Thread: Greetings from the great white north

Hi and welcome. Sounds like your on the right path and all the advise given is solid. If you havent yet check the starter info in the library. Make sure you get a good strop well and enjoy the shaves. Ed

Hi, and welcome!
Lots of good advice above. As has been said, 6/8 is a good middle of the road size to start with. Once you're used to it, you may decide that it's perfect for you or you may want to try something bigger/smaller. It's a very personal decision, so follow your gut.

With regard to the point of the razor, it's true that some styles tend to bite a bit more often than some others, but this too is a personal thing. The one that always seemed to get me was a square-point King Cutter (which is a *fantastic* blade BTW). But the flipside of that is that it certainly taught me to respect the blade and to be aware of where its bits were at all times. So some would say that's not a bad thing. My advice is to get whatever razor 'speaks' to you. If you really want a Spanish point, then don't get a round point because you'll spend your time shaving thinking "I should have got that Spanish point...". But if you're not particularly attached to any one style, then a 6/8 round point will serve you very very well.

As for the rest (stainless vs carbon steel, grind, smiling vs not smiling, scale material and style) it's all secondary to the main point of getting a good blade made from excellent steel. And the ones you mentioned both have reputations as excellent shavers.

If you haven't already done so, check out these links. They'll help get you pointed in the right direction.

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Good luck!

Originally Posted by syslight

Well the urge to purchase a second one will come right away; it is the second hundred razors that is the problem.

having at least 2 razors is a good idea so that if you have to send one out to be honed you still have a razor to shave with. Even if you do your own honing a second razor is good because accidents can happen to the razor when stropping or rinsing it and having a second razor allows you to finish up without having to hone right away.

Bokers are great even the new production ones.

Well, I guess you're right. When I think about it, it makes sense to have a second one.
Yeah, 2 is better than one. ;-)