A shave ready vintage razor and an inexpensive strop could probable be had for ~$100. That will get you in the door of the cult.So, regarding the title of this thread, what is the "moderate" cost of joining the cult of straights?
A shave ready vintage razor and an inexpensive strop could probable be had for ~$100. That will get you in the door of the cult.So, regarding the title of this thread, what is the "moderate" cost of joining the cult of straights?
Easily. And if you insisted on honing in the beginning a naniwa 12k and some sandpaper for lapping would make you a full time member.A shave ready vintage razor and an inexpensive strop could probable be had for ~$100. That will get you in the door of the cult.
I actually have a few sharpening systems. 1) Edge Pro Apex pro. 2)Spyderco tri-angke sharpmaker, and the one that I use most, 3) dmt kit, with the 3 stones it comes with, plus the extra course, and extra fine. These are not the full size bench stones, rather the ones that are like 1"x4", or somewhere in that neighborhood.PitViper, there is absolutely nothing sub par with lapping films when compared to synthetic stones. I find them a bit fussy and they do wear out, but the edges attainable are very comparable. I don't see where you listed any stones that you use for your knife sharpening, but it's likely that they will suffice for the low and mid range if you get to where you need to do more that touch up an edge. You probably only need 1 and 3 micron films. Make sure to buy plain film and not the PSA backed stuff.
I don't have any direct experience with Maggard's edges, but I'm pretty sure that I've read good things on that front.
I like everything you've said, and was thinking the film/diamond pasted balsa route to start. Also, I am gonna seek out what you have described on evayIn terms of keeping start-up costs down
1) Many brand-new razors do not come with factory edges that are really high quality. Why not? Because getting a truly shave-ready edge is pretty time-consuming and that adds to the cost. So I am a big fan of following the vintage route. There are some eBay vendors from whom you can get a user-grade shave-ready razor for $50. I do agree its good to have 2 razors to start with, and 2 shave-ready razors for under $100 is definitely possible. You can also get a non-shave ready - many decent brands are available for $20-$30, then you pay someone $20 to sharpen it - end result is a similar cost. Other benefit is that if you enjoy sharpening knives you eventually will want to hone your razors. If you have a $50 beater you won’t feel bad wearing it out practicing your honing!
2) Others have suggested and I agree - you don’t need a full set of stones. If you sharpen knives a lot then I expect that you at least have a bevel setter. So worst case you need a mid-range (4-8k) and a finisher. I don’t use lapping film much but I agree it is the cheapest route. Even with rocks you can 2 stones like this < $200 and perhaps even < $100 depending on what you choose.
3) If you plan to use stones, make sure you have a flattener - usually a diamond plate. Having a flat surface is much more important for a razor than for a knife. But you can get a cheap one for $20-$40.
4) Crox can get you a good edge. A few grades of diamond paste with balsa can get you a fantastic edge. There are a lot of ways to finish a razor’s edge, but most agree that you need to get at least to 8k grit equivalent. There are a lot of stones that can do this, Arkansas, coticule, JNAT, slate, and of course films and pasted balsa. At the beginning, all you need is ONE way.
I started with a on-line purchased razor for $75. It wasn’t quite as “shave ready” as advertised. But I had some 0.5 diamond paste from my knife sharpening, which I rubbed onto a strip of denim (literally cut from the leg of a worn-out pair of jeans). That made a big difference. I don’t use that anymore, but it held me for a month or so.
Can you spend a lot more? Absolutely. I have far more razors than I need, also far more stones than I need to keep them in good shape. And the Method honors are right - once you get the Method down, its “one and done” I almost never have to hone a razor a 2nd time - just maintain.
Wanted to add: just picked up a a near mint shave ready Fromm 5/8 from ebayI like everything you've said, and was thinking the film/diamond pasted balsa route to start. Also, I am gonna seek out what you have described on evay
That sounds like a very enticing option for starters.
Thank you!
Hi and thank you.If I get the time. I'll try and put together a guide to daily leather stropping. My guide will only cover stropping on clean hanging leather and clean hanging cloth as I am not experienced enough with pasted hanging strops. Someone else may be able to put together one for pasted stropping.
The use of pasted balsa strops is well covered here:
How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop
Having gone into some detail when asked or prompted in many threads, I thought I should comprehensively lay out the method in a separate thread, for reference. Thing 1. The Balsa Strop. Buy 3" wide balsa. Best to buy a 36" length. It is cheaper. Hobby Hut, Hobby Lobby, and other brick and...www.badgerandblade.com
There is no shortcut to learning this skill. Read all of the thread taking notes as you go. Then read all of it again to check and modify your notes. It shouldn't take longer than a few hours. Well worth it for the knowledge that you will gain.
The pasted balsa progression that I normally use is given here:
How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/how-to-use-a-pasted-balsa-strop.473580/post-11382391
Around $40 for a shave ready old beater of a vintage razor, er, I mean a classic, historical heirloom. About $40 for a nice big silvertip badger brush from Whipped Dog. $3 to $10 for a soap or cream. $20 to $50 to make a pretty good strop or buy one, fit for learning with. The razor will last around 150 years, the brush probably 20, the soap should be good for 6 months, the strop for maybe 40 years. You will need someone to hone your razor every several months unless you learn to do it yourself. About $60 for a good balsa setup, $15 for a 4th piece of acrylic and $2 or so for a sheet of 1u lapping film which you will only need once. Ditto the two coarser grades of diamond on balsa, but you will use the finest grade after every shave. I will let you do the addition.So, regarding the title of this thread, what is the "moderate" cost of joining the cult of straights?
For me it would be (March 2022 prices):So, regarding the title of this thread, what is the "moderate" cost of joining the cult of straights?
So, regarding the title of this thread, what is the "moderate" cost of joining the cult of straights?
Picked up a Gold Dollar 208 "shave ready" from razor emporium. The comparison between the two razors, and 3 shaves, I've tried with SR's is night and day! It is indeed shave ready. This won't be my last razor, as I prefer German steel, and will save for something I really want. But for now, todays shave was near perfect, barring the 2 small areas of razor burn and one nick. But, this is a procedural issue, not the razor. I now know what a shave ready SR feels like. I am quite amazed, btw, as it was very low cost. Now...technique. I have the 2 areas the left and right of the windpipe that the grain goes in a different direction. No matter what I try to tighten the skin, etc, I cannot get those areas right going wtg. So, they ended up being across the grain/against the grain. (feel free to educate me on the correct acronyms!). One nick, but I was pleasantly surprised, in fact. Neither of the previous 2 razors I tried I don't think could nick me, as careful as I am. It was just like the youtube videos, where you just let the weight of the blade cut the hair. No tugging, pulling, tearing, nor pain. Quite impressive. I will definitely pursue this hobby in more detail!I would suggest before worrying about sharpening your razor you find an edge you like to shave with. Let's you practice maintaining an edge and see what type of edge you want to chase.
I suggest a decent hanging strop, you can find suggestions on this site somewhere. The paste you have will be good at bringing any shave ready razor you have back to life possibly (might want to keep medium for razor separate from knife. Not sure if paste set up for knife might have something in it that ruins the razor edge)
Sorry, meant adam's apple!Picked up a Gold Dollar 208 "shave ready" from razor emporium. The comparison between the two razors, and 3 shaves, I've tried with SR's is night and day! It is indeed shave ready. This won't be my last razor, as I prefer German steel, and will save for something I really want. But for now, todays shave was near perfect, barring the 2 small areas of razor burn and one nick. But, this is a procedural issue, not the razor. I now know what a shave ready SR feels like. I am quite amazed, btw, as it was very low cost. Now...technique. I have the 2 areas the left and right of the windpipe that the grain goes in a different direction. No matter what I try to tighten the skin, etc, I cannot get those areas right going wtg. So, they ended up being across the grain/against the grain. (feel free to educate me on the correct acronyms!). One nick, but I was pleasantly surprised, in fact. Neither of the previous 2 razors I tried I don't think could nick me, as careful as I am. It was just like the youtube videos, where you just let the weight of the blade cut the hair. No tugging, pulling, tearing, nor pain. Quite impressive. I will definitely pursue this hobby in more detail!
Viper
Awesome! glad you got a shave ready razor to try out. I would try out natural edges as well, I recommend Doc226 and a jnat edge. Also now is a great time to really master stropping which is a very important skill to have down pat. I believe a lot of times people try to master honing before they can strop and it leads to many issues and overcomplicationsPicked up a Gold Dollar 208 "shave ready" from razor emporium. The comparison between the two razors, and 3 shaves, I've tried with SR's is night and day! It is indeed shave ready. This won't be my last razor, as I prefer German steel, and will save for something I really want. But for now, todays shave was near perfect, barring the 2 small areas of razor burn and one nick. But, this is a procedural issue, not the razor. I now know what a shave ready SR feels like. I am quite amazed, btw, as it was very low cost. Now...technique. I have the 2 areas the left and right of the windpipe that the grain goes in a different direction. No matter what I try to tighten the skin, etc, I cannot get those areas right going wtg. So, they ended up being across the grain/against the grain. (feel free to educate me on the correct acronyms!). One nick, but I was pleasantly surprised, in fact. Neither of the previous 2 razors I tried I don't think could nick me, as careful as I am. It was just like the youtube videos, where you just let the weight of the blade cut the hair. No tugging, pulling, tearing, nor pain. Quite impressive. I will definitely pursue this hobby in more detail!
Viper
Now, before it gets dull from use, is a good time to take it to the next level, with the balsa strop progression.Picked up a Gold Dollar 208 "shave ready" from razor emporium. The comparison between the two razors, and 3 shaves, I've tried with SR's is night and day! It is indeed shave ready. This won't be my last razor, as I prefer German steel, and will save for something I really want. But for now, todays shave was near perfect, barring the 2 small areas of razor burn and one nick. But, this is a procedural issue, not the razor. I now know what a shave ready SR feels like. I am quite amazed, btw, as it was very low cost. Now...technique. I have the 2 areas the left and right of the windpipe that the grain goes in a different direction. No matter what I try to tighten the skin, etc, I cannot get those areas right going wtg. So, they ended up being across the grain/against the grain. (feel free to educate me on the correct acronyms!). One nick, but I was pleasantly surprised, in fact. Neither of the previous 2 razors I tried I don't think could nick me, as careful as I am. It was just like the youtube videos, where you just let the weight of the blade cut the hair. No tugging, pulling, tearing, nor pain. Quite impressive. I will definitely pursue this hobby in more detail!
Viper
Thank you for that.For me it would be (March 2022 prices):
SR Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60 = USD 20 (AliExpress)
Honing of SR = USD 30 (incl. shipping both ways)
Strop generic Chinese 60mm wide = USD 12 (AliExpress)
Brush generic Chinese synthetic = USD 3 (AliExpress)
Shaving cream or stick, your choice from about USD 3 (local)
Diamond pastes (0.5μm, 0.25μm & 0.1μm) USD 25 incl. shipping
3 x balsa strops USD 25 total
USD 118 total including shipping. With a Gold Dollar 208 or P81, you could save about USD 10 but I prefer timber scales on my SR. You could also do it about USD 10 cheaper by doing your own honing using lapping films (about USD 20 for the gear), but then you have a lot more reading, studying and learning to do.
So it is possible to get a reasonably good setup for under USD 100 with everything except soap lasting you 10 years or more of daily shaving.
Thank you for that.
I made the mistake of watching The Perfect Edge guy from Massachusetts video. He uses Shapton Glass stones. I priced out what I'd need including the Stone Pond, Stone Holder, the Stones, Lapping Plate... wow... scared the feces out of me. I'm afraid, I'll have to stay with AC SE razors to avoid the sticker shock.
^^ I've got about 1 week to ponder this while I wait for my acrylic sheets to arrive... Thanks for putting it so bluntly....Nobody can help you if you do not follow advice well given...