Thread: Very curious newbie.

I've never used a straight razor ever. After watching the 2007 Sweeney Todd movie, I've been interested in starting now.

Although I don't know anything about them, can someone recommend me a decent one to start learning from?

I was thinking about buying the Sweeney Todd replica from amazon (haven enough giftcards to get it for "free") and using a grinding wheel to sharpen it.

Anyone think this is a good idea?

Welcome to SRP. If you go to the SRP Wiki beginner's guide here you'll find, among other things, razors to avoid. If the razor you mention isn't in the list it ought to be. Honing a razor to shave ready is an acquired skill. Many of us do our own after passing a learning curve but the best bet is to buy a pre honed shave ready razor from one of the vendors on the forum such as Straight Razor Designs, Classic Shaving or Vintage Blades, among others.

Welcome to SRP,

If you want to shave you would need a real razor, not a replica. Pretty much like if you want to shoot you buy an actual gun.
There are too many good options, so you have to make the choice yourself, there are many recommendations in the links you got.

+1 on JimmyHAD's Wiki reference.

From Amazon.com:

"This real life and functional reproduction is intricately detailed and arrives ready for mayhem. An amazing dye-cast aluminum handle loaded with style houses the thick mirror polished blade. Hand honed for a razor sharp edge. This is the straight razor made famous by the historic series of Sweeney Todd cinema and plays. 10 1/2 in. opened, 7 1/4 in. closed. A gift to die for!"

No.

I think you should try it and video-chronicle the event for us. as far as I know, nobody has attempted what you're thinking about doing

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

for someone so curious, you sure didn't look around the web much for answers in the last 3 years before asking such a retarded question

Sorry, I should of clarified, the Sweeney Todd movie that I watched, came out in 2007.... I recently watched the movie maybe a month ago or so.

hehe, no harm no foul

Originally Posted by commiecat

EDIT: most people who get a do-not-buy list razor to start do so because of price or impatience (or both). If you do want to try it out without making a significant investment, give us a ballpark budget and we can offer up some recommendations aside from what's in that wiki link.

Just saw that you edited, umm how does anyone from 35 dollars to 40 dollar sound for a budget?

I'm guessing the budget will be for the blade itself, I'll probably look for a waterstone later on.

Originally Posted by Hgaara

Just saw that you edited, umm how does anyone from 35 dollars to 40 dollar sound for a budget?

I'm guessing the budget will be for the blade itself, I'll probably look for a waterstone later on.

Well you can buy in pieces. The stones are something you'd want to get into later as sharpening is a whole other expense and discipline.

If you have a soap and brush then that's a great start. Aside from the razor you'll want a leather strop as a minimum setup to keep the edge keen in between sharpening.

RupRazor.com is a good starting point as they have a great starter strop for $20, as well as some affordable razors. A kit (razor + strop) will run $60 from there which I'd suggest if you can. If not then your best bet is to keep an eye on the forum's classifieds, as there's usually a few nice razors in there for less than $50. Make sure they're marked as shave-ready, meaning that they've been sharpened and can be shaved with upon delivery. There's one for $31 listed now -- someone might even be kind enough to negotiate price for a first-timer.

As far as your lathering, it could be that you're not using enough water or it might just be that you have hard water. I lather right on my face and sometimes I'll do it in halves if I feel like taking my time.

I am of the opinion that you will be better served by purchasing a vintage razor from someone on the forum, rather than getting a package from a vendor. Not to say that he is the only one I would deal with, but Dylan has a multitude of different razors that are shave ready, well priced, have been cleaned up and he lists full disclosure of all of the high and low points of each blade. Worst case scenario, you give this a shot and don't like it. I think you might have a better chance moving an older Greaves or Hamburg Ring than you would a newer Gold Dollar. Best case scenario, you like it and stick with it. Over the years, I have tried many new things, some stuck and some did not. After watching Kill Bill, I wanted to learn Kung Fu. I still have an unused Gi folded on a closet shelf. See what I mean?


Holli4's Straight Razor Page