Thread: Razor budgeting

After reading the forum here I came to the conclusion that a disposable is not an option for a beginner who is looking into straight edge shaving for waste reduction and financial responsibility. So I'm curious how would you/did you budget first getting into this habit? Did you/would you buy a complete set right from the start or would you poke around and buy as you go, or would you take the chance and buy an old razor, strop, and ect?

As I've stated before in other posts/threads I just kind of jumped right into it without any real knowledge. Went the shavette route off Amazon/Classic and then bought a strop, etc, etc. All in all the best idea is to go through either the classifiedes or check out what deals vendors like RupRazor or SRD have. That way you get everything you need lumped together (money saver) and you'll know that the products you are receiving are a durable quality. I'm sure others will have other options but right off the top of my head that's my best suggestion.

Good Luck,
Michael

good you have used a disposable maybe you can tell me if a disposable is a better shave then these "normal" throw-aways?

Originally Posted by Oddity

After reading the forum here I came to the conclusion that a disposable is not an option for a beginner who is looking into straight edge shaving for waste reduction and financial responsibility. So I'm curious how would you/did you budget first getting into this habit? Did you/would you buy a complete set right from the start or would you poke around and buy as you go, or would you take the chance and buy an old razor, strop, and ect?

Oddity,

I agree with hornm. Getting a reasonably priced str8 razor shave set of at least a razor and a strop saves you money in the long run. A set like that can be purchased through one of the vendors who advertise here at SRP, such as Straight razor Designs or in the "Classifieds."

In fact, I think an SRP member is selling a starter set in the "Classifieds" right now. It not only includes a razor and strop, but a shave brush too.

Sadly I missed out on that deal thats why I am here posting this now!

Hello, Oddity:

To start off in the world of straight razor shaving you need four essentials: a good but relatively inexpensive razor, same for a strop, a boar brush and a puck of soap.

Place a high ceiling of, say, $150 on your starter kit and then begin chipping away at the cost until you've reached a manageable price tag for yourself.

If you can manage $150, you'll come away with a nice set up. Many vendors offer starter kits for a reasonable price. Or you can buy your razor from the SRP classified for a reasonable price, to begin with, and shop around for a modest strop. A good boar brush goes for around $20, give or take, and soap shouldn't cost that much.

Regards,

Obie

Welcome to SRP. I can't add much to the above other than check out the SRP Wiki beginner's guide here if you haven't already done so.

The only advice I have to add is that it would be a good idea to get everthing at one spot or you will probably be sitting around for a week or so waiting for everything to arrive. Having a shave ready razor in hand and waiting for a stop to arrive is one of the longest weeks I have ever experienced.

Originally Posted by Oddity

good you have used a disposable maybe you can tell me if a disposable is a better shave then these "normal" throw-aways?

If your talking about items like the schick octro and others. Yes....with a catch. Even in the holder the blades are thin and relatively flimsy. They can give a great shave but they don't have as "smooth" an edge as a true str8. Becuase your using 1/2 a double-edge blade you end up with a spike point on both the heel & toe ends of the razor so it's pretty easy to nick or full out gouge yourself. Even with the fine edge a true str8 has it has a bit of rigidity to it keeping the blade edge straight basically wherever you're at. The shavette blade with it's "flexability" will bow here and there and while your learning your angles can have a tendency to reach out and bite you. Also with a true str8 you can pretty confidently (with respect) go over areas that have minor blemishes and the like with out generally causing too much damage whereas the Shavette....your gonna bleed. I'm not trying to say that they are a bad thing but after you learn to use a shavette and move up to the real deal you have to re-learn some of what you thought you knew. The angles between the shavette and tru-str8 are different. Because of the way the handles are made you can only get down to a certain angle leaving more room to get bit. A tru-str8 can pretty much lay flat on your face which can be more usefull in some hard to reach spots during shaving.
If you want to try one no-one is stopping you but i have to agree with most others here that it would be in your better interest to get one of the "begginers" sets from a reputable vendor or classified listing.

Good luck

You only need four things.

1. Shave ready razor
2. Strop
3. Shaving soap/cream
4 Brush

And two of those are negociable. You *could* use foam-in-a-can, but it's not as good, and won't give you as nice as a shave. Still, it's an option, if you must.

A RupRazor Filly will run you 20 bucks. You can also find cheap, serviceable strops in the Classifields.

You can buy a decent shave-ready vintage razor for 30 bucks in the Classifields. Maybe even a hair less.

You can get a cheap brush from Walgreens that'll do the job for $5-$10.

You can get good quality soap for $5-$10.

So, if you're frugal and careful, you could get a decent starter set-up for under 70 bucks.

Obviously you could spend hundreds on an elaborate set-up, but it's not necessary, and there's no reason you can't get quite a good shave from a set-up of under $100.

Look around trusted sources and compare prices. Read the Wiki so you know what "great deals" to avoid (poor quality razors, bad strops, etc).

Maybe you'll find a starter kit that offers the best value, maybe individual pieces. It's really up to you and your budget.