Thread: N006 Who Needs Help Getting His First Razor

Hey there everyone, I have just recently been enlightened to straight razor shaving and am just about ready to purchase my first straight razor. So I was just wondering if anyone might give me some advice as to what kind of razor is good to start out with and maybe what brand of strop and hone are good. I was thinking of a straight in the neighborhood of $100, should I expect a decent quality blade for such a price? Thanks to anyone for any help.

welcome to srp
Answer to your question can you buy decent blade for 100 yes you can .just check classified section make sure it is shave ready.You will need more then blade you need to have
soap=tabac
strop=
razor hone=to keep already shave ready blade good condition.
i am sure you will get more replies and agreat advises
good luck
hope this helps

Welcome to SRP! hi_bud_g beat me to the post, but I agree with what he said. For ~$100 you can get a sweet razor (or a couple of pretty nice ones) from the classifieds.
It really cannot be stressed enough that your razor needs to be "shave ready". If you buy one from the classifieds, make sure that it is marked shave ready. If you buy from an online merchant, be sure that they offer a honing service and make sure that you select that option (usually around $20).

and have fun!

Like everyone on here will tell you the classifieds are the way to go, people care about there reputations here
If you are looking for a new blade Dovo makes good blades at a pretty good price Straight Double Edge Razor : Shaving Products Supplies : Dovo Safety Razor : Badger Shaving Brush : Men's Grooming Products : VintageBladesllc.com has good prices on there stuff and get the prehoned option so you know what a shave ready straight should feel like.

Welcome to SRP once you get to shave you will know what all the hype is about!!!!!

Welcome to SRP! It is a welcome relief to hear you ask for a good razor and not the best, which is different for each person. I agree with Bud and Big Bubba. You can find a good razor for $100 from the classified section here on SRP and be sure it is shave ready. To deviate a little, you can buy two razors for a little more, shave with one until it needs honing which, it used properly and you are caution not to drop or bump it on anything, can last two ir three months before it asks for the hone. Then move to the second razor and practice honing on the first. Honing is an art to itself and is best learned when your shave is not dependent on it. Also, if you buy two the second can be used if you damage the first and while it is out getting re-honed/repaired, if you don't damage it too much. Straights can be damaged very easily. Also with two straights you should not need a hone at the start and can evaluate if straights are for you or if you want to put the time and effort into learning. For strops you can check Tony Mller's Heirloom strops. He has a very good entry level strop that is not too expensive or you can check out the Illinois Strops at the Knife Center for around 32 bucks. I believe the 127 and 827 are popular here. Hones can go from a barbers hone on EBay for 10-25 bucks to norton 4/8k ~80 bucks to coticlues 80 bucks and up to diamond hones to natural hones and the proces keep going up. It depends on if ou are just going to maintain your straights or restore a lot of them and your budget. Keep asking questions and reading the other posts to learn as much as you can. We are ready to listen to you and assist you.

Hey everyone, thanks for all the great advice!

Is Kenrup not doing the starter kits at the moment? I'll go try to find out. Not sure of the cost, but it may be worth contacting him. He has a great reputation here.

I pretty much had the same question. I stumbled onto this "CRITICAL INFO FOR NEWBIES" post:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...ght-razor.html

It says Ebay items from altima55 are recommended and come shave-ready. It looks like he has several that are sitting at $60 or less with 3 days remaining. eBay Seller: altima55: Health Beauty, Sporting Goods items on eBay.com

I was thinking about bidding on one of the cheaper ones there. Is that a good way to go or am I better off waiting for something in the Classifieds here?

Moglitron, if you're going to bid on one of those, let me know so I don't bid against you.

Altima55, aka Bob Keyes sells outstanding razors. I speak to him quite often, and he does restoration work for me. If you buy a razor from him, it's as good as new.

Also, Ebay can get out of hand really quick with str8's, especially the Ducks, Wade and Butcher, Boker, and Henckels. One of the solingen knock off's, or German razors, you may get for 50 bucks. Sometimes you get lucky, but be careful.

If your just starting out, I would recommend a Dovo from www.vintagebladesllc.com and make sure you spend the extra 20 and have it sharpened by Lynn. They offer that service, that way, you know what sharp is. Also, as the other members mentioned, you can't go wrong with Tony Miller's strops. He makes some of my favorites...Rich

welcome to srp all great advice i would probally wait on the hone as you will not need it right away when you do get ready to learn get a stone and you can get an arrow off the bay for $10 to learn on