Just wanted to say hi and if I am going about this the right way.

[NewShockerGuy]

Just wanted to say hello and I started really looking at this forum a lot lately.
Using a straight razor has always intrigued me... and honestly I am looking to pick up another hobby... I am tired of using the Mach3 stuff.. it is always dull and honestly more of a hassle to shave with because of the shape of the razors.

So I am reading a LOT on here about straight razors and do's/don'ts..etc.

I am seriously looking at a vintage razor such as the below attached picture.

I have read a lot about going the whipped dog route which makes sense from the "will I like this" route and money route to learn but another part of me wants a nicer straight razor in to start and enjoy it...etc.

Is there any downfall to possibly starting out with a little nicer razor in the beginning? I can't imagine me not liking this honestly because I HATE shaving with these disposable stuff. I love gadgets and I tend to make a process out of everything so I feel like this will fit my personality quite well...

I know the below razors are not a round tip blade but I'm not worried about getting nicked and cut, I look at that as a learning experience since my mach 3 destroys my face now it can't be any worse...

Just looking for some recommendations or a reason NOT to get something that is vintage. I don't like the newly manufactured blades and I like the fact that something was hand craft 50+ years ago...

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[Greglam]

Cheers, Nigel, and welcome to B&B! I will watch this thread with great interest as I am considering many of the same questions you have asked in my proposed change from DE shaving to straights.



-Greg

 

[hillbilly pick]

I was watching these as am sure others here are. Either one of these would be great razors. That W&B looks like it has been polished within an inch of its life.

That said, the round tips are not a guarantee that you will not cut yourself. I find that the spike tips give you a better idea of where the sharpest edge begins. The round points have the extra metal hanging off the end and can get in the way and be confusing while learning.

i got a WD sight unseen last year and shaved a dozen times with it and learned how to strop with the poor mans that comes with. I cut the strop and dulled the razor the. Learned how to strop on balsa (also included). I now have almost 20 vintage blades, hones, films, and a better strop.

i would say ease in and before long you can have a better idea of how far you want to go.

good luck

 

[hillbilly pick]

Is it me or does it look as though neither one of these razors has a bevel?

 

[Soldierdan]

Is it me or does it look as though neither one of these razors has a bevel?

+1

 

[Seraphim]

Buy a razor that you like.

No such thing as a "beginner" straight.


Then go out and buy 10-20 more razors like the rest of the guys around here!

 

[NewShockerGuy]

hahah!

I know that is what is going to happen... I will have more than one that is for sure. My wife is just shaking her head because she knows it's going to start again..haha

Is there anything I should look out for when looking online for vintage blades? The one pictured above with the black handle looks to have pitting on the blade, is that ok? Obviously buying online I can't hold or feel it so I have to go on how it looks and the description, anything to stand out as red flags that should turn someone away. IE: I don't want to buy a vintage razor only to find out that it's garbage but just polished to make it seem like it was great...etc.

Thanks so far!

I'm getting super excited to start this!

-Nigel

 

[alpster]

hahah!

I know that is what is going to happen... I will have more than one that is for sure. My wife is just shaking her head because she knows it's going to start again..haha

Is there anything I should look out for when looking online for vintage blades? The one pictured above with the black handle looks to have pitting on the blade, is that ok? Obviously buying online I can't hold or feel it so I have to go on how it looks and the description, anything to stand out as red flags that should turn someone away. IE: I don't want to buy a vintage razor only to find out that it's garbage but just polished to make it seem like it was great...etc.

Thanks so far!

I'm getting super excited to start this!

-Nigel

Have fun getting into the SR crazyness.....

Look at this link to another B7B post before buying used razors...

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/353097-Looking-To-Buy-a-Flea-Market-Razor-Look-Here!

 

[hillbilly pick]

There are many threads about buying vintage blades, especially on bay. Get one or two from a vender so that you can get some shaves under your belt.

when you get it/them, look t them closly and take notes. The main thing is flat ___ or smile. No frown in shaving edge. Rust and pitting are bad unless you had time and tools.

I'm out of time for now but use the search bar and "" for specific searches. Learn, learn, learn.

 

[Gamma]

Forget the Ann Landers advice from the 'advisory committees'.
Buy whatever makes you happy.

 

[Coaster88]

A nice vintage is a good route, just make sure it comes from a reputable vendor.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Welp I didn't win the auction above for those two nice razors, one went for almost 200 dollars and the other went for almost 110... :-(


I did however pick up this one: Traveler Straight Razor #349, the JR Torrey Razor Co Worcester, Mass
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Tra...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


He said it's not shave ready but very close, so I am going to read up on honing or perhaps send it to someone?


Do you think this is an alright one to start with?


Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[KW Driver]

that'll do fine with a hone. I'd recommend sending it out for a hone. as far as shaving and honing, I say learn one at a time. it's a bit of a steep curve for both. as far as that goes, are you wet shaving with your Mach 3 yet? getting the lather down now, while you wait for a hone would be a good thing too in my opinion. again, one learning curve at a time.

and I'd also get a poor man's strop kit from Whipped Dog. it's the best bang for your buck, because you will tear it up, period. you can spend more, and later replace the leather component, but I personally see no reason to go the pricy route on something that you'll tear up.

simply my opinion, and worth exactly as much as you credit it.

 

[jpcwon]

that'll do fine with a hone. I'd recommend sending it out for a hone. as far as shaving and honing, I say learn one at a time. it's a bit of a steep curve for both.

+1...

I am one of those people who tried to teach myself honing AND straight shaving at the same time. While I eventually learned both, it was slow going for a while becuase it's just too much to try and learn all at once...I would agree with KW Driver - send it out to be honed to start. Then you can always pick up honing later on once you have the shaving portion down...

 

[Gamma]

I love it - a new term, "very close to shave ready".

Learning to hone and shave at the same time has advantages as well as disadvantages.
Which is kinda like anything else in this world I think.

Having survived that approach, I found that it pushed me to learn both aspects rather quickly.
Getting a bench-mark edge from someone else to compare my efforts to helped.
Side by side performance comparisons helped me get on-point real fast.

I'm not keen on advice where everything should be done this/that way or any particular order.
I didn't want to wait - I did not want to become reliant on anyone else's efforts just so I could shave whiskers off my face/neck.

Everyone is different though, and any way is fine for anyone.
Point is, there's no wrong way to do any of it. How you feel comfortable doing things is just fine.
Worst case scenario - you muck up an edge or two and you wind up using the Mach for a few days.
There's no problem with that really - at the end of the day it's just a razor and shaving.
And there's no race to win. We get there when we get there.

 

[ash410]

I have found the difference between "shave ready" and "very close to shave ready" !
I bought a "shave ready" razor a while ago, used it a couple of times then put it away only recently did I dust off the cobwebs and start using it again. I had been getting a reasonable shave from it but did not realise how much of an edge it had lost until I purchased another (yup a slippery slope ) "shave ready" razor and used it. The difference was amazing, I think that my stropping technique must have been letting me down. I only wish that I had I bought two shave ready razors at the same time to have a "baseline" to compare to !
Anyway a little work with my lapping film and strop[ should hopefully bring it back

 

[Krodor]

Going about this the wrong way? If yer dead, yer doing it wrong.

 

[yung puck]

I was advised to begin with a shavette,they can be unforgiving though,I tried some straights but they must not of been shave ready(lots of tuggin)-then I tried the shavette and started learning the muscle memory needed to work with a straight

i use safety razors and dovo shavette,(feather)never really got in with the real straights (I have a few) but understand that honing is an art itself and I don't have the time or desire to do that myself

but good luck on your learning
everyone here started different
i don't think there is a wrong way to begin
some learning curves maybe more difficult.

 

[Brianskeet]

I agree with much of the advise here. The only place I recommend staying cheap for now is the strop! I am a pretty mechanical fella and have worked with my hands my whole life, but I still managed to nick my first strop several times in the learning process. A good thick piece of latigo is fairly easy to repair by the way.

 

[Slash McCoy]

What they said. Learning to hone and learning to shave with what you are learning to hone on is an exercise in frustration. Too confusing. Learn to shave first. Get a second razor when the first gets dull, to shave with while you attempt to hone the first one. That way you are only sending one razor out, one time, but still shaving with a shave-ready razor honed by an experienced honer until you are honing on your own.

Your first strop should be cheap. In fact, it should be free. Why chop up your Whipped Dog Poor Man strop? For the first week, strop on newspaper. Fold a sheet up into a long page-length strip. Pass an end over something like a towel rack and pinch both ends together, Pull it tight and strop. Make your mistakes on that.

I like the Big Daddy strop from www.starshaving.com.

A Whipped Dog razor is a great first or second razor. Quite a few happy newbies are shaving with one of Buca's Gold Dollars, too. Get a Virginia Sheng badger brush cheap on the bay, a mug from the thrift store, and a puck of VDH soap and you are in the game for cheap.