Assuming that you are thinking about buying a second razor (what I would do), I recommend that you seriously consider a "sight unseen flawed razor" from Whipped Dog. For $28.00 you will get a razor that is definitely honed and stropped correctly. The "flaw" is always something that does not affect shaving.
I would say, buy a cheap shave ready vintage razor. I have plenty of good shaving razors that lost too much material to have any value but have decades of shaving left in them, they sell around 5 euro, but shipping to the states might be a tad expensive,... If you receive a shave ready razor, DON'T strop the razor before shaving, strop a butter knife instead, in fact, just gently clean the knive with a tisue the first few shaves and practice stropping on the butterknive. Big chance the shave gets worse once you start stropping. @Dansco, shave ready is a wide range. Some hone a razor extremely sharp and very aggressive, worse then a de feather in a shavette, some hone sharp and soft, some hone so comfortable that you need to use a guilotine or anything stroke to prevent the razor from pulling. It is a matter of heard, skin, having, prefference,... It is difficult to hone for someone else. It requires good communication
Dunno..Looks Iffy to Me..To Say the Least..If @curzontom Lives in the UK as His Post Suggests..Talkin English Prices then he is Welcome to PM Me..I Have a Number of Freshly Honed Vintage SRs Available..A Couple are NOS and Quite Mint..I Also have a Couple of Chinese ZY & Gold Dollars if he Looking for a Cheaper Option..All have Superb Shaving Edges.. Billy..
Since it looks like you are in EU I would suggest you touch base with @Billyfergie and have him point you in the right direction That RSO you bought from Amazon has neither the Geometry or the Temper to ever hold a shaving edge (from what I am seeing) So many people get taken by this total junk it is a Blight on the SR community and has been for years LOL Looks like Billy and I were typing at the same time
Looks like we should have put the ( we are trained professionals, do not attempt what you read here at home)
I think this should be attached to certain people's signatures (not mentioning any names) To clarify, I'm a total amateur. I didn't say I would try it anytime soon!
with the Pakistan razors I know from personal experience that you just can’t keep an edge on them for more than an inch of a pass. I had bought a zeva razor it says solingen on it, big lie there.
Wow. This is the first time I have had a chance to come back to my post and I see so many comments so quickly. Thank you all! Ok, so given what I have read, can anyone recommend a razor I should purchase to begin with that will not break the bank? I will be asking for my money back for the razor I bought, and yes it is the one that was posted above. Another point then if I may, in my research I keep finding references to the fact that a "shave ready" new razor may not actually be so, and that honing/stropping may be required. This was why I went and bought the whetstone etc. As I was expecting this to be the case. How true is this? How can I be sure that a razor I buy WILL be shave ready? That way, I can focus on shave technique and strop technique for a good while. Yes I live in the UK - sorry, it might have helped if I had written that in my original post. Thanks again! Tom Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Most Razors are NOT Honed from the Factory..Or Lets Say Properly Honed..If You Want a Razor that You Can be SURE is Shave Ready PM Me..I Live in the UK & Hone & Sell Many Razors to Folks..None of these Razors will Break the Bank.. ASDA Price.. Billy..
You can go the Whipped Dog route if you want. You will get an ugly but very usable straight. What I would do is buy a Feather Artist. That way, you can just focus on your shaving and not have to worry about stropping or honing. Then, when the blade gets dull, you can simply swap it out. For me, the Feather simply removes so many variables and so much of the hassle; not to mention being quicker and easier. Ive got a couple WD straights, as well as a Feather Artist SS folding and guess which one gets used daily? The Feather. Some would say that you shouldnt start out with a shavette but I started out with the Feather and found it very easy to use, especially with the Proguard blades.
Many of us including me started with a Whipped Dog straight. He offers the Best prices for international shipping too. I know because I’m in South Korea. Maybe some of our UK members can help you out with a local source.
High their, @curzontom, glad you have joined us. It looks like you should have joined before ordering that RSO (razor shaped object). All good advice above. I am new to straights for about a year now. I had mine made shave ready by some real honemeisters. I am not even going to try honing myself. That is a skill I am not ready to invest in.