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New To Straight Razors

I am a noob myself to the straight razor, and went with an Aust as my first.


This was soon followed by a 6/8 direct from Aust. I find that I find the 5/8 to be more maneuverable and easier to use. You would not think 1/8” would make that much of a difference, but it does. As with anything else in shaving, YMMV. This is just my experience.
 
OP, I get where you are coming from, and your trajectory is one we have seen thousands of times.

If you stay in the hobby, and are a collector, you will end up with “Classic” vintage, quality razors. Those razors are classic in every sense of the word, collectable will hold or increase their value, shave the pants off anything you are looking at and make you trash your recent RSO’s. And at the price points you are looking at or a bit more.

Look in the BST, at listings from known sellers.

Here is just one, that is a lifetime purchase at dirt cheap price, for what it is. Trust me, or better said Doc… you will not regret it.

Frederick Reynolds - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/frederick-reynolds.612439/

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If you’re new to straight razor shaving I’d advise you to start with a JJ Shorty. They are custom modified straight razors designed for inexperienced straight razor shavers. The length of the blade is shortened to give you more manoeuvrability whilst you are learning. They can be obtained from John June direct in the UK, eBay or other suppliers in the States and are very competitively price. Check out John’s YouTube channel, this month he is doing a JJ Shorty Series (September ‘21) and give tips to anyone who wants to learn or improve their technique.
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See attached photo, Dovo Limited Edition Bismarck on the left, JJ Shorty on the right.
 
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If you are really set on straight razor shaving I recommend the following. Get a modern production razor of known quality that has been professionally honed to start with. A good quality modern razor is replaceable, the blade will be straight and it will be free of geometry issues. By getting it professionally honed, ideally by a member here, you can be confident the the tool is sound. Specifically ask for it to be honed without tape. A razor like this is the easiest to learn on and maintain. Ralf Aust, Thiers Issard and Dovo Bismarck are pretty safe bets. If you go with a used model you will be taking a gamble. There are plenty of gems in the used market and even more lemons. In time you will learn what to look for. In the beginning its best to play it safe to avoid disappointment and frustration.

If I had taken that advice, when I got involved with straight razors, I would have saved myself a _lot_ of trouble.

I started experimenting with antique-shop razors, with poor results. It was only when I got a properly-honed Dovo, that I understood what "sharp" meant, and why what I had been doing, didn't work.

. Charles
 
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