Cutthroat..
- Thread starter Tom01
- Start date
As long as the steel was "hardened" during the making process..all good shavers
Most vintage razors are a good bet as long as they are in good shape. you cant go wrong with most razors marked Sheffield or Solingen or Eskilstuna. with vintage razors though it is best to avoid ebay or antique stores till you have an idea of what to look for in terms of a razor being in good shape. as far as new razors go Dovo, Thiers Issard, and Hart Steel are all good razors. though in the case of a Dovo or TI, it will need to be honed before using as razors do not generally come "shave ready" from the factory.
honestly, if you are just getting into straight razor shaving check out the poor man's kit from Larry over at www.whippeddog.com
for around $50 you get a shave ready razor, generally not a looker, but a good usable straight razor and a basic strop for maintain the edge as well as a piece of pasted balsa for a bit more intensive edge maintenance. its a relatively inexpensive way to get into straight razor shaving with a razor that is guaranteed to be shave ready. if you find that its not for you, not a big hurt on the wallet. also, its pretty common from what i hear to accidentally knock the razor on the sink or drop it when starting out which can mess up the edge pretty bad. much better to take the risks with a beater than a $150+ razor.
plus, Larry is a great guy who provides excellent customer service and also supplies plenty of info for the novice straight razor shaver.
honestly, if you are just getting into straight razor shaving check out the poor man's kit from Larry over at www.whippeddog.com
for around $50 you get a shave ready razor, generally not a looker, but a good usable straight razor and a basic strop for maintain the edge as well as a piece of pasted balsa for a bit more intensive edge maintenance. its a relatively inexpensive way to get into straight razor shaving with a razor that is guaranteed to be shave ready. if you find that its not for you, not a big hurt on the wallet. also, its pretty common from what i hear to accidentally knock the razor on the sink or drop it when starting out which can mess up the edge pretty bad. much better to take the risks with a beater than a $150+ razor.
plus, Larry is a great guy who provides excellent customer service and also supplies plenty of info for the novice straight razor shaver.
~~~there are some straight razors being marketed now that you would want to stay away from. If you are looking at something in particular, put a link up here and the members will let you know if it is a viable razor or not. And trust me, I've read where more than a few new guys from here bought unsuitblae razors and were sorry for the experience so if you have a link you're looking at, post it
but more to your point, what is best may not be right for you. Guys that have been using straight razors for awhile generally like to shave with a full hollow blade so in that sense, most might say a full hollow razor is best. OTOH, since you're just starting out, it might be best for you to learn on a 1/2 hollow. And that said, there are some guys that prefer to shave with a 1/2 hollow and they don't care for the full hollow experience
I have a theory...expereinced straight razor users that prefer 1/2 hollow razors generally have thicker fuller beards. There's more inertia in a thicker blade like a 1/2 holow (compared to a full hollow same size), but this is speculation on my part, on who prefers what. My beard is light, the whiskars are tough but light none the less. I've shaved with plenty of 1/2 and also a few 1/4 hollow razors and from my POV, what with the lightness of my beard and how often I shave (quite often...daily)...I don't need a lot of metal to get the job done and I prefer how thin a full hollow blade feels, but I'd be the first to recommend you try a 1/2 hollow, since you've never shaved with a straight razor before. But that's not to say if you started with a full hollow that it wouldn't work for you...just that you'd probably have a better exp. the first few weeks around with a thicker blade
Something else about 'best' blades...best as in most expensive? it's true, you'll pay more for waht the straight razor community regards as the best blades, like Philharmonicas, the fuller hollowed Dorkos, the more esoteric Heljistrands (SP?) I myself I'm not very fussy when it comes to using a straight razor and that's all I've been shaving with for about a year now. Actually my favorite type of straight razor is 11/16 size, square point with a muted tip, full hollow and could be American made or German, Solingen in particular, but I shave with 5/8, 6/8, some smaller, some larger yet full hollow to extra full hollow is preferred
if you're going to buy a new straight razor and you have large hands I'd say to get a 6/8, Dovo, spend $150 at least and get a cheap strop...go to star shaving dot com for a big momma for about $25 or they have lessor priced beginner strops. Most of us starting out nick up our first strop good and proper so don't go over board buying your first strop but IMO, if you spend good money on the razor, you're not going to screw it up and I think having a good quality straight for your first is a sound idea, unless money is tight then buying used from Larry is frugal...but if you have an idea you're going to stick with straihgt razor shaving and you want a nice (in every respect) first straight razor...go for it. others may have better and different ideas
Best,
Jake
Reddic Fla.
P.S. one more thing...if you buy a new straight, buy from Jarrod at the superiorshave.com
+1 about Larry providing excellent customer service. I had a package from him recently that got damaged in transit. I sent him an email at 10pm that night, and he got back to me and had me taken care of within the hour.
Now, if you have the dosh to drop on a high-end razor, I'd recommend Straight Razor Designs. They'll hone it up properly for you, so you receive it shave-ready, and they offer an additional free honing when you next need it. Lynn Abrams, the owner of Straight Razor Designs, is considered one of the best honemeisters in the business.
I would suggest reading the Interactive guide to straight razor shaving (http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Interactive_Guide_to_Straight_Razor_Shaving). In particular, this article (the good and bad brands): http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Good_and_Bad_Straight_Razor_Brands
The best ones are the sharp ones 
I've just started with straights and I'll +1 for Larry @ whippeddog.
Service and speed are great, you'll get a vintage straight honed just right and shave ready. That's the important part, shave ready.
Just take your time and relaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax haha
I've just started with straights and I'll +1 for Larry @ whippeddog.
Service and speed are great, you'll get a vintage straight honed just right and shave ready. That's the important part, shave ready.
Just take your time and relaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax haha
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