Thread: Is this a Good Beginner Blade

Welcome to SRP.


I started this thread a while ago. I think you can use a lot of the answers in that thread?

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ter-razor.html

Anything from RD is good! Welcome to SRP!

Originally Posted by dreadlocks1221

I'm willing to put the extra money into the first one if anyone really thinks a beginner will significantly notice the difference

Yes, there is a difference and you will certainly notice it, however it may not be the difference you expect. I.e. you may get better results with the 3x cheaper razor, or it may be the other way around.

I don't have a sensitive skin, so I can't really help with the soap question. Though the T&H luxury soap smells of lavender, quite nice, I must say. Penhaligon's depends on which one you get.

Personally, if your heart is set on a stainless steel razor I'd go with the cheaper of the two. You won't be able to recognize any difference in the quality of the shave. Boker's have a reputation as excellent shavers, although my experience is more with the vintage rather than the newly manufactured Bokers.

As for the shaving soap...If you have sensitive skin, I'd recommend Mitchell's Wool Fat shaving soap to start our with. Light lavender smell, is mild on sensitive skin and delivers a great shave.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for all your help so far,


I am not personally set on a stainless steel blade, I'm just not sure if I should go vintage for my first blade, but could be open to getting one with a strong enough recommendation for a particular model.

For Penhaligon's I was planning on going with English Fern

As a "newbie" into the straight razor field, I don't have the experience that most of the other members of this site have. But I would suggest purchasing a couple of "cheap" razors from the classifieds on here. Not that they are cheap on quality, but they are refurbished and cleaned up. And everyone that I have made a purchase from on this site has been extremely helpful when I had any questions regarding the purchase.

The reason for buying two is so that you can keep one on hand that you don't use unless you believe your regular one is getting dull, then pull out the one you have been saving and test it to see if it is your blade or just how you are using it.

I purchased two "cheap" razors from here for $35 and $40 each. And so far they have been excellent razors to start with.

Lavender can actually be a skin irritant but it may be dependent on the concentration & also your skin. You will likely need to experiment a little with soap choices.

I would either go with the cheaper boker or a razor from the classifieds here. You really don't need a glowing reputation on any make or model to know that it will preform well. Vintage blades whether from Germany or England, are known for quality and the members here can be trusted if you have any questions just ask the seller and he will let you know if it's a good starter razor. One last note whether new or vintage make sure you get your razor "shave ready" SRD is a great site that does thui but there are other sites out there that sell "factory honed" razors that are not "shave ready" and you'll cost yourself an extra $20 getting the razor professionally honed. Welcome to SRP and goodluck.

Thank you again,

I'm already looking through the classified ads ^_^

I'd go with a cheaper Dovo. Often, the higher price is reflected in the scales, not the blade. Look carefully at the razors. You'll find a bunch of them have exactly the same blade (read: same shave quality) but the scales are more exotic as the price goes up.

Also, stainless blades are great. But, while they stay sharp longer they take longer to sharpen. Personally, I don't think a beginner would notice the difference between a very good $100 razor and a $1000 razor. But then, I've never shaved with a $1000 razor. Ask Lynn. I'm sure he can give you an honest answer.