Looking for my first straight set

[haagiboy]

Hi there fellow wetshavers!

I've been lurking around the straight forum for a couple of weeks now, and I think I'll give it a try!
I only got one problem though. I have some acne scars on my neck, and I'm afraid to slice them open with a straight. It goes fine to shave over them with a DE, so it might not be a problem using a straight either?

I've heard 4/8 is the size to go, and 3/4 hollow?
Also I will need a strop aswell. Already got the soaps/creams and brushes.

And how long will it take for it to be up for re-honing?
Feel free to point me to some good articles about straight shaving aswell, I need to learn everything!

 

[dakotaev]

Hi there fellow wetshavers!

I've been lurking around the straight forum for a couple of weeks now, and I think I'll give it a try!
I only got one problem though. I have some acne scars on my neck, and I'm afraid to slice them open with a straight. It goes fine to shave over them with a DE, so it might not be a problem using a straight either?

I've heard 4/8 is the size to go, and 3/4 hollow?
Also I will need a strop aswell. Already got the soaps/creams and brushes.

And how long will it take for it to be up for re-honing?
Feel free to point me to some good articles about straight shaving aswell, I need to learn everything!

Great news, we always love to see more joining the straight razor community!

To answer a few of your questions from my perspective:

I don't have any acne scars but my neck does have a few moles that do get a little irritated from the straight, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. I would say take it real easy around that area until your comfortable that you're not going to cause any damage. Until you're more comfortable wielding a straight you might even want to skip that area and use your DE, but this is totally up to you and your comfort level. You may find it will be a trouble spot or not, eventually trying is the only way to find out. Someone else who has more experience with this area might be able to give you better pointers.

As for size and grind, well...this is different from person to person. 4/8 is considered a smaller blade, 5/8 is average and what most people recommend as a starter, its somewhat right in the middle and you can compare up and down from there. Again here you're going to have to try different sizes and grinds to suit your personal preference. Most recommend a stiffer grind (1/4 hollow) for new users, but I started with a 3/4 hollow and still prefer those or 1/2 over the stiffer 1/4 grinds. My person opinion is if you start with a professionally honed razor the grind/size won't matter as much as you think. Others may agree or disagree.

As for honing, with proper stropping and shaving technique you should get a few weeks to a few months out of a razor. You will probably want to pick up a poorman's strop kit from Larry at whippeddog.com. His kit includes a balsa strop with pastes that you can touch up your razor with for quite a long time before it needs to touch the stones. Of course poor stropping technique will shorten the life of an edge, but don't worry we all go through that phase at the start. Just watch as many videos and read as many articles as you can to figure out the proper technique.

I hope this helps. I'm sure you will get plenty more great advice below!

 

[gull]

Whippeddog.com

The ultimate one-stop shop for newbies.

Also try Ruprazor for a strop. I've heard his strop is a little better than whippeddog's although whippeddog's strop is cheaper. I would go with the cheaper one since you're probably destroy it.

4/8 is a nice size, but 5/8 is even better. A bigger sized blade will be easier to strop imo. Don't get a gigantic blade though, it'll make some angles really tricky at first.

As for the grind, just go with whatever you get. 1/2 hollow preferred though.

 

[johnmrson]

IMHO 5/8 is a better size and either half or quarter hollow grind would be a better option.

 

[haagiboy]

How do you see what hollow grinds the straigths on whippeddog are?