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Thanks all for the advice and encouragement, and @Slash McCoy thank you for the detailed breakdowns. This community rocks!
- 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).
That should be good. Now read the rest of my (now edited) post above.
Nobody who does not shave with a straight razor every day can be considered competent to hone one. Period.
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...
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?
Plastic is only 30 cheaper, you save more getting a 5/8 over a 6/8 I think.
Koraat razors come shave ready.