Ideas for first straight edge

[DEshvr]

I've been DE shaving for about the past 3 years but have been interested lately in moving into straight edge shaving. I've been searching eBay and amazon and have come across a couple such as the link below.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=141006727213&cmd=VIDESC

I've got a budget of about $150: I'm not looking for a crazy expensive one, I've read several posts of people getting great shaves with cheaper ones but I'd be willing to spend the money if it was actually worth it. Would anyone be able to point me to a few good straight edge razors?

 

[temjeito]

Whippeddog.com. Get two sight-unseen razors and the poor man's strop kit. Thank me later.

 

[Slash McCoy]

+1 on the Whipped Dog! Best deal in town!

Also:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/361859-Gold-Dollars-66-22-shipped-conus-SHAVE-ready

This is a slightly modified Gold Dollar #66 razor from China. They are reviled in certain circles as a piece of worthless crap, but they are actually pretty good steel, just poorly made. The defects, though, are correctible and then they can be honed shave-ready, and they are great shavers. That is what Buca does, correcting and honing them so that they are usable, and you get one for $22. My suggestion is get a Whipped Dog vintage razor, AND a Gold Dollar. You really want more than one razor. While you are at Larry's site, pick up a cheap badger brush, and maybe the Poor Man Strop Kit. You can strop on newspaper, as well. A nicer strop, great deal for the money, is the Big Daddy at www.starshaving.com. I got two and I love them.

 

[RVshave]

I would look for a vintage razor at least 6/8 which is in the middle of the range you can then decide if you want larger or smaller and 6/8 will be easier to keep flat on the strop. Make sure it is shave ready. See if you can get one honed by an expert, if you get a truely shave ready razor professionally honed just wipe it off and shave with it and you'll get an idea what a great Str8 is. More than one newb has taken a honed razor to the strop before the shave and rolled the edge.

 

[Dave_D]

+1 on the suggestion for Whipped dog on a vintage razor of 5/8 or 6/8 and strop kit. Both sizes are good starters and actually what I ended up staying with.

 

[DEshvr]

Thanks for the responses! I've been doing some searching around and looking at links posted in the forums. I came across a couple from starshaving.com that caught my eye.
http://shop.starshaving.com/product.sc?productId=36&categoryId=7

http://shop.starshaving.com/product.sc?productId=60&categoryId=7

And a leather strop from the same site: http://shop.starshaving.com/product.sc?productId=51&categoryId=2


I checked out Whipped dogg but for whwatever reason razors that are thinner and longer don't seem to catch my eye, I seem to like the shorter wider ones.

 

[Slash McCoy]

The G&F razors are not thought highly of, on a certain other internet razor discussion forum and it is said that they are difficult to hone. I have had a couple and found them to be no worse than any other and are somewhat higher quality than a Dovo "Best". YMMV. But a Whipped Dog is a bigger bang for the buck. Or a $22 shave ready Gold Dollar from Buca. Those are nice beefy 6/8 razors. You could also ask Larry if he has any 6/8 or 7/8 sight unseens.

 

[Jboone78]

$22 shave ready from Buca is how I got started a few weeks back...great edge and shaves! He is a top notch guy to deal with as well.

 

[totorlekiller]

I myself started on some exotic new thing off ebay. In my case it was a heavy, made in pakistan damascus blade.
Looked cool, but was not made right and I never manage to hone it. It might have been honable, but that would require equipment and skills I did not have. I kept working at it for months not going anywhere, when finally my wife bought me a brand new Thiers Issard.
In the end, I lost the $50 or so I paid for that first beast and my straight shaving experience got more delayed and more frustrating than it should have been.

So in conclusion, the thing you found on eBay might be made to work, but if you are new to it, my recommendation would be to stick to something that is known to work.
- go cheap with a shave ready gold dollar
- go vintage with a whipped dog
- or go new with a Thiers Issard or a Dovo - Although, in the case of Dovo, mine (the 2nd straight my wife bought me) did not come exactly shave ready. Close, but not really.

 

[Monsieur Blaireau]

I never bought from Larry at Whipped Dog, but did have a little email back and forth with him once when I was looking to get my grandfather's straight honed so I could get started shaving with it. Based on the communication I had with him and his reputation here and elsewhere, I'd agree that that seems like a good way for you to go right now. So does the idea of a new Theirs Issard. I have two French razors, and they're great shavers. If I were looking for a new TI and had $150 to spend, I'd check this out (though again I have no first hand experience): http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=1427&cat=214&page=1