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Hello from New York !!!

Hello all from NYC !!!

I just discovered this forum where you can buy sell and trade razors with others.

I've been a DE razor shaver for 10 years now - prior to that - I've been a cartridge razor user. However the prices they ask for replacement cartridges is ridiculous. I bit the bullet with the up-front investment needed to start in DE shaving. DE (and Straight Razor) shaving is an investment to one-self which I have no regrets making the hefty up-front cost investment one bit. Invest $150-300 and you will understand why DE shaving is worth the while. It is a satisfaction you cannot get with cartridge razor shaving.

My first and only DE shaver I purchased new 10 years ago is a Murker Futura adjustable razor. I love it and it is in fantastic condition. When I purchased it, I also purchased a silver badger (I think - I know I spent decent money on it and it is still my only badger), a razor sample pack, and an Art of Shaving shaving kit. I believe I got the aluminum blok a month or so afterwards. Anyone new here stitting on the fence about wondering if they should invest in a DE shaving kit - make no mistake. Just do it !!!

Since then, I've stocked up on some different types of razors - Gillette Razors in the green and yellow cartons, Feather, Murker, Astra, Wilkinson Sword, just to name a few that come to mind. My favorite is Feather. I also like Astra razors too.

Some that I dislike that came in a sample pack I tried are Shark, and Big Ben in the blue box. Dont care for those as they cut up my face. I guess I like my razors sharp from the list I mentioned above.

I also recently purchased a new set of shaving creams. My favorites are Taylor of Old Bond Street and Proraso. Boy, you cant go wrong on either of those. My pre-shave is Proraso.

Now I am looking for something new now. I am wavering back and forth between getting another DE - which I may get, but not sure on what to get yet. there are a couple of items here in the for-sale which I would like to get. But I dont have rights just yet to solicit purchasing from others. For purchasing DE razors, I am interested in getting the more modern DE razors. I am not one to get into the more vintage DE razors.

Maybe I will go for a Straight Edge razor - which will be a new experience for me. If so, I plan on going with a Dovo or maybe ($$$) Theirs Isard. I dont mind the purchase, but I dont want to put too much investment into keeping the blade sharp with a strop or having to hone. My mind is going back and forth on this one. Changing a blade is much easier, which I have a sizable investment in with my DE Razors.

However I am interested and would love to hear on what others think.

Thanks for looking.
 
Welcome to the forum. We enjoy having new members and with the fact you have been wet shaving for a while, you a step ahead.

As far as straight razor shaving, you must have a strop. Stropping is done before and/or after every shave. And when you are new to it the cost of honing can be a bit pricey at first because you can damage an edge easily. Even shaving wrong and especially stropping wrong will damage an edge. Then you will tell yourself, I can sharpen it. Honing takes many many months of practice to do properly. Sure you might make sharp, but keen and smooth takes a lot of dedication to learn. Learning how to use a straight at first is best. Then after that, you can buy stones and learn to hone. By then you will have many straights. They just seem to grow. lol.

So if you want to keep costs down with SR buy used, vintage from a member. it will be ready to shave with if they say it is. Not like buying from eBay or manufacturers like Dovo. Even they don't come shave ready from the factory. They will say they are but... buying from a vendor and paying extra for pro hand honing is best.

So stick with the DE razors. Learn and buy SE razors, Injectors are fun too. Or go for the straight. buy it, have it honed and buy a strop. That is the first step. Imo buying 2 straights is even better as you can keep shaving when you send one out for honing. And keep in mind it takes 100 shaves with a straight before you really understand what your doing. It's all up to you. Just keep in mind that learning the straight takes dedication and is not something you just try now and then. We have great members who will be happy to help you to learn all that is needed.
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Welcome to B&B from the opposite coast! You're not alone in disliking Sharks, I can't get along with those blades either.
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome !!!

Jerry AKA - the Hazmat Shaver - thanks for the info. Much appreciated !!! Yeah, I figure I would need a leather strop with strop dressing when I go down the rabbit hole of purchasing a Straight Edge razor. Someone here in B&B sold off a pair of beautifully cared for straight edge razors for a great price. I should have joined sooner as I missed that deal !!!

I am thinking of getting a Dovo, but West Coast Shaving also has their own straight edges. They have one that comes with a Tortoise Red - which is beautiful in the pics I seen. I am thinking of getting this (despite it not being a Dovo or Theirs Asard) - BUT !!!.... it is made using German Steel from Solingen Germany. I am very fond of German Steel from Solingen. My kitchen knife set uses the same German steel from there with an HRC of 61 to 63. Or could it be 57. Cant really remember exactly as I used to.

Funny how you mention that it would take 100 tries before getting stright edge shaving just right. I believe others say something similar when moving from cartridge razor shaving to DE shaving. I believe I licked it on my first shot when going to DE shaving. (Thanks to investing into research on lots of forums about DE shaving before taking my first shave) But I would be very hesitant to even think I would have that same stroke of luck should I go with the SE Shaving, despite lots of youtube investments - which is why I am curious to purchase and try out straight shaving. I am prepared to invest in a leather strop, but now from what you mention about honing - is this something I have to invest in as well ? Would it be a matter of choice between stropping vs. honing ? Or does a straight edge require both ?

For someone like me, I would think that I am better off sending the blade to a hone master. But the questions I have is where experience with people like yourselves come into play here. How often does one have to strop vs. how often to hone ? I know the answer for honing would be different when comparing carbon steel versus stainless steel blades. For stropping, I figure it would be required after each shave. But I could be wrong - and this is where the experience would come to chime in to set me straight. ;-)

Thanks again !!!

DM
 
Welcome aboard!

If you like the idea of changing blades v. stropping and maintaining a straight, but want an experience in that ballpark, you could consider a shavette or kamisori that takes disposable blades. It wouldn’t be exactly the same experience, but it would be way closer than what a DE provides as far as technique.
 
If anyone is wondering about the soaps and creams I use for shaving - they are:
Taylor of Old Bond Street:
Sandalwood (soap dish) - love it
Rose - love it !!!
Lavender - new have not tried yet
Lemon Lime - new have not tried yet
Peppermint - new have not tried yet
Proraso Sandalwood (new have not tried yet)
Proraso Menthol and Eucalyptus (new have not tried yet)
Old Spice Original (new have not tried yet)
Art of Shaving Lemon - love it !!!

My pre-shave is
Proraso Sandalwood
Proraso Menthol and Eucalyptus. Love Proraso !!!
Art of Shaving Lemon - love the lemon scent
 
Definetely hate the sharks and big bens. I have a shark blade set unused which I would love to give it away to someone local.
 
Welcome aboard!

If you like the idea of changing blades v. stropping and maintaining a straight, but want an experience in that ballpark, you could consider a shavette or kamisori that takes disposable blades. It wouldn’t be exactly the same experience, but it would be way closer than what a DE provides as far as technique.

Thanks Gryffindor. For some reason, shavettes and Kamisori just does not appeal to me. The Straight Edges look sexier and have that bold statement "I can get the job done better !!!". Maybe it is the macho appeal that the straight edges exude that makes it so sexy.
 
Welcome to B&B from the opposite coast! You're not alone in disliking Sharks, I can't get along with those blades either.

Definitely hate the sharks and big bens razors. I have a shark blade set unused which I would love to give it away to someone local. But I cant seem to find anyone local. Or... I need to talk to people more about shaving.
 
To start, I too agree that learning to use a Shavette is a great way to get into straight shaving. The angle is higher but the skin stretching and hand/muscle memory are very much the same. Plus if you go with a quality Shavette like the Feather the blade should last you 8 to 12 shaves (or more). I own two of them myself. Replaceable blades so no need to have any honing done.

A strop realigns the edge of a razor after a shave. Keep in mind that the thickness of an edge is half of one micron (0.5 microns). when shaving the edge gets jagged and pushed back and forth and smashed when cutting whiskers (we are talking microscopically). So when stropping on clean leather and/or linen you are re-aligning the edge into a straight line.

Stropping with Paiste like Crox or Diamond does cut the edge and smooth out any scratches or damage in the edge. But we are talking 0.5 to 0.1 microns in size. This is about equal to 120,000 grit if it was a hone or sandpaper. We are talking so small of a cut it's really not. But it is.

There are two kinds of honing. One is done from scratch, meaning a damaged or improperly honed or repaired razor. It starts at 1000 gritstone and goes up to 12k plus. This cuts the bevel makes an edge and polishes the bevels. There are many stones and ways about this so this is very basic in explanation. The other honing is a touch-up. This is only needed when you cant get a very good cut on the whisker. A paisted strop touches-up too but stepping back to a stone means honing. Very few laps on a fine stone. Then stropping and your edge is new and good to go.

This is way more than should be explained on a welcome thread so I'm sorry for going on. Take some time to read all about this stuff in the Straight area. Honing is to grind away steal. stropping is to clean and realign. So stropping and shaving with a straight go hand in hand. Honing is to fix it after it's beyond help and to cut new again. BTW, After you learn to used a straight and strop correctly you can work your way up to being as good as Bluesman/Victor. He can have over 100 shaves on one razor before needing a touch-up. Of course, he makes his own razors too. lol.

PM if you have more questions or ask in the S.R. area. There are a lot of us who can help no matter what you choose.
 
Thanks Gryffindor. For some reason, shavettes and Kamisori just does not appeal to me. The Straight Edges look sexier and have that bold statement "I can get the job done better !!!". Maybe it is the macho appeal that the straight edges exude that makes it so sexy.
Welcome to B&B. Be sure to learn and enjoy your stay here.
I agree with you that straight razors can look very sexy and as weird as it sounds they all have their own unique personality and characteristics. On the other hand cartridges seem so bland.
DE razors are quite useful tools and can certainly get the job done in a cost effective manner but IMHO just don’t have the personality or uniqueness of straights especially the vintage ones. If only they could talk!
 
Welcome to B&B. Be sure to learn and enjoy your stay here.
I agree with you that straight razors can look very sexy and as weird as it sounds they all have their own unique personality and characteristics. On the other hand cartridges seem so bland.
DE razors are quite useful tools and can certainly get the job done in a cost effective manner but IMHO just don’t have the personality or uniqueness of straights especially the vintage ones. If only they could talk!

Ha !!! Thanks for the post !!!

Do you have experience with DE vs. SE Razors ? If so, what is your experience ? Do you find the SEs give the ultimate shave as what I've heard so far ?
 
Ha !!! Thanks for the post !!!

Do you have experience with DE vs. SE Razors ? If so, what is your experience ? Do you find the SEs give the ultimate shave as what I've heard so far ?
I’m old enough to have started shaving with a DE. Cartridges weren’t on the scene yet. I’ve used electrics, DE’s and cartridges. I’ve been using straights almost exclusively for 7 years. Occasionally I’ll use a DE( Rockwell 6s). For a newbie it’s easier to get IMHO a BBS shave with a DE until you become proficient with a straight. Definitely a higher learning curve with a straight but I think it’s worth it. Both require a very light touch. If you have facial hair you’re better with a straight because you can see exactly where blade meets the skin. A DE is kind of a guess. I think both are easier on your skin than a multi blade cartridge.
If you take the time to learn to use a truly shave ready straight you will be rewarded but have patience because it won’t happen overnight.
Anymore questions feel free to ask.
 
the DE and the SE are different animals. lol. But the SE comes in different variations and blade lengths, shapes, and thicknesses. So when trying out SE razors there are more types of razors to play with. DE is one standard design that changes a little but it's still the basic design. And all DE blades are shaped the same.
just buy a half dozen of both and your all set until next year. lol.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@discomike, you can set yourself up in the gentlemanly art of traditional straight razor (SR) shaving for about USD 100, give or take. If you want to pay more for aesthetics, there is no dollar limit.

Once @cotedupy gets round to proofreading the SR Instructions for Beginners, they will be published on B&B.
 
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