first straight, suggestions?

[stevethetree1991]

Hello Gentlemen!
I'm a young guy who's been suffering from razor burn from a schick quattro (latest form Satan has adopted... okay not that bad). That is, until I got my Merkur safety razor. But now that I've tasted success, and a more traditional shave, I crave that "manual transmission" feeling while shaving. I love the peaceful, relaxing ritual. I love my DE and it does a great job, but I feel like I won't be satisfied until I get a straight razor.
The thing is, despite doing a lot of research on razors, strops, hones, tutorials etc., I still don't really know what I'm doing. So what should I do? Ask people who DO know!!
That's where you folks come in. I would very much appreciate your help.
I'm looking for a straight razor.
I don't really want to buy multiple razors, I'm not looking to collect, just have a razor that I can shave with for many years to come.
As far as hones go, I'm thinking Norton 4/8K and a Chinese natural 12K (seems like a fairly common combo for beginners)
Let me know what you think, Men.
Thanks very much for your input.

 

[kg4ghn]

www.whippeddog.com

Larry is a great guy to deal with.

Also, assuming you buy a shave ready razor, you won't need a 4/8k hone just a touchup hone, 10k or above. Or even paste. I wouldn't worry about buying a set of hones until later.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Hello Gentlemen!
I'm a young guy who's been suffering from razor burn from a schick quattro (latest form Satan has adopted... okay not that bad). That is, until I got my Merkur safety razor. But now that I've tasted success, and a more traditional shave, I crave that "manual transmission" feeling while shaving. I love the peaceful, relaxing ritual. I love my DE and it does a great job, but I feel like I won't be satisfied until I get a straight razor.
The thing is, despite doing a lot of research on razors, strops, hones, tutorials etc., I still don't really know what I'm doing. So what should I do? Ask people who DO know!!
That's where you folks come in. I would very much appreciate your help.
I'm looking for a straight razor.
I don't really want to buy multiple razors, I'm not looking to collect, just have a razor that I can shave with for many years to come.
As far as hones go, I'm thinking Norton 4/8K and a Chinese natural 12K (seems like a fairly common combo for beginners)
Let me know what you think, Men.
Thanks very much for your input.

If you get a shave-ready razor and if you don't damage it in any way, all you really need is one stone, between 8k and 12k, for maintenance honing, which you won't have to do for the first few weeks anyway. It takes that long before it needs a touchup on the stone. You will STROP your razor before each use, however, so you want a strop. Get a cheap one for starters because it is nearly inevitable that you will nick it up as you learn.

The set of stones you are thinking about will serve you well in the future, when you learn how to hone. You will probably also want a 1k, too, though. Initially it is best to not do your own honing but to buy a proper shave-ready razor or have it professionally honed. That way you can be fairly sure that any difficulties are not the fault of your razor's edge and so the troubleshooting process will be more straightforward and your learning curve flatter. If you are handy with edged tools and up for the challenge, you could try freshening up your blade on a fine stone after a month or so of use, and compare the shave to what you got with the razor when you first got it.

Larry (whippeddog.com) is one of the go-to guys on this forum for shave-ready vintage straights and he has a good rep. You will find something suitable in his current offerings, I am sure, and for under $40, with a nicely honed edge. ClassicShaving.com is another source, though the restorations are much more thorough and therefore more expensive. I have a nice Henckels in my collection that I bought from them on a whim but I think it was like in the $60 range. Most of mine are ebay rescues priced under $10 but I would not recommend a beginner buy an ebay razor unless it is shave-ready.

You will probably want more than one razor. Well, you WILL want more than one razor. That is the nature of the beast. But if you want to go minimalist, yeah, buy one decent vintage razor (or maybe a new Gold Dollar) for under $50 for your first razor, then add a second one as finances allow. Most straight shavers prefer not to use the same razor every day. It is felt that the edge benefits from a "rest". Plus if you are having problems with one, you still got the other one. My current regular lineup now is 7 razors, each for a day of the week, though I have probably 60 or so razors all told.

I assume you already have a decent brush or two... you also need a strop. There are bench/paddle strops that are leather glued to a wooden slat, and there are hanging strops. Most straight shavers use the hanging type for everyday stropping, and a paddle for use with abrasives like diamond paste or Chromium Oxide paste, but you can use a paddle for regular stropping, too. Oh, and don't worry too much about the pastes for the first month or few. (you will want a separate strop for each grade of abrasive as well as an unpasted one for regular use when you get into that.) You can fold a newspaper page up in a 3" by however long rectangle and double it over a towel rod, grasp both ends in your left hand, and use it as a practice strop the first few shaves, to save your beginner leather strop from the furious and clumsy action of your first couple of stropping attempts. Concentrate on turning the blade properly at the end of each stroke (always rotate the edge outward, keeping the spine to the strop, never rotating the spine out.) keeping both edge and spine against the strop throughout the stroke, stretching the strop out tight, and using light pressure on the blade.

I won't go into shaving technique in detail because you will find links here to demonstration vids on utube and a lot of tutorials here and elsewhere. But a few pointers to keep firmly in mind...

1. LIGHT PRESSURE
2. as a beginner, keep the blade perpendicular to the direction of the stroke, so it doesn't become a slicing stroke.
3. The angle of the blade is important. Start with the blade flat against the face, take a couple of strokes, and get used to the feel of the blade at that angle. Then rotate the spine out from the face SLIGHTLY and you will feel more cutting action. With the spine out TOO far, that is, the angle of attack TOO great, you wear the edge too quickly and cut yourself more, and irritate your face more too. Keep the angle just great enough to get good cutting action and no more.
4. Always keep the skin to be shaven stretched taught. Slack skin invites a cut and doesn't shave well.
5. Everybody talks about using multiple passes and ending up ATG (Against The Grain) but your first few weeks of shaving should consist only of single pass shaves WTG (With The Grain.) Crawl before you try to walk.
6. Learn the direction your whiskers grow. You probably don't know this as well as you think. There may be whorls and reversals that you are not aware of. With a day or two growth on your face, lather up with a wet, thin lather and run your fingertips over your entire face, in little circles, and feel the grain. Make a mental map of it. Try to stick with the direction of the grain, i.e. the direction that your fingers encounter the least resistance when you map your face.
7. Take care of your razor. Don't let things touch the edge that are not intended to touch a razor's edge. Be careful not to bang it in the sink. Dry it carefully after use, and give it a few laps on the strop to ensure that the edge is perfectly dry before putting it away, so the edge lasts longer. Be careful closing it, that the edge does not hit the scales (the "handle" sides) and get damaged. Depending on your technique, beard properties, and the steel in the blade, you should be able to get 20 or more (maybe a LOT more) shaves between honings. You should be able to go years without resetting the bevel on a coarse stone. Your razor should outlast you, and still be ready to shave your great-grandkid's face when you are pushing up daisies, but only if you take care of it. Ebay is full of razors that have been abused, some beyond rescue. There is no reason or excuse for that, generally.
8. NEVER get in a hurry shaving. Your first few shaves should be days when you don't have to go to work, so you can relax and take your time. Budget 45 minutes or so for your first attempt. Take a shower and don't dry your face. Make your lather, whether in a bowl or on your face. Strop your razor, taking care to use good technique. THINK about each stroke and watch your blade angle and pressure. THINK about the direction of growth. THINK about stretching the skin and taking the stroke. Keep your face lathered and don't let it dry out. Don't sweat it if you cut yourself anyway. It is normal to get a few nicks the first shave. It is part of the learning process. Think about what you did wrong every time you cut yourself. That's how you learn. The carrot is a nice shave and a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. The stick is every slice, nick, or weeper you get from not paying attention to what you are doing.

Let us know when you get your first razor and strop, and we'll work from there into your first shave. Meanwhile, explore the site and read the relevant threads. A lot of very knowledgeable people have posted some great material here for a straight razor newbie. Look for those you tube videos, too.

 

[fleabeard]

www.whippeddog.com

Larry is a great guy to deal with.

I'll second that. Larry sells decent un-restored straights for really good price and he's very forthcoming with information and guidance. I got my first straight from him and still use it.

He'll also let you trade out for the price of a honing, that way you can try several different blade types to find one you like.

 

[stevethetree1991]

Thanks, very helpful guys, so I can just contact Larry and he can help me out eh... sounds good! The price is right too if your claim of under $50 is true. I've been looking at new razors online... quite pricey.
THANK YOU

 

[Luc]

I would have a look at this page: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Straight_Razor_FAQs

 

[LinuxMintyFresh]

I'm looking at a starter too. I've heard a lot of good things about Kenrup at ruprazor. He sells a strop and Gold Dollar sets for like $60. His site also lists a lifetime honing warranty.

 

[natchez]

I'm looking at a starter too. I've heard a lot of good things about Kenrup at ruprazor. He sells strop and Gold Dollar sets for like $60. His site also lists a lifetime honing warranty.

I like Gold Dollars- they are decent razors, and I always have a few around for trying new hones and I also have traveled with one and it was just fine. They do, IMO, seem to have softer steel and may need a little more maintenance than a vintage blade. They are also a bit larger and heavier and may be a little harder to handle for a new straight shaver. But, Kenrup's deal is pretty good.

Larry's prices, with a really decent strop and balsa for touch ups would be a few bucks less. And, he does give great service- he is also fun

If you want to go new, the next step up would probably be a Dovo 5/8 half-hollow-

Royal Shave, A B&B sponsoring vendor, offers this with a current 10% coupon, Exclusive Badger and Blade coupon for 10% off anything in the store: BANDB Expires 12/15/2010, for $72 ($79.95-10%) and free shipping over $98- here: http://www.royalshave.com/p/405-002/dovo_straight_bestquality_blond_halfhollow_58.html

Superior Shave offers the same razor for $70 shipped/honed here: http://thesuperiorshave.com/Dovo_Straights_Pages/Dovo_BestQuality_Straight_Razors.html

Royal also offers a price match guarantee, so they may well meet the slightly lower price.

Hope this helps and good luck on starting your straight shaving adventure.