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I'm in! Going straight - razor

Well, as much as I am enjoying my break away from cartridge shaving with my DE, I figured wth and jumped into my first straight razor.

1598208578503.png


I went with a Thiers-Issard razor singing hollow
6 / 8th blade.

Now I've been binge reading this site and watching shave videos and patiently awaiting its arrival.

Cheers!
:straight:
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Well, as much as I am enjoying my break away from cartridge shaving with my DE, I figured wth and jumped into my first straight razor.

View attachment 1144119

I went with a Thiers-Issard razor singing hollow
6 / 8th blade.

Now I've been binge reading this site and watching shave videos and patiently awaiting its arrival.

Cheers!
:straight:
You are certainly jumping in at the deep end with a top-tier SR. I would suggest that you also get a bottom-tier SR, preferably shave-ready, that you can practice with before you even strip your Thiers-Issard.

Don't forget that there are also matching #-day sets to explore 😁.
 
Welcome to the club. This is probably the best shaving decision you will ever make. Congratulations on the Thiers Issard. It’s a fine razor that will serve you well. I have a very similar one and it’s a good bit of steel. In my opinion you’ve done exactly the right thing in skipping the cheap stage and starting on a decent modern razor of proven quality. Mine came shave ready from the factory. You can test this by running a few hanging hair tests when it arrives. Of course you can always improve on the factory edge.

Now BEFORE the razor arrives, please go out and get yourself a decent hanging strop and read up on The Method of honing. This is a very simple, low cost and highly effective method for making and maintaining very sharp razor edges. There are many other ways to sharpen razors once you get more advanced. Too many people rush into this with only half the equipment. This is a recipe for disappointment. With a good strop and a Method setup you will have everything you need to get the most out of your razor and fix any mistakes yourself so that you can keep shaving.

Good luck on your SR journey.
 
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Welcome to the club. This is probably the best shaving decision you will ever make. Congratulations on the Thiers Issard. It’s a fine razor that will serve you well. I have a very similar one and it’s a good bit of steel. In my opinion you’ve done exactly the right thing in skipping the cheap stage and starting on a decent modern razor of proven quality. Mine came shave ready from the factory. You can test this by running a few hanging hair tests when it arrives. Of course you can always improve on the factory edge.

Now BEFORE the razor arrives, please go out and get yourself a decent hanging strop and read up on The Method of honing. This is a very simple, low cost and highly effective method for making and maintaining very sharp razor edges. There are many other ways to sharpen razors once you get more advanced. Too many people rush into this with only half the equipment. This is a recipe for disappointment. With a good strop and a Method setup you will have everything you need to get the most out of your razor and fix any mistakes yourself so that you can keep shaving.

Good luck on your SR journey.
Tomo is this what you are referring to as "the method"?

 
Tomo is this what you are referring to as "the method"?

That’s the one. Honing your own razor is the way to go. It’s pretty easy and doesn’t require much gear. If you are in Australia I can send you a list of places to get the films, acrylic, balsa and diamond paste.

Arguably the most important piece of kit you will need is a good hanging strop. Heirloom strops by Tony Miller are good quality and good value for money. Tony is a member here and his products are well regarded. Horse hide and linen are the traditional material choices. It may be wise to get a replacement leather piece with your order. Lots of guys end up cutting there first strop. Tony sells spare parts. I’ve been careful with mine and haven’t had any issues in about 8 months of daily use.

 
Sigh... I like that razor and now want one. Alas I am dedicated to vintage razors...

And yes, get a hanging strop. Don’t fool with paddle leather strops. They work, but a hanging strop is easy to keep in the bathroom (shave den) and is much more forgiving.
 

Raymondmillbrae

Totally bogus
When I used a cartridge razor shaving was a chore. I switched to DE and it became enjoyable. Then I switched to straights and it became zen.

Well said.

I initially got into DE shaving, and purchased a nice DE razor. ($250.00).

I gravitated towards a “straight“ soon thereafter.

No loss on the DE, as I still use it as a daily head shaver. (Outstanding head shaves, and no more bumps or skin irritation).

But the straights took me to a different level.

Primal.

Base.

Nostalgic.

Man, steel, sharpness and finesse.

Enjoying my “Tao of Steel Edge”.

Take note of others advice to purchase a good strop.

I won a Tony Miller strop here on a PIF...which made me purchase my first straight razor.

I’m a firm believer in patronizing vendors, so I went back and purchased one of Tony Millers Premium “Old No 2” horsehide strops, with heavy handles and flax linen strop.

It should be arriving any day now.

Enjoy your new lifestyle addition.
 
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You are certainly jumping in at the deep end with a top-tier SR. I would suggest that you also get a bottom-tier SR, preferably shave-ready, that you can practice with before you even strip your Thiers-Issard.

Don't forget that there are also matching #-day sets to explore 😁.
The first part is spot on, second part another rabbit hole lol
 
Well unfortunately life sometimes can throw you a curveball. Just as I was getting set up to start learning to straight razor shave, got the razor, a Tony Miller strop and some other gear. On the way home from some errands a young driver plowed into me in my lane on a back road wooded turn, so now two weeks after the ER and a splint, I'm sitting in a cast for the next month until my right wrist heals - it was fractured across the whole bone. Luckily no serious other injuries and the young driver was not injured.

I did try a little bit of straight just left-handed but being a novice anyways this was pretty tough to do for my entire face, so back to DE for now until my wrist heals. 🤕
 
Congrats & welcome aboard!

I've also started with a top-tier 6/8 razor (Koraat), as my very first real straight (used a Parker shavette b4 that).

TI is a great choice IMO - enjoy! You might want to get a Naniwa 3K/10K combo wet stone with a matching lapping plate. I'd forgo "the method", too much hassle IMHO.
 
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