Thread: New to the straight razor world

Hi guys and gals.
Just joined the forum after a few months looking around on here.
Iv been shaving since December with a Kriegar razor. Its a small one with a 2" blade. Its got a stainless steel blade and has been giving an ok shave.
Im here to chat about razors, learn more and get some advice from the well shaved people of the world.

At the minute im looking to but a new razor with a longer blade. Im after spending about £30 or $60 but can not find a good one for the price! Dont want to jump in and spend £90 on a Dovo because i dont have that much cash yet.

Any way, advice would be great and if anyone is selling a good shave ready razor for that price and will ship to the UK, let me know.
Thanks a lot
Ben

Hey Ben and welcome.

Check out our Classified section as there is always nice razors in there that should fit your budge.

Have fun,

Lynn

I'm surprised you are getting a good shave with a Krieger, but maybe that speaks to your shaving skills.

I agree with Lynn. If your budget is low a shave ready razor from the classifieds might be your best bet, but I wouldn't overlook the Gold Dollar if you want to go new and inexpensive

I have a Reynolds you can have until you find a good deal. PM me your shipping address. It's a bit ugly, but shaves well.

Regards,
Robin

That is a very kind offer sir. I have pm'd you my details.
I can get a Dovo best quality in the UK for about £60 but i dont really have the cash yet.
I dont know if i should save up £100 and get a higer end model or if i should look for another company.

I wouldnt mind getting a vintage razor but as im new to the razor world im not sure about the restoration needed to get an old razor up to shaving standards.

The kriegar is ok but it fond after the second pass my face is on fire. I had to switch to my Wilkinson Sword DE razor till i can get a good razor.

Thanks guys
Ben

I would seriously consider a vintage before laying out large money on a modern blade, age is no barrier to quality.

Many vintage blades don't need restoring at all. Some don't even need honing, if the seller is good enough at it.

I picked up a vintage German blade for $40AUS recently, and the honing wasn't the best, so one of the regulars here has done it for me for $20. Apart from that it needs no work at all. Plenty of others out there just like it.

I have looked at a few on ebay in the UK but over here, all the vintage razors go for silly money for some reason.
I wasnt really looking to get a really expensive one, i just wanted to shave with a razor which has a longer blade than 2" and gives a better shave than the one i have. I am getting a better shave from my DE than my Kriegar, so i know something is wrong. Haha

To get a razor honed here by one compnay it costs £16 which is about $30. Seems quite steemp. My dads a knife maker but he dosent have and very very fine stones. He did just pick up a new Japanise stone so i think that might work. Not sure what grit it is but i know its a few thousand.

Thanks
Ben

Hello, Ben:

Welcome to SRP. It seems you are just about on your way to straight razor shaving. Don't forget to do your research on the site. Good luck to you.

Regards,

Obie

Ebay attracts collectibles and people that don't always know the true value of things, for better or worse.

THe classifieds here will have good razors, or one of the other shave forums is also reliable, but don't know it it's bad form to name it here.

Shop around for honing, as it will need to be done on a regular basis, $30 does seem steep.

If i can figure out which stones i need then that would be a good step forward. I know how to sharpen the blade and how to stop it. My dad has made a few strops that work really well.
If someone could let me know which one or two stones i need that would be a great help.

I have been looking at getting a gold dollar but after being burned buying two cheap razors from ebay called 'Best Brand' i was a bit put off.
They were very cheap and the way they were ground out was really bad.

Il see how i get one with the blade from Robin. If that works well then i wont need to rush in to getting a more expensive one. Its my 21st soon too so im hoping to get a nice razor for that

Thanks guys
Ben