So...what do I need?

[Herr Noobien]

The holidays are finally upon us! I have been considering a straight razor for quite some although I was never really prepared to start since the cost was quite high. However, I now have a part time job (thanks to the aforementioned holidays) and I think I can get started.

I read the guides and it's a bit overwhelming to be honest. I want to be able to hone my own blades since I don't really know anyone in Perth and it seems like a hassle to get it sent off for honing. Is it possible to hone a razor myself without ruining the blade? I'm not going to be buying anything off ebay (in fact I was thinking about the Edwin Jagger branded Dovo 5/8's from the english shaving company). I was also looking at the poor man's strop kit from whippeddog.com.

Any recommendations?

Thanks everyone.

 

[Herr Noobien]

Would a shavette be a good way to see if I like the straight razor shave? I know that there are differing opinions on this, but I certainly don't mind loosing out on the $30 it takes to buy a stainless steel Dovo Shavette if I don't like it, as opposed to spending more than $150 for the entire straight razor setup and finding out that it's not for me :/

 

[Drybonz]

Would a shavette be a good way to see if I like the straight razor shave? I know that there are differing opinions on this, but I certainly don't mind loosing out on the $30 it takes to buy a stainless steel Dovo Shavette if I don't like it, as opposed to spending more than $150 for the entire straight razor setup and finding out that it's not for me :/

I would not recommend it. It's not the same experience, and if you don't like the shavette, there's a good chance you will still like straight razors, and then you wasted the money on the shavette.

My advice is do it right and get yourself a straight and strop.

 

[Herr Noobien]

I would not recommend it. It's not the same experience, and if you don't like the shavette, there's a good chance you will still like straight razors, and then you wasted the money on the shavette.

My advice is do it right and get yourself a straight and strop.

Fair enough. I suppose my largest problem is the honing. If it makes a difference, I'm not going to try restoring a razor or anything very difficult. I just want to be able to hone my razor every month or so.

 

[Munxcub]

In that case I would suggest getting a basic shave ready straight setup, try it for a couple weeks, if you like it get yourself a backup shave ready straight. This way, when you need to send one out for honing, you switch to you backup. No downtime, and whipped dog has backups for $20 I think. (they won't be lookers but they'll get the job done)

 

[Herr Noobien]

So honing my own blades is a no go? Curse the B&B interactive guide, it makes it look so easy

I have my soaps, brush, aftershave and so on from my DE shaving. I just need a razor and a strop.
I'm looking at one of these:

http://www.theenglishshavingcompany...t Throat razors, Strops & Paste@b|0|user||13|

http://www.theenglishshavingcompany...t Throat razors, Strops & Paste@b|0|user||13|

It SAYS that they are shave ready, but I don't think that's the case. I could also get the poor man's strop kit from Larry so I would end up with a complete setup for well under $100AUD (If I'm prepared to pay for the shavette, might as well pay a bit more and get the real deal).

 

[Munxcub]

honing your blades is by no means a no go. For some reason I thought I read you didn't want to hone...

You could get some pasted strops to use for maintaining an edge for quite some time, and later on get some hones. You won't need to take it to the hones every month. Some guys here are getting a few months just with proper stropping. A pasted strop can keep the edge fresh for months after that. maybe 2-3 times a year would it HAVE to hit the hones... but who can resist tinkering? That's just another area where ADs can bite you. heh

 

[Drybonz]

So honing my own blades is a no go? Curse the B&B interactive guide, it makes it look so easy

Your best bet is to get a razor that has been honed by a pro, or send your first razor to a pro for honing. This will give you an idea of what a well-honed razor is going to feel like.

Then when you pick up honing for yourself, you will know what to shoot for. I have been straight shaving for about a month and have not entered into the realm of honing yet... and this is fine because my straights were professionally honed so I have not had to worry about it yet.

All you really need to get going is a shave-ready razor and a strop.

 

[Fbones24]

If you do want to hone your own razors, there are a number of different routes you can take.

The cheapest route would be a barber's hone. They are all over Ebay and available from vendor sites for cheap. You could get a natural stone (coticule, japanese, etc.), but the learning curve on these could be steep and there are too many variables.

I recommend a Naniwa 10k or 12k superstone. They are about double the price of a barber hone and half the price of a nice natural. They are very easy to learn on and will put a very fine edge on your razor when it needs it.

 

[Herr Noobien]

A pasted strop can keep the edge fresh for months after that. maybe 2-3 times a year would it HAVE to hit the hones...

How much would I be looking at to get a pasted strop? I know the pastes are quite inexpensive...

Your best bet is to get a razor that has been honed by a pro, or send your first razor to a pro for honing. This will give you an idea of what a well-honed razor is going to feel like.

Sounds good. I certainly wouldn't mind sending it off once or twice if it helps me learn.

If you do want to hone your own razors, there are a number of different routes you can take.

The cheapest route would be a barber's hone. They are all over Ebay and available from vendor sites for cheap. You could get a natural stone (coticule, japanese, etc.), but the learning curve on these could be steep and there are too many variables.

I recommend a Naniwa 10k or 12k superstone. They are about double the price of a barber hone and half the price of a nice natural. They are very easy to learn on and will put a very fine edge on your razor when it needs it.

Is there a guide on how to use them? The guide posted here makes it look so easy after you lap the stone...Will I also need a slurry stone?

 

[Fbones24]

You do not need a slurry stone with synthetic stones such as the naniwas. There are people who hone on synthetics with slurry, but for the purposes of touching up an already shave ready razor, this is not needed.

 

[Munxcub]

How much would I be looking at to get a pasted strop? I know the pastes are quite inexpensive...

Well you can make a pasted strop out of many things, felt, balsa wood, canvas, linen, leather, etc, etc... They will all have different effects with the same paste/abrasive material. You get one with the poor man's strop kit from whipped dog I think.

Sounds good. I certainly wouldn't mind sending it off once or twice if it helps me learn.

There are some good dudes in Australia who could help you out with shave ready edges.

Is there a guide on how to use them? The guide posted here makes it look so easy after you lap the stone...Will I also need a slurry stone?

You might need a slurry stone, with the naturals probably, with synthetics I don't think so. Follow the guides, read the forums, watch the videos, and hit the stones and expect terrible results at first. But they'll get better with practice. That's where I am right now... almost getting there after a week or more of trying to hone it. haha

 

[Drybonz]

Sounds good. I certainly wouldn't mind sending it off once or twice if it helps me learn.

It will definitely help you learn. The problem you are going to face, if you get a razor that you are not sure is at peak shaving condition, is that every day you will shave and not know if problems you are having are due to your technique, or to the condition of the razor... this happened to me, and it is frustrating.

So get yourself a verified shave-ready razor and a strop. You really don't need to worry about pastes, or any of that stuff for a bit, IMHO. All you need is a razor in good shave-ready condition and a strop with which to polish your razor each day.

If you have these things you can get started and learn how to do it... then you can move on to honing, etc... when the need arises.

 

[Luc]

My take on this.

Skip the shavette.

The get started, you need:

1x Straight razor shave ready
1x strop

That's all. You can add a shaving brush, shaving soap, shaving cream, aftershave to complete the experience.

I tried both the shavette and straight razor and really did not like the shavette experience. I tried more than 1 brand of disposable straight and it's not that good.

This page can help you: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Straight_Razor_FAQs

For your first straight, make sure that a pro honed it. I would not recommend doing it yourself at this stage. Get the minimum, if you don't like it, you won't be stuck with much.

 

[Herr Noobien]

Righto, just a straight and strop it is then. I suppose I will worry about the hones later and I'm sure that one of my fellow Aussies will be able to point me in the direction of a pro. Like I said, I still have all my other equipment from my DE shaving. A couple of questions though, how do you actually end up nicking the strop and how can you damage the edge of the razor via stropping? I just want to know how NOT to strop.

 

[Luc]

Righto, just a straight and strop it is then. I suppose I will worry about the hones later and I'm sure that one of my fellow Aussies will be able to point me in the direction of a pro. Like I said, I still have all my other equipment from my DE shaving. A couple of questions though, how do you actually end up nicking the strop and how can you damage the edge of the razor via stropping? I just want to know how NOT to strop.

Honemeister: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Honemeister

You can browse B/S/T and find a shave ready straight (which will avoid the honemeister). While you learn (let say 10 shaves down the track), think about getting a second shave ready straight. That way, you can have a backup while #1 is being honed.

Next, nick the strop. That's the bit that we all do by mistake and eventually, do less, almost never or never. With experience, it becomes better.

You will nick the strop usually when you do a lap and when you get to the end of the strop, some have a tendency to, without noticing, pulling the straight a bit toward yourself or pushing it a bit while the edge is still touching the leather. The leather will catch and you will eat the strop. Don't go too quickly, take your time, it's not the V8 Supercars...

Damaging the edge. This occurs when the straight is not flat on the strop while stropping (so only the edge touch the strop) or if you apply some pressure on the edge. I do apply a tiny bit of pressure to be sure that my edge is making full contact with the leather but, really not hard. If you press too much or just strop the edge instead of laying the straight flat, you risk rolling the edge.

 

[Gustav]

+1 on getting the razor and the strop to start with in order to keep the cost low in the beginning. I do not know if there is an equivalent to Whippeddog.com in the land of OZ. But if shipping and customs from the US is not too bad you can get yourself a shave ready setup for very little money.

When you learn straight shaving, the shaving itself is challenging enough as it is. In the very beginning you will want to keep the variables as low as possible. Use the same brush, the same soap that you like and know to lather well and the same razor honed by a reputable professional. If you add learning to hone into the mixture you are heading for trouble since you will not know what is wrong when you get a really crap shave: was it the honing, poor stropping or was it just technique. When the honing was done by a pro, at least you do not have to worry about that. Good luck, straights are great fun and terribly addictive.

 

[johnmrson]

PM sent to see if I can help you out with a straight.