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Beginner to straights looking for hardware recommendations to be good to go for a long time (until I buy even better SR's down the road).

I think I'd like a quarter hollow, but it seems Hart Steel (one of the few who make new and not-too-expensive quarter hollows) isn't what it used to be, according to what I'm reading here and there.

Why do I think I want quarter hollow? Because heavy and less noise seems preferable to me than light and noisy. I want that blade to glide and cut like it's a hot knife through butter. And last I checked, butter doesn't make much noise. Haha! And less passes. I would think a heavier blade would allow for less passes, and thus less irritation. I do one pass with a Gillette Mach 3 and I've got it pretty baby smooth.

Seeing as I can't seem to find anything of the top brands in quarter hollow variety for less than $150, I found a 5/8 Thiers Issard 1937 Special Coiffeur half-hollow. Thoughts on this one?

Then for sharpening... should I get a Naniwa 10 or 12k and a strop? Should I get something called a coticule? What would you recommend in the wedge to half hollow territory and what sharpening/honing tools would make sure I have a very sharp edge all the time for the next 10 years without having to buy anything more?

Thank you!
 
As a fellow newbie, I recommend a shavette. I got the Parker SRW Stainless Steel Straight Edge Barber Razor & 100 Shark Super Stainless Blades for something a little over $23. This lets you learn how to use a SR without the added learning of stropping, honing, etc. I bought the shavette and have been using it for 3 weeks now.

I did buy a regular SR and was trying it under my sideburns. Then I backed off, too many changes at once. I will be going to the SR, but want to get my technique down with the shavette first.

Good luck!

[Edit:] And welcome to the forum!
 
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I would also add that you don't want to mess up an expensive SR while you are on a learning curve as far as stropping, honing, profiling etc. I would start with a less expensive SR (not necessarily poor quality), to practice your maintenance skills.
 
You make a very valid point. I don’t want to mess up a $130 SR with the learning curve. But I’d be okay messing up a cheap Gold Dollar. What I don’t want to mess up is my face with a poor quality SR.
 
I would start out with a vintage straight that is sold as "shave ready".......which may or may not be. if looking on a E site.......make sure it's a seller that sells razors as a main thing.

if youre not sure you will stick with this dont dump a lot if money into it. if this case...... get a cheap strop. this in theory would get you buy until you make a decision. you will know pretty quick where you stand in regard to this.

if you are 80% sure come hell or high water you're gonna make it work.....willingly taking the good and the bad. get a slightly nicer strop or a good one that at least has some good reviews. skip the stone worry for a bit. if you're chomping at the bit........ buy one light green 3M lapping film sheet 8 1/2 x 11 on the E site for $5. mount film on glass or marble. equivalent of around 14k grit and can help out edges.

slick lather more than your used to.........good stropping are key starting out.

read and soak up as much as you can here.

wear out the search button.

good luck.....you've formally been warned.

camo
 
Thiers Issard 1937 Special Coiffeur

Firstly, welcome! And congrats on moving into the world of straights.

I had the above razor and it was quite nice. But after experimenting with full hollow to near-wedge, I found I generally prefer the heavier grinds and so sent the TI off to a good home. Nothing against this razor.

I'd suggest that if you think you would prefer a heavier grind, none of that silly "singing" stuff, then the Special Coiffure may not be your thing. It's still a great razor. But, like me, you may end up passing it along. No harm in that. But you may also find that 1/2 hollow suits you. You never know until you try them, and there are a lot to try.

As for "sharpening", there are two "types" of sharpening. The first is putting an edge on a dull razor. For that you need a progression of lower grit stones or films. Then there is "refreshing the edge", where you are just again applying the finishing touches to an already sharp razor. For that s 12k is just fine.

If you start with a truly sharp razor and strop well before and after the shave, you should never have to go back to the beginning and should only have to "refresh" every few (2 - 6+) months depending on your beard and your technique.

Best of luck. Check out the Straight forums. And never be afraid to ask questions.
 
Firstly, welcome! And congrats on moving into the world of straights.

I had the above razor and it was quite nice. But after experimenting with full hollow to near-wedge, I found I generally prefer the heavier grinds and so sent the TI off to a good home. Nothing against this razor.

I'd suggest that if you think you would prefer a heavier grind, none of that silly "singing" stuff, then the Special Coiffure may not be your thing. It's still a great razor. But, like me, you may end up passing it along. No harm in that. But you may also find that 1/2 hollow suits you. You never know until you try them, and there are a lot to try.

As for "sharpening", there are two "types" of sharpening. The first is putting an edge on a dull razor. For that you need a progression of lower grit stones or films. Then there is "refreshing the edge", where you are just again applying the finishing touches to an already sharp razor. For that s 12k is just fine.

If you start with a truly sharp razor and strop well before and after the shave, you should never have to go back to the beginning and should only have to "refresh" every few (2 - 6+) months depending on your beard and your technique.

Best of luck. Check out the Straight forums. And never be afraid to ask questions.

Good knowledge. I know, I have a feeling quarter hollow would be ideal, but I’m just not seeing many of them, and nearly none of them at a decent price.

There’s so many things to acquire when going into straight razors that a cheap SR is probably a good idea. Worst comes to worst, the soaps and stones will still be useful. But my intention is to get past that curve and enjoy the art and maintenance.
Thank you kindly for the guidance.
 
you need a cheep razor to practice stropping on. thats the fundamental you need to master. also honing. i would not recommend buying a expensive razor and ruin the edge on a strop. you can get it but dont use it until you can properly strop. as far as honing goes. all you really need is the last stone to revive the edge from time to time. and get a professional hone when you need that. until your a professional honer yourself. they probably got a forum just for that.
 
My advice would be to buy the Naniwa 12k and a 3 inch wide strop. I pull the strop tight and strop very lightly about 50 laps a lap being once up and once down. That Naniwa is a good stone and will do you fine for learning to hone, and then for 95% of situations for the future. I’d get two shave ready razors that way you have one to compare the other to while you learn to hone. It doesn’t take long to learn enough to get a smooth sharp shaving edge plus that stone is convenient to use, just a spray and away you go. I use this Naniwa with about 10-15 laps. I also use lapping films sometimes and except for dropping the odd razor and needing to repair an edge I could do all I need on the 12k.
so in summary, a 3 inch wide strop, 2 shave ready straights and the Naniwa 12k and you’re golden.
 
Beginner to straights looking for hardware recommendations to be good to go for a long time (until I buy even better SR's down the road).

I think I'd like a quarter hollow, but it seems Hart Steel (one of the few who make new and not-too-expensive quarter hollows) isn't what it used to be, according to what I'm reading here and there.

Why do I think I want quarter hollow? Because heavy and less noise seems preferable to me than light and noisy. I want that blade to glide and cut like it's a hot knife through butter. And last I checked, butter doesn't make much noise. Haha! And less passes. I would think a heavier blade would allow for less passes, and thus less irritation. I do one pass with a Gillette Mach 3 and I've got it pretty baby smooth.

Seeing as I can't seem to find anything of the top brands in quarter hollow variety for less than $150, I found a 5/8 Thiers Issard 1937 Special Coiffeur half-hollow. Thoughts on this one?

Then for sharpening... should I get a Naniwa 10 or 12k and a strop? Should I get something called a coticule? What would you recommend in the wedge to half hollow territory and what sharpening/honing tools would make sure I have a very sharp edge all the time for the next 10 years without having to buy anything more?

Thank you!

Hello speak. You have a few misconceptions that maybe we can help you with. What you call "noise" is to some of us "singing". Unlike double edge blades which are locked down and thus can't resonate, a straight razor is like a diving board or tuning fork fixed at one end, with the distal end free to vibrate. That allows the blade to resonate. The hollow ground in particular resonates well, because the hollow shape acts a little bit like a megaphone. The sound that the razor makes is distinctive with respect to the particular angle that you are shaving at. With time and experience, you will learn to know whether you are at the correct angle at any particular part of your face by the sound the razor makes. Thus, a singing razor is a feature, not a disadvantage.

You might consider a professionally honed Gold Dollar 208 to start with. They are cheap. Shaves as well as some $150.00 razors from famous manufacturers. For now don't worry about stones and honing. Just get a razor, a strop, a brush and some soap. First you need to learn how to shave and that is going to take a few months. Then you can worry about touching up or honing your razor. If you strop it properly and don't abuse it, it should be good for 60-80 shaves before it needs a touch up.
 
Hello speak. You have a few misconceptions that maybe we can help you with. What you call "noise" is to some of us "singing". Unlike double edge blades which are locked down and thus can't resonate, a straight razor is like a diving board or tuning fork fixed at one end, with the distal end free to vibrate. That allows the blade to resonate. The hollow ground in particular resonates well, because the hollow shape acts a little bit like a megaphone. The sound that the razor makes is distinctive with respect to the particular angle that you are shaving at. With time and experience, you will learn to know whether you are at the correct angle at any particular part of your face by the sound the razor makes. Thus, a singing razor is a feature, not a disadvantage.

You might consider a professionally honed Gold Dollar 208 to start with. They are cheap. Shaves as well as some $150.00 razors from famous manufacturers. For now don't worry about stones and honing. Just get a razor, a strop, a brush and some soap. First you need to learn how to shave and that is going to take a few months. Then you can worry about touching up or honing your razor. If you strop it properly and don't abuse it, it should be good for 60-80 shaves before it needs a touch up.

I think I agree that this is probably the best path. Very interesting about the angle and the singing. I appreciate the knowledge. Thank you!
 
Also, be ready for the razor not feeling all that sharp during the early shaves. It’s not like a cartridge or a DE it takes time to get the pressure right before it will cut close. It’s easy to mistake this for a dull blade, but as you get more experienced you will be able to see where it’s the blade dulling or your technique. Typically though, with gentle daily stropping an edge will last for many shaves.
 
My advice would be to buy the Naniwa 12k and a 3 inch wide strop. I pull the strop tight and strop very lightly about 50 laps a lap being once up and once down. That Naniwa is a good stone and will do you fine for learning to hone, and then for 95% of situations for the future. I’d get two shave ready razors that way you have one to compare the other to while you learn to hone. It doesn’t take long to learn enough to get a smooth sharp shaving edge plus that stone is convenient to use, just a spray and away you go. I use this Naniwa with about 10-15 laps. I also use lapping films sometimes and except for dropping the odd razor and needing to repair an edge I could do all I need on the 12k.
so in summary, a 3 inch wide strop, 2 shave ready straights and the Naniwa 12k and you’re golden.

I think once I need a stone, the Naniwa will be the way to go. Of course you then have to get a flattening stone, a holder, etc. For now, a shave ready 208, a double-sided strop block, a synthetic brush and some Ariana & Evans St Barts seems like the ticket. All in for about 120.

Great recommendations on here, thank you gents.
 
I've ordered your recommendation, Tedolph. I'll learn on the GD208 6/8 half hollow. I can spend 6 months with that and go from there. I ordered it shave ready from Wet Shaving Products, cost about $35.

Got some inexpensive stuff off Amazon as I'm now taking advantage of Amazon Student Prime. Got a double sided strop block for $30, A&E St Barts for $21, some synthetic brush for $15, and an alum block and styptic just in case. Here we go!
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I think once I need a stone, the Naniwa will be the way to go. Of course you then have to get a flattening stone, a holder, etc. For now, a shave ready 208, a double-sided strop block, a synthetic brush and some Ariana & Evans St Barts seems like the ticket. All in for about 120.

Great recommendations on here, thank you gents.
I would recommend lapping film to avoid the additional maintenance of the Stone itself. In the beginning, keep it as simple as possible. I prefer film over synthetic stones in any case.
 
I think once I need a stone, the Naniwa will be the way to go. Of course you then have to get a flattening stone, a holder, etc. For now, a shave ready 208, a double-sided strop block, a synthetic brush and some Ariana & Evans St Barts seems like the ticket. All in for about 120.

Great recommendations on here, thank you gents.
Sounds good, for flattening the stone when you get one I use 320 grit sandpaper glued to a flat tile and yeah you’d need a little box for your stone etc
 
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