How about some wisdom from you old pros?

[KWyKJJ]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a straight for some time now. I've had my eye on a Dovo 6/8 carbon steel with the imitation mother of pearl scales. This is what i'm worried about... I've heard that people buy their razor and its not sharp enough. They send it out to be sharpened = $$. Then, they shave, kind of like it, strop for the first time and dull the blade. They send it out = $$. They learn to strop, but time passes and it needs to be honed. So, instead of sending it out, they buy the stones, mess it up, it has to be re-ground. They send it out = $$ I would love to learn to strop and hone my own blade but with all that can go wrong. Is it really worth it? Give me your input please because i'm on the fence.

Regards,

-JJ

 

[Luc]

My opinion, yes it's worth it.

When you buy a razor, it needs to be honed. I never got a brand new Dovo myself but it will need to be honed. You won't mess up the edge automatically on your first stropping session. Touching wood, I didn't... yet...

Having the razor honed cost money yes, but it's not that expensive.

 

[Leche]

JJ

Several places carry that razor and it comes honed. Straight Razor Designs offers one free additional honing. Read Joel's in depth guide and you will learn that you can do this without hones or just a finishing hone. You don't need all kinds of stones unless you are setting bevels or taking out chips/repairing. I have a finish hone, a Chinese 12K, that cost me 25 dollars and its all I need.

 

[mdunn]

the hardest part of shaving with a straight is deciding to go for it.

if youre careful, you wont roll your edge stropping, and you will be able to get months of shaving from it. A barbers hone, or even pastes are super cheap, and you can maintain your own edges easily indefinately.

 

[taffy]

I like you are new to this but luckily found a barber who is a superb honer and is really cheap as its his hobby though as the above posts say, if you learn to hone yourself you can save money.

 

[Huxley]

In all honestly you either do or don't there is no maybe, it's not a fast process it takes time but provided you're careful and go easy on the razor you'll be fine.

With experience you will want to hone yourself that's when it gets fun i wouldn't trade it for the world yet two months ago i was thinking about quitting.

It is worthwhile just not for those in a hurry.

 

[mattbikes1]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a straight for some time now. I've had my eye on a Dovo 6/8 carbon steel with the imitation mother of pearl scales. This is what i'm worried about... I've heard that people buy their razor and its not sharp enough. They send it out to be sharpened = $$. Then, they shave, kind of like it, strop for the first time and dull the blade. They send it out = $$. They learn to strop, but time passes and it needs to be honed. So, instead of sending it out, they buy the stones, mess it up, it has to be re-ground. They send it out = $$ I would love to learn to strop and hone my own blade but with all that can go wrong. Is it really worth it? Give me your input please because i'm on the fence.

Regards,

-JJ

First off, I am no old pro. I have been shaving with a Dovo Best Quality 5/8 carbon steel for about a month and a half. I did tons and tons of research, started shaving with a DE in January, got my straight razor about a month and a half ago and have not looked back (except for once so I got a great shave before a job interview). I was worried that I would dull my razor, which came shave ready and honed by Lynn at Vintage Blades, by rookie stropping. It has in fact only gotten smoother from what I can tell. I have never had an issue with my blade being dull or rolling the edges. I can only say that this is a result of the research I did and taking my sweet time. The worst that has happened is that I nicked my strop a few times in the first week, which is par for the course from what I have read. I have resisted the ADs even though I do plenty of window shopping and drooling, mostly due to the fact that I am broke. I have to say that I feel that I invested well and will continue to get great shaves. You can do the same if you do your research and pay attention by taking your time and not rushing. Perfect your technique (shaving and stropping) early on and you will soon be seeing the light. It will only get better. I reccomend getting a shave ready blade from a reputable dealer and you will have no issues. You can always get a barber's hone or a chinese 12k to maintain your blade. My two cents and I hope it helps.

 

[JPM]

My opinion, yes it's worth it.

When you buy a razor, it needs to be honed. I never got a brand new Dovo myself but it will need to be honed. You won't mess up the edge automatically on your first stropping session. Touching wood, I didn't... yet...

Having the razor honed cost money yes, but it's not that expensive.

+1. I bought my first Dovo at SRD and it came shave ready. I was careful stropping and luckily didn't ruin the edge. I probably got 35-45 shaves out of it before I felt I couldn't get it sharp enough with just stropping. I think it cost me all of $12 to get it honed. Not too expensive, IMO.

I just invested in a barber's hone ($19) which I am going to try out to touch up the edge when it needs it. If I don't screw it up, that should extend the time between honing even more.

 

[Magruder]

I've been shaving with a straight since July 2007 and I look forward to it every day. So I would say, yes, it's worth it.

I cannot even describe how much satisfaction I get from using a straight razor. If you were interested enough to do the research you mentioned, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

 

[Malacoda]

I'm six months in and haven't looked back - enjoy shaving more today than I ever have before.

So, would I say it's worth it? Yes, for me it is. Will it be for you? Only one way to find out...

As for the cost of learning to strop and hone through trial and error, it may not be as bad as you think.

Learning to strop isn't difficult IF you take you're time. Get yourself a cheap starter strop to learn on -- heck I even have one I'll give you if you decide to give straights a try (PM me if you do) -- and use slow, light motions. In a week or two you'll start getting in the groove.

Do that, and I say at most you might need to two, maybe three honings ($15-$20 a piece - some honemiesters in training even offer free honing from time to time) to touch up and dulling you might have caused while learning...

Then, once you learn how to shave and strop properly, you shouldn't need to send your razors out for honing more than 1 to 3 times a year depending on your beard courseness, stropping skill, and the characteristics of the blade's steel.

At that point, if you stick with it and only have 1 or 2 razors it may be more economical to just continue sending them out to be honed. If SRAD sets in and you get more you can decide whether or not to get invest in your own set of hones -- and which type and/or how much you want to spend on it. IF all you're going to do is maintain your blades (rather than restore blades) then a $30-40 barber's hone or small coticule is all you'll need to learn to use.

The one thing to keep in mind is that whatever amount of $ you invest in hones, odds are you can get 80-90% of it back (if not completely break even) by selling them on the forums if you change your mind. Hones tend not to lose too much value since there are always other beginners looking to give it a try -- or junkies (like me ) looking to add to their collections...

 

[drifwood]

As for the cost of learning to strop and hone through trial and error, it may not be as bad as you think.

+1

Definitely not a vet at honing/stropping straight razors, but I had most of the necessary gear in my basement woodworking shop. I looked at videos on YouTube, Lynn Abrams in particular, and it just wasn't that hard.

I really like the attitude most forum members bring to discussions. They are extremely positive in encouraging noobs to take their first steps in shaving. The exception seems to be when it comes to honing and stropping. A lot of posts indicate that these operations are beyond the skill level of the average person - that there is a high probability that you will screw up on the first attempt.

I'm sure people make mistakes, but there is a much higher probability of success if you follow the good tutorials that exist out there.

My advice is to start with an cheap, old but serviceable razor -- like someone here has offered you. Get it honed and stropped by a competent sharpener. Buy a strop. I would recommend a rigid paddle strop for starters -- no flex means less chance you will slice it up. Learn to slowly and carefully strop your razor. Relaxed concentration is what you want. I like to strop while sitting. I will rehearse the motions on the thigh of my jeans before moving to the leather strop. A feather light stroke away from you with the cutting edge trailing, slowly roll the razor 180* resting on its spine, then make a stroke back towards your body with the cutting edge trailing. There are no bonus points for stropping quickly.

Limit your investment to that for a few months, or until your razor needs sharpening. And then decide if you want to pay for honing equipment or send your razor out.

I put my DOVO Best Quality aside after initially destroying the cutting edge (and restoring it), and I picked up 3 "project razors" for about $30 (for all 3) at antique stores. Those are my daily shavers now, and I'm very happy with the shaves I'm getting.

Jump in and give it a try. It's nothing that generations of 15 year olds haven't done before you

Cheers,
Ian

 

[rickboone1]

Shave ready straight- $60

C12K hone for touch ups - $20

Strop- $50

*IF needed, a re-hone* $20

______________________________

$150, lifetime

vs.

$20 (4) pk cartridges, each cartridge = 3 shaves. 12 shaves for $20

Say 12 shaves = 2 weeks worth of shaving. So, $20 x 26 times per year.... $520.

 

[KWyKJJ]

You guys have talked me into it. I think it's intimidating to start off with but the longer I wait, the less practice i'm getting. I think i'm going to make my purchase and try my hand at this. For now i'll start off with the razor and strop and worry about the honing later. I appreciate all the advice and will keep everyone posted on my progress. Thanks again, guys.

Regards,

-JJ

 

[Basset]

No real difficulty selling your stuff in case it doesn't work out.

 

[JPM]

No real difficulty selling your stuff in case it doesn't work out.

Yes, we'll be happy to take it off your hands if it doesn't work out.

Good luck! The learning curve is a bit steep but if you give it time it can be really rewarding.

 

[mouscacha]

You guys have talked me into it. I think it's intimidating to start off with but the longer I wait, the less practice i'm getting. I think i'm going to make my purchase and try my hand at this. For now i'll start off with the razor and strop and worry about the honing later. I appreciate all the advice and will keep everyone posted on my progress. Thanks again, guys.

Regards,

-JJ

You may not even have to worry about rehoning for a while. Getting more blades decreases the time between honing =p

 

[superbleu]

You may not even have to worry about rehoning for a while. Getting more blades decreases the time between honing =p

Haha. I like your way of thinking!