What I'm considering for my SR starter pack. Comments?

[MisterSensitive]

Here's what I'm considering as a starting kit for my straight razor career. I've done absurd amounts of research and watched nearly every honing video on YouTube. I've been shaving with a DE for a few weeks (I know, pretty soon to go to a str8, but I've seriously got a bad case of RAD.) . I'd just like to move on to something that may be more fun and give me a smoother WTG shave (ATG tends to give me ingrown hairs.)

- Dovo best quality carbon steel 5/8" (either hollow ground or half hollow) (About $100)
- General Edge Natural Wood straight razor (costs $3.99 on Amazon) to practice stropping and honing... NOT to shave with.
- Fromm Razor Strop 2 1/2" X 23"
- Norton 4000/8000 combo waterstone
- 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper for lapping said waterstone (maybe some higher grit sandpaper to smooth out the stone)
- Fromm strop dressing

Any suggestions?

 

[Kentos]

A dove best shouldn't cost more than 80.00 or so. Superior shave has them for 70.00 shipped. Larry at whippeddog has a beginners strop for 20.00 or so, which comes with a pasted balsa strop for touchups. I don't use nortons, as I jumped in with Naniwa Superstones and a Belgian coticule. Unless you ding the blade on something you won't need a bevel setter, maybe a barbers hone for touch ups.

 

[MisterSensitive]

A dove best shouldn't cost more than 80.00 or so. Superior shave has them for 70.00 shipped. Larry at whippeddog has a beginners strop for 20.00 or so, which comes with a pasted balsa strop for touchups. I don't use nortons, as I jumped in with Naniwa Superstones and a Belgian coticule. Unless you ding the blade on something you won't need a bevel setter, maybe a barbers hone for touch ups.

Thanks for the advice. Do you think the $20 strop will work well enough? I'm willing to pay a couple extra bucks for something that will perform well.

 

[drandall]

speaking as a SR newb myself, let me suggest that you start with a basic and inexpensive strop. despite my best efforts, i nicked mine quite a few times as i was getting my technique down. i've sanded the worst areas down, but i was very glad that i'm ragging out a $19 strop and not a $70 strop.

 

[Kentos]

Thanks for the advice. Do you think the $20 strop will work well enough? I'm willing to pay a couple extra bucks for something that will perform well.

Yup, it'll work just as well for you. As you get more sophisticated(!?) you will want a wider one, longer one, smoother, more draw, less draw, etc. But at this point in the game you won't know any better, and you will happy when you cut the strop that it only cost 20.00. There are no shortages of 100.00, 200.00, 300.00+ strops and razors so they can wait for a few weeks

 

[MisterSensitive]

A dove best shouldn't cost more than 80.00 or so. Superior shave has them for 70.00 shipped. Larry at whippeddog has a beginners strop for 20.00 or so, which comes with a pasted balsa strop for touchups. I don't use nortons, as I jumped in with Naniwa Superstones and a Belgian coticule. Unless you ding the blade on something you won't need a bevel setter, maybe a barbers hone for touch ups.

Is there an alternative to barber's hones? They seem to be a tad expensive and hard to find.

 

[Luc]

I would suggest having a look at the Interactive guide in Wiki: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Interactive_Guide_to_Straight_Razor_Shaving

 

[Kentos]

+1 on the wiki.

There are a lot of alternatives to the barbers hone, as a matter of fact Larry sells those too sometimes. Thing is there are dozens of ways to maintain a razor, and hundreds of opinions on the "best" way to do it. Knowing what I know now, a 1000 grit naniwa and a belgian coticule are all I need to keep my razors tip top, along with some diamond spray, cromox, felt, and a good latigo and horsehide strop- but that's just me.
I would just get the razor and strop for now and be careful with your blade. Then surf the boards and decide with what and how you want to continue the journey. In the end that's half the fun.

 

[Rogier D.]

Maybe a stupid question: is it possible to hone those ridiculously cheap razors to actual shaving standards? Just if you are a honemeister or something close to that?

 

[Kentos]

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: do a search for Gold Dollar razors and make up your opinion on the things...it's been debated to death. I like em a lot.

Woot 1000th post!

 

[Legion]

short answer: Yes

long answer: Do a search for gold dollar razors and make up your opinion on the things...it's been debated to death. I like em a lot.

Woot 1000th post!

woot!!

 

[Legion]

Maybe a stupid question: is it possible to hone those ridiculously cheap razors to actual shaving standards? Just if you are a honemeister or something close to that?

Sure it is, lots of us have done it!

I don't recommend the project for newbies, though.

 

[Rogier D.]

Sure it is, lots of us have done it!

I don't recommend the project for newbies, though.

And what is the downside of doing that? Are cheap blades unstable or do they keep their edge for only five seconds or something like that?