Thread: newbie

Hello gents,

I am currently a DE safety razor user and I am seriously thinking about giving the straight razor a try. I'm currently searching for a ready to shave razor that won't break the bank. Any ideas of where to go?

cheers!

Greg

You can find a lot of great, affordable vintage/used razors in the classifieds here. Many are shave ready, and the guys here are great to work with.

Welcome to SRP, and feel free to ask as many questions as you want... we are eager to answer them!


P.S. I highly appreciate the avatar... Are you an architect, or a lover of the Stephansdom? (Or both.... what a building!)

Go to the classifieds here. Just about any razor here thats advertisied as shave ready is truely that. Plus the members on this site are great to deal with. The first razor I bought was from SRD and was a Dovo spike point. it cost me $120 ish. Now its a nice razor and shaves great, but I picked up my hobsons wedge here on the classifieds for $60 and it shaves just as well (actually I like it better because I'm more of a wedge guy).

Welcome to SRP, Greg.

Personally, I would go for one from the Classifieds, or a bottom line Dovo. You will need a strop, too. You will find some more information in our Beginner's Guide (full text here or as a PDF here).

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Choosing a razor is a matter of personal preference. If you must have a brand new razor the quality choices are limited to the three main major current manufacturers: Dovo, Thiers-Issard, and Böker; to the NOS Double Arrow and Wapienica; and to the custom razor makers. A brand new razor will still have to be honed.

Fortunately there are many vintage razors which would often be of equal or even better quality than the current production and they will generally cost significantly less. The best place to find one is the Classifieds section of SRP. Most often the razors there are honed and shave-tested by the seller, and this is noted in the ad, but when in doubt you can always ask them.

Newbies are discouraged from purchasing vintage razors on eBay because they do not have the experience to evaluate the condition of the razor - in most cases the pictures on eBay do not provide enough details, and even when they do, a newbie generally doesn't know what is important and what isn't.

Nevertheless there are some razors that should be avoided, and even though every purchase is a risk there are few popular vintage brands that are generally good.

You can find detailed descriptions of hundreds of new and vintage razors in our Straight Razor Database (SRDB).

Good luck, and keep us updated on your progress.

Best regards,
Robin

Welcome to the family.

Take a look around. We have a great wiki and searching terms of interest will yield tons of great information. Look through our vendor section if you are looking for a new razor and look through our classified section too as there are a variety of shave ready razors there.

Ask any questions as the folks here will try to help you in any way they can.

Good luck,

Lynn

Wow! You guys are quick. Thanks for the help...I'm heading to the classifieds now.

welcome to srp, let us know what you find and don't hesitate to ask any questions.

I would start with the classifieds on SRP. You could also check ebay. I would check out the list of good brands on the SRP along with brands to avoid. My first razor was a Mehaz, and I would not buy another one. I would avoid that maker. My second razor is a Dovo 6/8 inch imitation tortoise shell....what a great shaver. I would suggest Dovo because they are well priced for new razors.