Gentlemen,
I have recently taken an interest in learning to shave with a straight razor and would very much appreciate some advice.
I originally thought I would get a Feather Artist Club shavette so I wouldn’t have to deal with a strop and honing while I decide if I liked a straight or not.
Further research showed people generally leaning toward just buying an inexpensive straight to get the real experience and most didn’t use the shavette for very long before moving on to a straight and seemed to regret wasting the money on it.
Do you agree with this in general?
A recommended post to read on B&B lead me to Straight Razor Designs where I found what appears to be fair prices and professional sharpening provided with each purchase.
I’m looking at one of the least expensive sets to get started. It looks like it will run me about $150 for a Dovo Best Quality 5/8” with a strop. What I can’t find for sure is if that razor is a full hollow or not, can anyone confirm this? Being a complete newbie to straights, I think a 5/8” full hollow is a good starting razor. Opinions?
I was also pointed to Whipped Dog and if I buy a vintage it looks like I can save even more money. I’ve read plenty of favorable comments about them but I haven’t done much research on vintage yet so I’m leaning toward a new Dovo or Ralf Aust. I am also considering a sight unseen razor but I think I’d like a little more control over what I get.
Is the razor and strop all I need to get started? I already have all the soaps, brushes and whatnot for DE shaving.
If I like it then I’ll have to look into getting the pastes and other items to maintain the razor but I don’t think I need those to get started do I?
Unless I absolutely fall in love with straight razor shaving I’ll most likely only use it once or twice a week on the weekends when I have time to really enjoy the experience. How often should I expect to need to send it out to be professionally honed using it once or twice a week? My beard is not coarse and assume decent technique (eventually lol).
Strop question: For the non-leather part of the strop, what would be best for me to pick, the Matched Webbing, Premium Fabric or the Hard Pressed Wool Felt and why? I plan to upgrade from the 2” to the 3” because that seems better in the long run.
I’ll be looking to make the purchase next month if all goes well so any input, recommendations and advice is appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
I have recently taken an interest in learning to shave with a straight razor and would very much appreciate some advice.
I originally thought I would get a Feather Artist Club shavette so I wouldn’t have to deal with a strop and honing while I decide if I liked a straight or not.
Further research showed people generally leaning toward just buying an inexpensive straight to get the real experience and most didn’t use the shavette for very long before moving on to a straight and seemed to regret wasting the money on it.
Do you agree with this in general?
A recommended post to read on B&B lead me to Straight Razor Designs where I found what appears to be fair prices and professional sharpening provided with each purchase.
I’m looking at one of the least expensive sets to get started. It looks like it will run me about $150 for a Dovo Best Quality 5/8” with a strop. What I can’t find for sure is if that razor is a full hollow or not, can anyone confirm this? Being a complete newbie to straights, I think a 5/8” full hollow is a good starting razor. Opinions?
I was also pointed to Whipped Dog and if I buy a vintage it looks like I can save even more money. I’ve read plenty of favorable comments about them but I haven’t done much research on vintage yet so I’m leaning toward a new Dovo or Ralf Aust. I am also considering a sight unseen razor but I think I’d like a little more control over what I get.
Is the razor and strop all I need to get started? I already have all the soaps, brushes and whatnot for DE shaving.
If I like it then I’ll have to look into getting the pastes and other items to maintain the razor but I don’t think I need those to get started do I?
Unless I absolutely fall in love with straight razor shaving I’ll most likely only use it once or twice a week on the weekends when I have time to really enjoy the experience. How often should I expect to need to send it out to be professionally honed using it once or twice a week? My beard is not coarse and assume decent technique (eventually lol).
Strop question: For the non-leather part of the strop, what would be best for me to pick, the Matched Webbing, Premium Fabric or the Hard Pressed Wool Felt and why? I plan to upgrade from the 2” to the 3” because that seems better in the long run.
I’ll be looking to make the purchase next month if all goes well so any input, recommendations and advice is appreciated.
Thanks for reading!