Thread: New to Straight Razor Shave.

Hello all, I'm new to the world of straight razors. I purchased the VDH premium kit a few years back, along with a Dovo (Col. Conk) razor, but I was uninformed as to what shave ready really meant, and I had no strop. Needless to say I gave up after a few attempts. I have since found this site, and have decided to give it another try. At the moment I have a beard a couple weeks shy of a year old, so I've been using it to shave my tattooed arms. I'm almost certain it could use a good honing but I'm not about to chance that yet. I'm not going to buy a strop until I'm comfortable spending the money. I'm using a nice leather belt to slice up at the moment. Are there any good cheap honing services any members recommend? Unfortunately none of the barbers around here know anything at all about straight razors, and the ones that do are very, very old and haven't messed with them in years, and frankly have earned the right to do whatever the hell they want. Any and all advice will be welcomed.

Welcome to SRP! You'll find tons of information here as you've seen.
I'd definitely recommend getting your razor professionally honed before giving this a second go. The member services portion of the B/S/T area has a couple of professional honers listed. I have been exceedingly happy with the edges I get back when sending out to members on this forum as I am sure you will be. Then you'll get the itch to hone your own

Good luck and ask questions!!!

Hi and welcome aboard. Either the member services or trying to meet with someone local are your best bets. If you can then try to meet with someone as they will be able to help you cut the learning curve.

Thanks for the replies. I've contacted Gemstar Custom Razors from the members services.

Hello and welcome to SRP.
Your in great hands with Glen at Gemstar.
Enjoy the forum.

Pete <:-}

I'm enjoying the heck out of it. Not only have I found more here, than the rest of the internet about straight razor shaving, but the quality of the, very limited, conversations I have seen so far are great. They only other forum I've been a member of was for a sports team..... It's pathetic. Granted, most is forgiven, because it is a sports team, and people are very passionate about their team. Life is pretty crappy at times, and your hopes and dreams can levitate towards the your team, but it gets really old. Luckily My straight razor isn't going to blow a game in the fourth quarter anytime soon.

Welcome to SRP!!!

As you've seen, great folks and tons of info here, check out the library.
Glen will do you very right on your razor.
Remember, shave the lather!!! Pressure is your enemy

Enjoy and have fun!!!

Welcome to SRP!

You are gonna love the edge Glen puts on your razor! I have had many dealings with Glen in the past from several problem razors being honed to a frameback repair, no complaints, a great guy to deal with and the man has a world of knowledge about all aspects of straight razor shaving.

To avoid spending a lot on a strop might I suggest checking with Larry at Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment. He has a 'Poor Man's Strop Kit' at a very reasonable price with every thing you need to maintain your razor for a long time.

If you have any questions about anything straight razor shaving related please feel free to ask, some one will chime in with an answer to your question, that's why we are here. Good luck on your straight razor shaving journey!

Thanks for all the info guys.