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Getting Started with a Straight

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@silverlifter in a nutshell-
  • Get a 5/8 or 6/8 carbon steel SR, Dutch (round) point, half-hollow, new or used. Odds are that whatever you get will not be save-ready. Budget on getting it properly honed (about NZD 30 + shipping).
  • Get a decent but cheap(er) leather strop, new or second-hand. Preferably this should be at least 64mm (2½") wide.
  • Put together at least one (0.1μm), but preferably three (0.5μm, 0.25μm and 0.1μm) diamond pasted balsa strop(s).
The above, together with your existing brush and shaving soap is all that you will need (want is a different matter) for the rest of your shaving life. Your initial shave-ready SR should never need honing again.

I am currently working on putting together SR shaving instructions for the n00bie. Hopefully they will be finished later today and soon published on B&B.
 
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  • Get a 5/8 or 6/8 carbon steel SR, Dutch (round) point, half-hollow, new or used. Odds are that whatever you get will not be save-ready. Budget on getting it properly honed (about NZD 30 + shipping).

Thanks! @JaggardJ has very generously offered to set me up with a Dollar Gold that is shave ready. I'm in the process of finding a strop, and then I'll be good to set steel to whiskers! :)
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
A well honed GD can be a very good started SR. Depending on the model of the GD SR, there could be one thing that you need to be aware of.

Most SR's when opened 180deg. balance at about the pivot pin. Most GD SR's with plastic scales balance well away from the pivot pin towards the blade. This won't be a problem while your are starting off but you need to be aware of this when you get and start shaving with a better balanced SR.
 
So the reason I moved to wet shaving back in 2002/3 was because I was sick of buying more plastic crud every couple of weeks to lug home and then throw away. I bought a brush, some soap, a razor and a tuck of blades and haven't looked back.

Obviously, to me anyway, really reducing my footprint would involve a straight, a strop, and the kit I already have. I have always baulked at this because the maintenance seemed a bit of a nightmare (I really do not want to go down the honing rabbit hole).

However, after chatting to @APBinNCA in this thread about Artist Club blades (which I was considering as a no-maintenance option), he prompted me to look at honing options closer to home, here in New Zealand - and it turns out there are at least a couple of reasonably priced (and presumably competent) options.

So, now I am thinking "why not just get a straight, and a strop, and let someone else worry about honing it every once in a while?" That seems like a plan, right?

I've been looking at shave ready straights locally, and there are a few options, but I've also compulsively read these boards so I know that for my first straight, a shave ready vintage is probably a smart choice. Not a huge invesment, and will allow me to work out whether I actually enjoy this type of shave, after which I can pick up something fancier if it sticks.

So, finally, my questions. I've found a couple of vendors on ebay and etsy selling shave ready vintage straights. Should I just trust them and jump in, or should I look around more? Are there any recommended sellers on either platform that are regard as trustworthy by B&B'ers? Would opening a WTB on BST here be a better idea (assuming there are members in NZ (or AU) that could help?

Basically, in my sheltered part of the world, what is the best approach to a first straight and strop to get me going without too much drama?

Thanks for reading my screed... :)

This guy here:


sold me a George Johnson, which he claimed was shave ready
to the extent that I should not even strop it prior to the first shave.

The edge turned out to be just as he had claimed.
 
Is there a (curated, ideally) list anywhere of vendors selling either new or vintage genuinely "shave ready" straights?

I've found a number of them by searching threads here and the wider web, but without endorsements from B&B'ers, it is tricky knowing how much faith to put in their claims.

A few that I have discovered so far:

* Griffiths (vintage and new)
* Bob's Razors (vintage)
* Ralf Aust (new)
* Rasoir Sabre (new)

And, locally, Gentleman's Blade NZ.

Is this something that could be built out into a wiki page?
 
Is there a (curated, ideally) list anywhere of vendors selling either new or vintage genuinely "shave ready" straights?

I've found a number of them by searching threads here and the wider web, but without endorsements from B&B'ers, it is tricky knowing how much faith to put in their claims.

A few that I have discovered so far:

* Griffiths (vintage and new)
* Bob's Razors (vintage)
* Ralf Aust (new)
* Rasoir Sabre (new)

And, locally, Gentleman's Blade NZ.

Is this something that could be built out into a wiki page?

My very first straight razor was a Ralf Aust 5/8. I loved that razor and regret selling it to fund other "projects". Aust makes in my opinion, one of the very best "entry level" (if there really is such a thing) straights out there. Other than the Thiers Issard entry level line of 5/8's-6/8's, I cannot think of another off hand that I am more fond of personally.

As to vintage and new, Griffith's would be my top choice. I purchased my latest new straight and requested a professional honing. My razor came in perfect condition with a very sharp, smooth and shave ready edge. I see no reason why a vintage or new straight from Griffith wouldn't be perfect.

All the best.
 
Funny, I was just playing around making a serious inquiry at the Aust site last night trying to figure out whether the plastic scales were worth the cost saving. It is not. The shipping is the same to the US as it is to NZ so it's about 190 total with anything other than plastic. Plastic is only 30 cheaper, you save more getting a 5/8 over a 6/8 I think.
 
I've updated the wiki with a list of "shave ready" vendors:

 
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