Thread: New vs Used?

Over the years I've tried the Mach 3, Proglide, Hydro 5, and a few others. I finally got tired of not getting a good shave with these expensive razors, so I decided to try a straight razor. I got a shavette and it has done the trick, but now I want to get an actual straight razor. For a first straight razor, it is best to get a new one that is shave ready or look for a used one? I was just going to look for a used one, but I'm in Afghanistan and ebay and a few other sites like that are blocked. Where else is a good place to look?

That is the difference between a straight versus anything else. A used one works just as well as a new one if honed correctly, have a look at the classifieds right here.

Hi Gass....Welcome to SRP!

I have a couple of questions, I'll explain the reason later;

What does the 'TN' in TN/Afghanistan stand for?

Are you currently serving in the US military over there?

If you are serving "Thank You" for your service and sacrifice. Most important please stay safe...........

Originally Posted by DoughBoy68

Hi Gass....Welcome to SRP!

I have a couple of questions, I'll explain the reason later;

What does the 'TN' in TN/Afghanistan stand for?

Are you currently serving in the US military over there?

If you are serving "Thank You" for your service and sacrifice. Most important please stay safe...........

Clarksville, Tennessee is home. My wife and kids are back there. Yes, I'm on active duty.

Originally Posted by Gass

Clarksville, Tennessee is home. My wife and kids are back there. Yes, I'm on active duty.

Thanks for your service neighbor

And welcome to SRP,

if there is anything I can do to help get you set up shoot me a PM.

Life in the "stan" is truly the suck!!
Welcome and HooAhh!!!

My advice for now is to stick to the shavette until you get home for care and honing reasons. Maybe get a DE for ease and simplicity in country.
When you come back home and have the space and ability to store safely to prevent rust, hone and learn to hone the razors, hang strops etc.

Capt Paul

Well - if you can access this site... then perhaps you could go to the classified section here to look for a used razor. I think even those who post CONUS only would be glad to forgo that and ship it to you! I know I would.

I bought 2 razors from a member here(no names) that were supposed to be shave ready, they were not. I guess anyone can have a bad day.... The silver lining is that I was just starting and couldnt cut myself with those razors if I tried!

I wouldn't get a straight razor until you redeploy. You don't need to worry about the extra heartache that's going to come with a straight razor in those conditions even if you're on a large FOB. I decided to get a 5/8 Round Point Boker King Cutter from Straight Razor Designs. I'm glad I went with them because I knew I was getting a razor that was definitely shave ready, so the problem was all in my hands at that point. It allowed me to focus on my technique more. In hindsight, I would have gotten something with jimping on it because you're pretty awkward with the razor in the beginning and need all the grip you can get. I added filework to my Boker after a week and it works great...it's still my go-to blade when all else doesn't feel right and it was only $110. I personally would wait on a used one once you find out what feels good to you.

To the OP, get set up on a VPN so you can access all of the blocked sites. That is what I do from Dubai since they block a ton of stuff. I'm using one called Private Internet Access.

Are you at a large FOB or are you in a tent? If you are in a tent I would pass on the straight for now. Get a DE. If you have the space and time to learn the straight then go for it.