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a solid strop/hone/blade combo

alright alright so I've got the DE thing down pat with my face I got a good go to combination of razor/blade/cream combo.

but I do have that interest in straights I have one of those cheapo shavette things that I use on the weekends. and those are ok for getting the motions down but they have no weight and I'm not learning how to hone or strop.

Can someone point me in the direction of a good straight/strop/hone that I can learn with?

I've read that using a strip of balsa wood is good but I want to learn with the leather strop. For a blade something not too expensive or decorative because I would be practicing honing it myself but I also want something that will give me a good shave. I pretty much want a strop, hone and blade that are a little forgiving but could also last a long time once I start to get the hang of things.
 
I picked my first straight from one of the members...the strop was one of Tony's creations...and I didn't have a hone to begin with...a bit of green paste on a linen strop kept me going for quite a while...I tried a whack of stuff...even built my own balsa paddle strop (works superb by the way) and finally settled on a Naniwa 12K finishing hone as the stone I go to when I need my edge refreshed....the advice I got at every decision point was just amazing and kept me going...

If you're not keen on a vintage blade, you can buy one of the Dovo's or Thiers at ClassicShaving, StraightRazorDesigns, GentlemensBest...check the vendors forum...these gents are superb to deal with and have a genuine passion for all things shaving :thumbup:

alright alright so I've got the DE thing down pat with my face I got a good go to combination of razor/blade/cream combo.

but I do have that interest in straights I have one of those cheapo shavette things that I use on the weekends. and those are ok for getting the motions down but they have no weight and I'm not learning how to hone or strop.

Can someone point me in the direction of a good straight/strop/hone that I can learn with?

I've read that using a strip of balsa wood is good but I want to learn with the leather strop. For a blade something not too expensive or decorative because I would be practicing honing it myself but I also want something that will give me a good shave. I pretty much want a strop, hone and blade that are a little forgiving but could also last a long time once I start to get the hang of things.
 
I think the best deal out there is the gold dollar and phillly strop combo from Ruprazor. It's around 55-60 bucks. The back is pasted with CrOx for touch ups. A big word of advice, don't worry about honing. Focus on stropping and shaving and let the honing come later.
 
I think the best deal out there is the gold dollar and phillly strop combo from Ruprazor. It's around 55-60 bucks. The back is pasted with CrOx for touch ups. A big word of advice, don't worry about honing. Focus on stropping and shaving and let the honing come later.

Ditto i gotta agree with the GD & philly strop combo. If you don't want to go the new route you can always shop you local antique store for a $10-20 str8 and have it honed by a honemaster $15-20. So for under $40 you'll have a shave ready.
 
I think the best deal out there is the gold dollar and phillly strop combo from Ruprazor. It's around 55-60 bucks. The back is pasted with CrOx for touch ups. A big word of advice, don't worry about honing. Focus on stropping and shaving and let the honing come later.

+1

If I was starting out now I would go for the Ruprazor kit. I got lucky with flea market vintage blades that needed only a little hackish honing on a barber hone. I was trying to do it on the cheap, and it was cheaper than the philly/GD combo; however, in hindsight it would have made my learning curve much faster to have a professionally honed blade.
 
I bought my first straight on the bst already honed for use, a cheap strop and just practised on these until i bought a decent strop a few weeks ago.
 
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