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Wetshaving rookie here

Hey there shavers,
I'm a rookie wetshaver from Israel.
New to the hobby and new to the forum!

I must say I love the hobby and with 2 cheap vintage DE safety razors I want to dip my toe in straight razors without braking the student bank I'm barely holding.

I'd appreciate any tips and/or suggestions
Blessed shaves!
 
Welcome to B&B.
Do look in to the straight razor section. Straight razors will need honing and stropping so those additions to carry out those tasks can work out expensive when you add in the cost of a decent straight razor. Maybe you should try a shavette as an entry point to straight razors. Having said that you may find a cheap straight razor to bring up to shave ready condition.
 
Welcome to B&B.
Do look in to the straight razor section. Straight razors will need honing and stropping so those additions to carry out those tasks can work out expensive when you add in the cost of a decent straight razor. Maybe you should try a shavette as an entry point to straight razors. Having said that you may find a cheap straight razor to bring up to shave ready condition.

+1 to all of that, _except the last sentence_.

I advice _not_ getting a cheap straight razor, and trying to sharpen it. I tried that route, and it was very frustrating. Old / cheap straight razors can have _many_ flaws, and sharpening them can be very tricky.

I eventually got a new Dovo "Best Quality" (a "low-end" straight razor), which had been hand-honed by the dealer selling it:
. . . Only then, did I understand what "sharp" or "shave-ready" meant.

You can low-cost sharpening techniques (pastes / sandpaper / abrasive film). But you need _just as much skill_ to use those, as you do to use proper sharpening stones (or "barber hones", which are available used).

Having tried the low-cost methods, I finally bit the bullet, and got a set of full-size Norton stones (240/1000, and 4000/8000 grit), and a barber hone:
. . . Then, I could take an old blade and bring it up to "shave-ready" condition.

I may be unique, but I eventually decided that I was happier with safety razors, than with straight razors. Less cost, less hassle, fewer cuts, and _much_ less fear of the blade.

. Charles
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
A Big +1 to @cpcohen1945


[disclosure] I am not a SR shaver, although I did wade into it for a bit, then backed out. [/disclosure]

Don't go to SR shaving now. That's not a knock on SR shaving. It's because you said "student budget". Good SR shaving, as has been pointed out, requires a quality razor, and those are not cheap. It requires hones and those are definitely not cheap. It requires a strop, and good ones are definitely not cheap. I waded hip-deep into this activity and then decided to sell it all, and I won't scare you with the amount of money I had sunk into it.

Unless you know folks who are willing to gift you quality shaving gear, SR shaving is not for students on a student budget. It is for the young professional (or tradesman) a couple years into his career who is starting to accumulate a little money in his bank account and who is not living paycheck to paycheck. It may be just the thing for you then. It is not for you now.

Please understand this is not a knock on SR shaving or you trying it. It is advising you that you are not ready, financially, to wade into this part of the activity yet. Wait.

P.S. You can have a riot of a time on a limited budget with today's synthetic brushes, inexpensive vintage razors, or even new manufacture razors like the one linked below. Get a blade sampler, or just buy a great blade you like by the 100, and keep buying yourself as many lather products as you like. You can buy that razor, a decent brush (even a nice badger), and a handful of quality soaps and creams for less than the price of a Dovo razor alone. Forget the hones, strop, etc. You should definitely try SR shaving sometime. Just not now.


 
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Welcome @UglyDuckling!

I spent about 5 years in DE-land before moving to straights about 3 years ago. Pre+shave, lather making, no-pressure technique, and post+shave routine all carry over, so starting in DEs is time well spent.

But ... If the bug bites and the interest is there, you won't be satisfied until you try it. If you head that way, I'd suggest a shave-ready razor from the BST (Buy-Sell-Trade) forum. If a member is selling something as shave ready, you can pretty much guarantee it will be. You will need a strop, but you can skip the hones, stones, films, etc. You would need to periodically send your razor to any of many competent honers here on B&B. It will run you $100 - $200 for the initial investment, plus $25 for honing to "refresh" the edge every 3-4 months, but you start with a good quality setup and can focus on your straight technique.

As suggested, the Straight Razor forums offer a wealth of information on any and all topics related to straights (and some topics completely unrelated to straights).

Again, welcome!
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@UglyDuckling, welcome to B&B. For guidance on straight razors, post in the Straight Razor section, including your location (Israel) and your budget.

As others have said learning to SR shave and hone at the same time is not easy - but also not impossible. I had no one to hone for me in the Philippines so I had to do it the hard(er) way.

For traditional straight razor shaving, you will need a budget of at least ILS 300 to 400. If that is beyond your means, I suggest that you consider shaving with a shavette style straight razor. Shavette straight razor shaving is similar but different to traditional SR shaving. It is also less forgiving to mistakes than a traditional straight razor.
 
Thank you all for the greets and input!
I think I'd postpone SR shaving for now and stick with DEs.
I have a couple of vintage gillettes and a king c gillette, I've been trying an assortment of lathers and pre/post/whatevers so I'm deep into clearing my stock for now.

Anyways thanks for the advice,
Blessed shaves!
 
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