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Did a stupid thing today..

And bought a SR, with 2 stones and strop...

Never thought I'd try it.. but I guess in about a week I'll find out if it's for me..


Specs on the razor: 6/8 Henckles 72 1/2 straight
Stones: Imperia La Roccia 12-15K Finishing, 8 & 3K honing

And what the 6/8 and 72 1/2 mean is greek to me...
 
6/8 is the "width" of the blade, measured in inches, from spine to edge. Common sizes are 5/8, 6/8, 7/8 but 4/8 and 8/8 are not too uncommon.

The 72 1/2 is the model number. Each manufacture developed their own model designations so there's no real compsrison between manufacturers. Some even "named" the models.

If I'm not mistaken, the "1/2” for Henckels indicates a "round point" there the "regular" 72 would be a square point. (BTW, the Henckels 72 and variants are generally considered to be great razors.)

Welcome to the edge of the rabbit hole!
 
And bought a SR, with 2 stones and strop...

Never thought I'd try it.. but I guess in about a week I'll find out if it's for me..


Specs on the razor: 6/8 Henckles 72 1/2 straight
Stones: Imperia La Roccia 12-15K Finishing, 8 & 3K honing

And what the 6/8 and 72 1/2 mean is greek to me...
Just curious here what made you take the plunge? I hope it is for you once the toys come!
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@Hydguy, welcome to the gentlemanly art of SR shaving.

Have the patience to stick with it for at least a few weeks. The best of all things take time. You will improve with each SR shave. After about 30 SR shaves you will never look back.

Most SR shavers wish they had started in their teens. I know I wish that.
 
My Fromm 72 Special has a 72 mm edge length. This is the one I started on. I reckon you’re going to love it and stick with it, too.

image.jpg
 
72s and their variants are great razors. I have a 472 (the 4 is for decorated variants) that is one of my favorites!
 
If it isn’t shaving well, send it out for honing - I’ll be glad to put an edge on it for return postage provided that i5 doesn’t have major defects, chips, etc.

I appreciate the offer, and will keep it in mind...
Now I have to watch some videos on stropping.
The edge of the blade looked pretty good (no obvious nicks or dings) in the pics the guy had, so I hope it's pretty much ready to try after a few passes on the strop..
 
One of the reasons that he needs two (or seven).

If this is something I decide to stick with, I have a second razor in mind....
The big reason I went for this setup is that it's got the strop and stones, with it, and I know Henckles older German steel is highly regarded in the cutlery world. My Chinese made Henckles kitchen set if pretty good too..
 
Welcome, and I hope that you enjoy the zen and mindfulness that shaving with a straight razor can bring you for a short time during the day! It is a skill that takes time to learn, but like anything else worth learning, the payoff is great..and you get out of it what you put into it.

I know everyone has advice, but I will offer just a few pieces:

1. Take Steve up on his offer to put a nice edge on the razor for the cost of return postage. This will enable you to feel what an edge is supposed to feel like as you are starting out, instead of taking the risk of learning what an edge is not supposed to feel like and being put off.

2. If you are going to get serious about learning to hone your own razors, invest in a Chosera 1k for bevel setting and a DMT 325. The 325 is nice for flattening your stones, and cleaning them up after use.

3. I also recommend buying a 10x or 30x loupe to check things out along the edge, and on the bevel near the edge, as you progress through your stones. This will enable you to identify issues before moving on to the next stone in your progression, so that they can be corrected as soon as possible.

You will figure out the rest of it as you go, and there are encyclopedias worth of information on the various forums and in YouTube videos. Good luck!

Vr

Matt
 
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