I have used straight razors in the past, but have never owned one. I have finally decided to purchase one and would appreciate any recommendations that the straight razor enthusiasts here could give me. Thanks in advance. Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
Check out ebay and Etsey. They frequently have good deals on straight razors. Bear in mind that whatever you buy, new or vintage is going to require honing to bring it up to shave-ready, regardless of what the ads say. I'd stay away from Chinese or Pakistani junk, although some have had luck with Gold Dollar. My best advice is to go with a good vintage Sheffield or Solingen blade. They are made from excellent steel and will hold an edge very well.
Vintage Razors are without a doubt the best value BUT If you don't know what to look for they can be total junk too, if in doubt ASK !!! before you buy New production razors this is the trend I am seeing as they cross my hones Dovo, Especially entry-level razors have really dropped the ball with their honing Thiers Issard, QC is up to standard again honing is better but none of us that hone can't improve on them Wacker, Very good overall presentation Revisor, Very good overall presentation Ralf Aust, Might be the best value out there right now and has been my recommendation for the last year or so I don't rate customs for the very reason that they are "Custom" each razor is different To be clear, I have never seen an out of the box SR that the edge can't be tweaked to a better shave Welcome to the Darkside
Generally starting with a 5/8 to 6/8ths is pretty much a standard recommendation. Something middle of the road so to speak - so half hollow to full hollow, maybe a rounded point (or mute the tip if square point), and everything else said above. I am shedding some razors in that range. Happy to chat via PM if you are interested. Karl
Thank you for all of the advice. I went with a Grah & Plumacher Black Diamond which was reasonably priced, mainly because not being sure if I will be sticking with straights I didn't want to invest too much....I always like to get my feet wet before diving in head first. Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
While I am at it does anyone have a recommendation for a reasonably priced strop? Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
Tony Miller’s plain Vanilla has been a great strop for the money for me. Looks like he has a plain Chocolate on sale for $40 on his site. https://heirloomrazorstrop.com/
Stirling soaps are under 3 dollars an oz. A full 5.8 oz tub is $13.60. It's easy to lather and is very slick which is perfect for straight shaving.
Thanks for the recommendation on the soap. I have a good variety of soaps, creams, croaps, etc. and if they're not slick enough I have a bottle of Glycerin handy. I have been at this for close to 30 years and have built up quite a stock pile. Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
Lol! I was tired when I saw your post. I thought you were looking for soap instead of strop. Silly me.
Tons of great info & experience has chimed in so far. YT is a great resource for watching stropping and using. I started watching the typical sellers videos, Razor Emporium, Shave Nation, etc. Then found other professionals videos, Lynn Abrams, Glen Mercurio (our very own gssixgun), and more. Those are guys that have more straight razor specific knowledge, honed and fixed all us lesser mortals errors along the way. One little tidbit...first strop will get nicked. Even being careful. Know the working parts of the razor. You’ll want to keep the shoulder of that razor off the strop, else it can make for edge problems. Welcome to the dark side.
Indeed all very good resources and I have seen many of those videos on Youtube in the past. I do have a good amount of honing and stropping experience under my belt, but have never owned my own equipment. One of my Grandfathers only shaved with straights and taught me about bevel setting, honing, stropping, etc. and as he got less capable in his older age I would maintain his SR's for him. It's probably been about 25 years since the last time I have honed and/or stropped a razor, but with a little practice I think that I will be able to get right back into it. Yesterday was my first straight shave in more years than I can remember, but it went pretty well...honestly much better than I had expected. The only issue I had was around the chin area because I was having a little trouble keeping the proper angle, but the cheeks and neck went great. I managed to get pretty decent WTG & ATG passes on neck and cheeks, but not so great around the chin. It's going to take some practice. Though my wife asking me a dozen or so questions [while I was shaving] about things that need to be done around the house was really ruining my concentration. Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
You need to explain to your wife that you can't be disturbed when straight shaving because the unexpected interruption will break your focus and that it may cause you to severely cut yourself.
Learn to lock the door, while shaving. Some of my best nicks, cuts, and gouges, have occurred when my wife decided to poke her head in, and ask questions. Or, when she decided she would just take a quick shower while I shaved, saying she would be quiet. Wife quiet?? Haaa, never happens. ..
Lol! We have seperate bathrooms and I still can't seem to shave in peace. The big fancy bathroom that I posted pics of is hers. Mine is on the opposite end of the house and if she's not playing 50 questions while I am shaving---she is in there watching me shave! I can't escape her. Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
I did later [very gently] say to her "asking questions and making me talk while I have a straight razor to my throat isn't a very good idea, because I need to concentrate on what I am doing to avoid any bloody mishaps" Unfortunately my wife quickly forgets half of our conversations. Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
Straight shave #2 went much better with no disturbances. I got up waaaay before the wife to avoid distraction. I definately had better control around the chin and jawline and got a much closer shave. I did a 3 pass shave [WTG, XTG, ATG] everywhere except for the mustache area--don't think that I will ever try the so called "fools pass" because I like the way my nose looks. A BBS was easily achievable on the cheeks and neck, and the rest is definately a DFS. No nicks, scrapes, cuts, etc. just some minor irritation here and there. I seem to be getting back into it pretty easily and I predict that straight shaving will be my new addiction. Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk
