How much to invest for a newbie?

[msouthern]

Hello all -

Just wondering how much you need to spend on a straight razor to be able to enter the club?? I imagine there is a "breaking point"... Go less, and you won't enjoy the experience and be discouraged. Go over, and it's all gravy.

What did you spend to start? What should I budget, and are there better "starter brands" of razors that I should be looking for?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[BillC]

Buca3152 has been selling shave ready Gold Dollars for $22 in the hobbyist section, I think that's probably the floor for a razor. If you already have a brush and soap/cream the only other thing you'd need is a strop. If you want to go ultra cheap you can start off stropping on folded newspaper, otherwise the floor is probably a whipped dog travel strop at $12 or (better) a poor man's strop kit at $25. That gets you up and running under $50.

 

[totorlekiller]

You can go cheap. But part of the experience is handling a nice piece of art.
You can get a splendid Vorpal razor from Seraphim (a modified Gold dollar 66) for between 50 and 100 (much closer to 50 typically) or you could pick up something on ebay and get it honed.

For a bit less than 200 you can get a new, Thiers Issard at the art of shaving.
Those are very nice. This is how I started and loved the experience.
Now, I got some better and nice razors since on ebay for much cheaper, but it requires patience and is a hit or miss game.

 

[gash]

I think I paid around $75 for a complete setup from Whipped Dog (razor, poor-man's strop kit, and shipping), although that was a couple of years ago.

I think that it may be possible to get started for a bit less than that, but I'd recommend it only if resources were scarce. That setup has everything you need, and the razor is quite sharp.

 

[Lmarkow]

I think this is a matter of what you see yourself in the mirror enjoying. I went with a shave ready B/S/T razor from a member as my first. It was at a price that I wouldn't have minded paying for a shaving experiment, in case this wasn't for me. Wound up being a pretty good investment, initially, that has now cost me a small fortune . . . .

 

[weizemanner]

I have spent a lot of time on this forum and SRP and have yet to hear a bad word about Whipped Dog. Star Shaving has some good looking strops for a reasonable price.

Some strop paste or diamond spray would be a good idea too.

Keep $20 handy in case you accidentally dull or damage your razor and need to have it re-honed. Unless you are a hard-headed stubborn fool like me and decide to take up honing your own razors.

I would plan to spend $100 minimum for a good experience. For $200 you can shop around and get a very high-end shaving experience, or a basic setup and some hones. Anything more than that is going to be purely cosmetic (gravy) IMHO.

 

[Seraphim]

How much to invest?




Eventually, you will invest every last dime you possess!


Start out slow....you will pick up speed quickly.

Next thing you know, packages from EBay that you forgot that you even ordered will be arriving at your doorstep. Strops, hones, polishes, pastes all swirling about your shave den in a kaleidoscope of bank account draining frenzy.

One day you will awake with an empty checking account, but a BBS face.


Go forth young man, and purchase!

 

[plato]

For a bit less than 200 you can get a new, Thiers Issard at the art of shaving.
Those are very nice. This is how I started and loved the experience.

I love AoS. But like many new shavers, I was turned off by their prices on brushes and razors (both DE and their fusion handles). Is this different with their straights? Are the straights there priced ok?

 

[darkxshiki]

i think whipped dog is a good starting place with around $100 you can get a started with everything you need unless you already have some of the supply like shaving soap and brush.

 

[Kentos]

There are many ways to go about it. Buying a whipped dog set up, buying a Gold Dollar from one of our hobbyists, testing the waters with a Shavette that uses DE blades, etc. All are a good way to see if straight shaving is for you. My only advice is to take things slowly, and expect more than a few lousy shaves as you learn. A 25.00 shave ready Gold Dollar will shave just as well as a 600.00 custom, just as the municipal bus will get you to the prom just as well as the stretch limo will...it's all about style. IMO of course.

 

[wiskibubbles]

I was the same way and all these guys have the right idea. What I did was not the cheapest but it was a fairly cheap buy. I had a strop made at a saddle repair shop. (it was cheap and it supported local business) and I was looking around the hobbyist section. the GDs from Buca3152 (as its been said) or you can look around. I was going to buy a Vorpal from Seraphim but the one I wanted sold the day I messaged him ( it was sweet looking too). Insted I bought a Geneva from noahpictures. Noah is a stand up dude. He asked me all the questions if i had a strop and what not and he sent me the razor quickly shave ready and with a very well written How to. I have yet to shave with a GD but there are tons who do. I just need to hone mine or get it honed. all in all if you have the rest of the supplies you will spend something like 50 dollars. (strop and GD). I have yet to deal with Larry but a few people I know and work with have and they say he's amazing.

 

[Slash McCoy]

A $100 budget will set you up fairly well for now. What they said. Razor, strop, brush. I suggest also getting a piece of balsa 3" x 12" and pasting one side with .5u diamond, (www.tedpella.com for the paste) and the other with .1u diamond. Strop on the .1u side after every shave.

GD from Buca, or vintage from Larry at whipped dog. There's your razor. Maybe get two. Maybe one from each. Larry's badger brushes are really cheap and pretty good brushes from a functional point of view. I love my Big Daddy strop from star shaving. Plural, actually... I have two of them. Mug from the thrift store. Puck of VDH soap from the drugstore. Pinaud Clubman or Old Spice aftershave. The only thing else you need is whiskers to cut.

 

[California Cajun]

Hello all -

Just wondering how much you need to spend on a straight razor to be able to enter the club?? I imagine there is a "breaking point"... Go less, and you won't enjoy the experience and be discouraged. Go over, and it's all gravy.

What did you spend to start? What should I budget, and are there better "starter brands" of razors that I should be looking for?

Thanks,
Michael

I think the rule of thumb I followed when I started was to read all the responses and then decide what I would like to have. Everyone (including myself) who responded is a straight razor shaver who asked that very same question to his fellow members when he started.

I'm going to contribute to the confusion by suggesting you read two links in my signature that were helpful to me, "Is Straight Razor Shaving For You?" and "Shaving Made Easy." The former is an article by someone who led a hectic life and wanted something that made him slow down and relax for a few minutes a day, and straight razor shaving was it for him. The latter link is an online book written in 1905, but is just as relevant today as it was back then. These materials kind of give you a feel and comfort level with all aspects of straight razor shaving.

 

[drmatt357]

How much to invest?




Eventually, you will invest every last dime you possess!


Start out slow....you will pick up speed quickly.

Next thing you know, packages from EBay that you forgot that you even ordered will be arriving at your doorstep. Strops, hones, polishes, pastes all swirling about your shave den in a kaleidoscope of bank account draining frenzy.

One day you will awake with an empty checking account, but a BBS face.


Go forth young man, and purchase!

This pretty much sums it up! LOL
Well stated Seraphim😂

 

[jkcerda]

Tagged

 

[PapaFish]

If you are asking yourself this question, you probably want to start out cheap so that you can recover most of the money if it turns out you don't enjoy straight shaving. Whipped Dog will set you up with an inexpensive straight, strop, and pasted balsa strop. If you don't like straights, you won't be out too much money when you resell it in the BST.

If you just want to see if you enjoy straight shaving in general, you can get a Sextoblade or similar that takes disposable blades. You can get one for under $20 typically. I have one, with 7 brand new blades, that I haven't touched in upwards of a year. Sextoblades shave great, and I have had great luck with the Fromm blades. No stropping, no honing, just shaving. These are great for traveling, too.

 

[August West]

I think you can start for a C note.

 

[jkcerda]

If you are asking yourself this question, you probably want to start out cheap so that you can recover most of the money if it turns out you don't enjoy straight shaving. Whipped Dog will set you up with an inexpensive straight, strop, and pasted balsa strop. If you don't like straights, you won't be out too much money when you resell it in the BST.

If you just want to see if you enjoy straight shaving in general, you can get a Sextoblade or similar that takes disposable blades. You can get one for under $20 typically. I have one, with 7 brand new blades, that I haven't touched in upwards of a year. Sextoblades shave great, and I have had great luck with the Fromm blades. No stropping, no honing, just shaving. These are great for traveling, too.

I did not like mine at all, I prefer the shavette to the sexto blade. the blades, even new suck IMHO.

 

[PapaFish]

I did not like mine at all, I prefer the shavette to the sexto blade. the blades, even new suck IMHO.

I guess I should have added a YMMV at the end . I never tried any other blades, but I know a few other companies make blades that fit the Sextoblade. Personna is one.

 

[hokahay]

Psst! Wanna know how to make a small fortune in straight razor investing? Start out with a large one!