Thread: My First Razor Help

I echo much of other people's comments here in that I think you are putting your carriage before the horse when you have no personal, tangible experience to know a from z regarding straight shaving in practice and not theory. I say all this meaning no judgement or offense--just that it's my observation with your questions and I'd like to help out if I can.

If you have the ability to drop $500 on your setup, then you can afford to purchase a cheaper razor and strop on which to learn even if you end up selling them or using them for backups/travelers later on. Take a look in the classifieds right now and you will find a cleaned, polished, and shave-ready (i.e. honed and ready to go) 5/8 razor for $35 from a reputable seller.

While some recommend Larry's (at Whipped Dog) $14 or $25 "poor man" strop (I started on this strop), I recommend looking into one of Straight Razor Design's 3 inch Latigo strops (either with leather handles or D rings) because you will have a much better time with a 3" wide strop than a 2" while learning, the craftsmanship on the strop's handles and hardware will last you a lifetime, and you can purchase leather refills of different leathers (like horsehide, Premium I, Premium IV, etc.) for cheaper than another strop because you are certain to nick your strop while learning. I was careful as heck with my "poor man" and still managed to nick the strop during transitions a handful of times.

As for the brush, have you ever felt the difference between boars hair, best badger, silver-tip badger, etc. to know what you prefer? Do you prefer making lather on your face or in a bowl/skuttle? Higher prices as far as brushes go don't mean better brushes for personal taste. Some people love the feel of a stiff boars-hair brush, and if you are one of them you just wasted big bucks on a silver-tip when you could have spent a fraction of that on a good boars brush. It's all preference. I suggest looking on Whipped Dog, SRP classifieds, or contacting an SRP member known for making or restoring brushes and see if you can find a "pure or "best" badger or a boars brush in the $20 range to give you a starting point from which to judge before spending more money on a brush of unknown characteristics.

If you are going to use a scuttle, I'd probably spend the money on a good one now because you can always use it for safety razor shaving in the event you dislike straights. Or you could use a small cereal bowl or the like to start out.

There are so many options regarding blade widths, grinds, point designs, tang ergonomics, balance, brush handle lengths (important for your scuttle or bowl), brush hair characteristics, strop draw, strop handle/hanger configuration, and strop widths that your first setup is bound to contain some items that aren't best suited for you--that was the case for me regarding my razor, strop, brush, and soap. Also, you will be disappointed when you destroy that $100 strop on your third shave, when you drop that $350 razor because you aren't used to switching hands or grips, when you destroy the edge learning to strop or when you accidentally hit the faucet while rinsing, and/or when you find out that that expensive silver-tip badger hair is too soft for your preference. I'd go with a $130 setup that will last you years during your learning period and is easily upgradeable, and then hunt down that desired razor, strop refill, and brush. That's my $1.02, but I hope it gives you another vantage point.