals. did i chose the right products for a begginer? i figured if i was going to spend the money that i might as well buy quality stuff, as i look at is as in investment. i plan on shaving this way for the rest of my life.

this razor says its "shave ready" but i seem to be reading here that that is not always the case?

any advice would be extremely helpful.

thanks all.

Brian

sorry for the spelling errors and such, aparently i cannot edit my posts?

its a shame i found this site after i made my purchases, i think i could have gotten alot more useful info before my purchase.

thanks again.

Holy smokes, you sure went to town with the ol' credit card, eh?

I'm new to the game myself, but it looks as though you've made some
fine purchases. The razor is undoubtedly a quality shaver, but I'm not
so sure I care for its styling. I like the "classic white" ones - but that's
just personal preference.

Have fun. :D

Welcome to the forum Brian. Might as well create a user account. It will make it easier to keep up with new threads, editing posts and things like that.

Your selection of items is pretty good. The only thing I would comment on is the honing stone. It appears to be a Col. Conk stone, and if so is not a fine enough grit for polishing an edge on a straight razor.

The razor itself may or may not be shaving sharp. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. The only way to know for certain is to perform some standard tests, such as the thumbnail test or haning hair test. You can find information in the files archive here, or check at classicshaving.com. If the razor isn't up to speed, there are some guys here who will hone it for little to no cost.

Make sure you review info on stropping. It's a ritual you'll perform each time before using the razor. Keep the strop pulled taught, and go slow! It isn't a race.

Good beard prep is essential. I haven't tried the Col. Conk soaps yet, but it's on my list of things to try. Shave after the shower, and give yourself plenty of time. My first straight shave took about 45 minutes for a single pass. Keeping the skin pulled tight is ulta-mega important. Check out Lynn's shaving video accessible from the home page here under Videos.

well i only spent about 300, which again, i look at as in investment. i figured that if i went cheap, i would have ended up spending more money down the road for better stuff, so why not just get it now...but again, this is something i have been wanting to do for years, and for all the money i have been shelling out for Mach 3 blades, the costs will be low in the long run.

i knew i wanted a nice razor, but i thought it would be pointless to get a nice one and not have the proper tools to take care of it...?

i assume the fingernail test is that same as i use when i get my skates sharpened. (i play hockey) i also have a stone i use to keep an edge on my skate, although its probably not good for a razor. how does the hair test work?

i have also read a few things about not honing a razor too much, or you can wreck the blade...i am worried about ruining a blade on a razor i just shelled out 80-90 bucks for.

thanks again for your help...this place seems really informative...i can already see myself buying more razors...

Let me see if I can explain the hanging hair test, not to be confused with the hanging hare test (poor rabbits!).

Grab a hair. You can pluck one out of your head, some guys like ones from their old shaving brushes. You might even snag one from the wife/girlfriend's hair brush. Hold the hair vertically between your thumb & index finger of your off-hand. You'll touch the razor to the hair with your dominant hand. With the slightest drawing action, the hair should pop in half. The only problem is this only tests that one small section of the blade.

Welcome to the group! :)

Your choice of razor and brush is quite good! The strop is OK but not great. The quality of the hone is dubious. If the hone is the piece of wood with some stone on it then it is a 1200 grit stone. This is regarded as "coarse" for a straight razor. Mosy of us use a Norton 4000/8000
grit combination hone from http://www.classicshaving.com" that ...<br /> <br />

so you guys would advise against using the stone i bought?

hopefully it will come shave ready and i will not need to hone it.
so i guess thats my next "investment" haha.

i would be curious what my stone is that i use for my skates...it looks like those norton stones.

Brian,

The razor looks great- enjoy the brush also looks fine.
I bought the same kit that you bought several months ago. Randy is correct the hone is not where you want to be, I ended up buying a Norton 4000/8000 3" I also bought a 3'wide strop from classic shaving. The strop you are getting is fine though, I use mine to travel with. You will have to use an X pattern on the strop though. ( Which by the way most people do) Good luck and enjoy.