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GIVEAWAY! PIF - Straight Razor Starter Kit

I have recently been the recipient of a very generous PIF from @EclipseRedRing. In the spirit of the PIF I would like to pay his kindness forward with a PIF of my own. Along my straight razor journey, I have accumulated some surplus items. I have put a few of these together to make a straight razor starter kit.

This PIF is open to all members that are foolish enough to try their hand at straight razor shaving. The winner will receive a set containing all the items required to learn the gentlemanly art. With this equipment you will be able to maintain your razor for about three months of daily shaves. After that you will need some more diamond paste. By that point you should have a good idea if SR shaving is for you. It is assumed that as a member of the forum you will already have a shaving soap, brush and aftershave. The set contains the following items

1 x Shave ready, vintage Bengall razor
1 x New Titan hanging strop
1 x 0.1 micron diamond pasted balsa strop (pre-pasted)
1 x Set of instructions prepared by @rbscebu

By entering the PIF you agree to PIF a razor of your own if successful. The PIF will run until 21 October 2022. To enter simply post “I’m in” along with your location and reason for wanting to try a straight razor.


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rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
A wonderful PIF and I am happy that I was able to contribute in my own small way.

That T.R. Cadman "Bengall" should make a great starter razor and one that remains a very satisfying SR to shave with for many decades to come.
 
I’m in and I’m from Brazil.

SR seems a natural progression after starting shaving with a DE. Also, I like to hand sharpening my kitchen knives, so I would like to learn how to hone a SR (one more rabbit hole 😂).

Wet shaving is a very small niche in my country, SR are more niche. I never found SR equipment here. I really like a SR shave ready to experience a proper edge.

PS. If I win, it’s possible to buy a new razor in US for the PIF? Sending one of my razors from Brazil is super expensive and packages are often “lost” by the local post office :rolleyes:
 
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rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I’m in and I’m from Brazil.

SR seems a natural progression after starting shaving with a DE. Also, I like to hand sharpening my kitchen knives, so I would like to learn how to hone a SR (one more rabbit hole 😂).

Wet shaving is a very small niche in my country, SR are more niche. I never found SR equipment here. I really like a SR shave ready to experience a proper edge.

PS. If I win, it’s possible to buy a new razor in US for the PIF? Sending one of my razors from Brazil is super expensive and packages are often “lost” by the local post office :rolleyes:
@hugosf, you would be a very worthy recipient of this PIF. I wish you luck.

@Tomo is shipping from Australia. With a Cadman "Bengall" that Tomo has honed, you should be set for a life of exceptional SR shaving.

If you maintain the Bengall on the included pasted balsa strop as per the instructions provided with the PIF, your Bengall (baring physical damage) should never need honing again. The balsa strop will need relapping and repasting after about 3 months so you will need to buy some 0.1μm diamond paste. There are a few suppliers of this paste. PM me if you need some links.

The Brazilian postal service sounds similar to the Philippines postal service. Fortunately in the Philippines, you often soon find the exact "lost" item listed online in a local classifieds site for a little less than the declared value. Filipinos are thoughtful like that.
 
If you maintain the Bengall on the included pasted balsa strop as per the instructions provided with the PIF, your Bengall (baring physical damage) should never need honing again
Yes, it’s a bad ideas mess with a proper honed SR.

If I like SR, my plan is get some Gold Dollars to learn how to hone. I’ve learned hand sharpening knives with cheap kitchen knives. Probably hone a SR is more difficult than sharpening a knife.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Yes, it’s a bad ideas mess with a proper honed SR.

If I like SR, my plan is get some Gold Dollars to learn how to hone. I’ve learned hand sharpening knives with cheap kitchen knives. Probably hone a SR is more difficult than sharpening a knife.
Best if you forget everything you know about knife sharpening when starting out on SR honing. A Gold Dollar 208 or their 1996 (aka P81) are good SRs to lean honing on.
 
Best if you forget everything you know about knife sharpening when starting out on SR honing. A Gold Dollar 208 or their 1996 (aka P81) are good SRs to lean honing on.
I really like the idea to master a manual labor, that’s why I like hand sharp my knives and polish my shoes. Also, I didn’t like disposable products, so the SR is ultimate razor 😃. Unfortunately time is scarce, although from time to time, it’s relaxing learn a new skill.

The Brazilian postal service sounds similar to the Philippines postal service.
Top 3 most hated public service in the country 😂. Sometimes the packages takes some beat up. I’m certain that Hulk works as a mailman here.
 
Wow. What can I say? This is a very cool and very generous PIF. I'm very interested in becoming a straight razor shaver so, with that said, I'm in. 🎟️

I recently relocated and am now living in Oregon, USA. My reason for wanting to try straight razor shaving is that I've been a traditional wet shaver for over 10 years now. I have extensive experience with double edge razors and even though I had many vintage single edge razors in my collection, I never gave them the time of day. That is until this last September when I decided to participate in B&B's wonderful SEptember event. In anticipation of the event, I pulled out a number of my vintage single edge razors, cleaned them up, acquired the needed blades and was ready to go. After a month of single edge use, I really started thinking about straight razors. I asked myself why was I ignoring this amazing world in traditional wet shaving? I was stupid for ignoring single edge razors for so long. This includes straights.

A little about my personality. I am and have always been very curious by nature. When something piques my interest, nothing will really stop me from seeking out more information and/or first-hand experience. In a general sense I very much love learning. I love variety and to try new things. With all this said, the amount of education that goes into learning how to hone, maintain and shave with straight razors presents a great opportunity to feed my natural tendencies but also appeals to me as I have a huge passion for traditional wet shaving. I have a nice collection of vintage razors as well as a few moderns, along with some recently acquired vintage straights that I'd like to restore and ultimately use. Being that I'm green, many here have said that it's a necessity that newbies have a true shave ready razor on hand to use as a training tool to practice actually shaving with but also as a reference to gauge as to what a real shave ready edge is supposed to feel like. Obviously, this helps for honing education purposes.

I hope this wasn't too long winded. Anyway, good luck to everyone that enters.
 
I’m in from CONUS. Thank you.

Have been getting the itch to try a straight. The hope is that if successful, i can get a closer WTG shave as ATG is no go for me. Tried just about every other option except straights. Maybe itll be the solution im looking for.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Congratulations @Time Bandit. I think you won't be disappointed.

@hugosf and @Z-2 , don't worry too much about not winning. I hope to have a similar PIF posted (with a Cadman Bengall) within the next couple of weeks. Just waiting for the balsa wood to arrive from China. It is currently in the Australian postal system.
 
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