Is this a good deal for a starter straight razor?

[Gregny2002]

Hi everyone. Great forum, I've learned a ton since I began lurking here the other day, and I've decided that I wanna try out a straight razor. I've been looking around, and I found this:

http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=886&cat=230&page=1

Which seems like a decent deal for someone who is experimenting with straights. But I'm wondering if it's really that great, and whether 'professionally honed' means that it was sharpened manually or by machine.

Thanks, and sorry if this has been asked a million times; I did a variety of searches for this particular deal and didn't find anything.

 

[Troggie]

That is a fine blade for a starter.. and when it says professionally honed from them it means you can take it out of the box and shave with it.

 

[superbleu]

You can read more about what you would get here.

Vintage blade uses the services of Lynn Abrams to hone the razors they sell.

And Vintage blade is a top notch outfit, I highly recommend them.

 

[Gregny2002]

Great, thanks for the quick reply.

Also, is there anything else you think I should pick up along with it? I don't wanna go all-in and get a honing stone and all that yet, but is there anything else that would make the first couple of weeks easier aside from the strop? I've read about honing pastes but I'm not sure if it worth picking up.

 

[superbleu]

Don't need paste yet, just the razor and strop. Focus on that for now.
When you get your strop practice with a butter knife, and go slow (sounds silly I know) but you don't want to cut your brand new strop unnecessarily.
I am guessing you already have a brush and cream/soap? If not those would be good to pick up too.

 

[natchez]

Welcome to B&B!

Good vendor, the razor will be excellent out of the box. This is also not a bad deal- latigo makes for a good stropping surface.

The Dovo is an excellent starter razor. Actually, it is a really great razor for anyone- half hollow, good steel.

You might nick up your first strop, if you have never stropped before. So, you might consider that razor, but getting or making a starter strop. I found a 2 1/2" wide strop easier to learn on than a 2", but that is me. Since I made my own, I could experiment.

You can make your own starter strop pretty easily by buying a pre-cut leather strap from a leather store, like Tandy, cutting it with a razor knife, just punching a hole and finding a cord to attach it to a towel bar, doorknob, or a hook in the wall.

Good luck and remember besides the razor and strop you need some patience

 

[Gregny2002]

Thanks again. I went ahead and ordered the Devo...now we play the waiting game.

I don't really have a brush and cream actually, I normally just use standard shaving cream. My brother does have a brush/bowl setup (I live with him) and he probably won't mind if I use his until I get my own stuff together.

Would you consider a proper cream setup to be very important, and would you recommend a brand? I'll have to try and find an instructional video on how to mix and apply the stuff too.

 

[Pkrankow]

Thanks again. I went ahead and ordered the Devo...now we play the waiting game.

I don't really have a brush and cream actually, I normally just use standard shaving cream. My brother does have a brush/bowl setup (I live with him) and he probably won't mind if I use his until I get my own stuff together.

Would you consider a proper cream setup to be very important, and would you recommend a brand? I'll have to try and find an instructional video on how to mix and apply the stuff too.

Since you are borrowing, see what your brother likes. Remember to buy him a fresh soap/cream that he likes as a "thank you" when you get yours.

I have been using a tweezerman badger and a VDH boar for brushes, and like both. They are very cheap as brushes go.

Phil

 

[Gregny2002]

Hmm, good idea, I'll get him something. The thing is, he just started DE shaving recently himself, so he only has a small set (cream, brush, etc) and I was looking for a more knowledgeable opinion. Don't worry though, I'll just peruse the cream/brush forums for a bit to get an idea.

 

[superbleu]

For straights I think using a proper cream or soap makes a big difference, with a safety bar/ Double edge razor you can get away with foam in a can, but with a straight razor you need slickness. See if you can find the real shaving company, Kiss my face, or Creamo cream locally, or C O bigelow at Bath and body works, the body shop shave cream, crabtree and evelyn shave creams (the soaps are subpar IMO) or Art of shaving shave creams or soaps.

 

[brianw]

Welcome.... Is your brother a member here? Sure hope so.... Enjoy the ride, glad to have you aboard

 

[Munxcub]

For straights I think using a proper cream or soap makes a big difference, with a safety bar/ Double edge razor you can get away with foam in a can, but with a straight razor you need slickness. See if you can find the real shaving company, Kiss my face, or Creamo cream locally, or C O bigelow at Bath and body works, the body shop shave cream, crabtree and evelyn shave creams (the soaps are subpar IMO) or Art of shaving shave creams or soaps.

+1 to this. Since going from DE to straights it has been eye opening in how well my current soaps actually perform.

 

[Go West Young Man]

After 'proper technique', soap/cream imo makes the biggest single difference to the quality of your shave. The actual razor you use is far less important than prepping your face properly.

 

[Munxcub]

But it's not as if having proper face prep/lather will cancel out bad technique, and good technique won't make a non-shave ready blade shave well... You kind of need all three. Decent technique (so you don't cut yourself), good lather and face prep, and a shave ready blade.

Kind of the like fire triangle (is it still a triangle?).

 

[ouch]

Some great replies here, and I'm glad munxcub touched upon the big catch-22 of straight razor shaving: any weak link in your chain will kill the shave.

The two basic skills a straight razor user must master are shaving and maintaining. The former will take longer- it can take years to master all of the angles and the particularities of your face. And if you don't plan on learning to maintain your blade as needed (both honing and stropping) you should simply forget about it.

The big problem occurs at the beginning. You are far more likely to dull that delicate edge by virtue of errant technique or stropping when you're just starting out. This is why it's critical to start with a shave ready blade (there are many options, and VBLLC will provide you with a good one), so you'll have a point of reference. If you don't know what a good edge is like, you won't know when it needs addressing.

Guys will tell you that you can get months or years out of your blade before you'll need to have it honed, but this is an overly optimistic viewpoint that depends on a lot of "ifs". This may be true after you have mastered the requisite routines, but it's far more likely that you'll be crying for help. Don't despair- it may at times appear to be an impossible task, but it can be done. Stick with it and take it slowly, and you'll get there.

 

[Gregny2002]

My blade hasn't arrived yet, and has been sitting at the UPS depot a few miles away for three days now . Oh well. Anyway, what do you think is a more realistic amount of time before my blade will need sharpening? Assuming I don't drop it or anything, and shave maybe once or twice a week with it.