Thread: New razor advice required

I am still fairly new to straight shaving and to this forum, so if this has already been dealt with I am sorry and would be grateful if someone could point me to it.

Long story short, I dropped my first razor a Dovo 5/8 best and it is back for repair. I got a new razor a 11/16 TI basic black. I bought them both shave ready and they definitely were, I bought them form invisibleedge.co.uk the question I have is the TI came with a set of instructions which said do not strop the razor until you have used it three times. This seems contrary to other things I have seen. Does this just mean for the first three times and then go back to daily stropping after that? Or does it mean that razors only need stropping every three days or so?

It also suggested having two razors because it takes 48 hours for the edge to settle after use. Is this just a sales ploy or is it true? I suppose it won't be an issue once my Dovo is returned.

I know these are both starter razors and I do intend to move up the ladder but Mrs Porl is taking some convincing, so that will have to wait for the time being. I guess when that time comes I will be seeking advice on that too.

I am really grateful to this forum and everyone who takes the time to help out. There doesn't seem to be many places for me to go for help here in the UK.

Hey Mate, welcome to the forum.

Don't worry to much about what TI says. It's a mix of newbie advice and traditional advice, neither of which is overly convincing. If your stropping is good then strop away, but if it's not good and you think you might damage the edge then wait the three shaves, and go easy and lightly. In general, all razors need stropping before daily use - but yours may have been stropped already. I'd just use it and then strop next time.
Resting edges is up to you. Most people don't think there's anything in it, others do. The best thing to do is buy more razors regardless, and then tell us whether they need resting or not.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

The best thing to do is buy more razors regardless.

I tried to convince the wife that getting into straight razor shaving would save money in the long run... RAD kind of makes that point moot!

Saving money is a typical initial motivation for new guys who come to srs. Understandably so. But it quickly turns to a hobby, then obcession. I've spent more in the last 14-16 months on SR gear than a lifetime of cartridges; razors, strops, stones, soaps, brushes, etc. But the thing is, it will bring considerable satisfaction and a tradition to pass on to children and grandchildren.

Originally Posted by Longhaultanker

Saving money is a typical initial motivation for new guys who come to srs. Understandably so. But it quickly turns to a hobby, then obcession. I've spent more in the last 14-16 months on SR gear than a lifetime of cartridges; razors, strops, stones, soaps, brushes, etc. But the thing is, it will bring considerable satisfaction and a tradition to pass on to children and grandchildren.

I know what you mean, I am less than a month in and already have two razors, of course buying the second was due to clumsiness on my part with the first (which is away being repaired). Seeing the difference in them and how they shave I am struggling to stay off the internet drooling over everything sharp and shiny

I keep telling Mrs Porl that there are worse things to be spending money on, so far so good, but I think that things will have to slow down a little. At least for a while.

Originally Posted by Porl

I tried to convince the wife that getting into straight razor shaving would save money in the long run... RAD kind of makes that point moot!

Hehe, say that again. I'm also relatively new to SR, a little over thirty days. Before I did anything, I watched a lot of videos and read a lot here, before even buying my first razor or strop.

I mostly shave five to a maximum of six days a week, so I have been concentrating on a solid seven day rotation, one to spare, just in case :-). So far it has work very nicely. I'm sure eventually I'll add a razor here and there, but since this is not a hobby for me, most likely it will be some more customs.

I have always been about quality rather than quantity.

Originally Posted by Porl

help out. There doesn't seem to be many places for me to go for help here in the UK.

Oh, there are plenty of straight razor users in the UK!

Originally Posted by decraew

Oh, there are plenty of straight razor users in the UK!

I'm starting to discover that, which is good.

Originally Posted by hrfdez

I have always been about quality rather than quantity.

Might be a good place to define what "quality" means for beginners so they know what to look for.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Might be a good place to define what "quality" means for beginners so they know what to look for.

Bob

Sure thing. For me, as a beginner, is the blade. Scales are nice, but those can always be change and to me they are not a game changer.

The blade is what is making contact with my skin, so before ordering my customs I did a lot of research as to what kind of steel they used. Same with few of the vintage ones, steel, steel, steel.