So I'm looking in to getting a new straight razor but i don't know much about them. I wanted to get something cheap to try and i was looking at Whipped Dog Sight Unseen Flawed Razor to try it out. Has anyone ever heard of this site and have any recommendations. I have been using a safety razor for about 6 months and was looking to get a straight for like a good sunday shave not every day for now. I plan on using my DE for every day shaving. Also I have a Parker SR1 and its fun to use but I want a real SR and I don't really want to spend $200 on it. If i can get that one from Whipped Dog with some cosmetic flaws I'm ok with that as long as it shaves like its supposed to and later upgrade.
Whipped Dog deals do have some cosmetic flaws and aren't the prettiest; however he does find razors with good steel and does a good job honing them and are great for getting into straights on a budget. He's highly recommended.
Ok thanks thats good to know it looked a little to good to be true. I don't really mind some cosmetic flaws for my first blade. Who is going to talk bad about a man with a ugly straight razor.
No one around these parts! Oh! Almost forgot to mention, occasionally Glen @ GemStarCustoms occasionally has some of his "Damn Fine Shaver" series that are usually only a couple of dollars more than the Whipped Dog deal.
The Whipped Dog strops are not bad for beginner ones. You'll want something inexpensive BUT quality for your first one. There's bound to be the occasional nick here and there as you learn and it's better to do that on a less than $60 strop than something in the $90+ range. Other than that, straight razor designs strops are relatively inexpensive and of the highest quality. http://www.straightrazordesigns.com I'm actually looking at getting one of their 3" models.
I have a Whipped Dog strop I purchased from a fellow TSD member & it is all I've been using to learn upon. For my first strop, it does quite nicely. As my stropping technique improves, I will eventually upgrade the strop, but for learning the technique, a WD is a sound investment. I have managed to nick it up quite a bit, but I'm much better with practice. The odds of nicking up a new expensive strop when learning are pretty high. Best to start on the cheap, learn proper form, then invest in higher quality.
I'd suggest something 3" wide as well, it doesn't force you to use an X stroke when stropping; much more convenient IMO even though I do love my Illinois #127....
Whipped Dog has some great deals on straight razors, and Larry's Rich Man Strops are nice, but there are less expensive strops out there that will work just as well. You will most likely eat up your first strop, so I wouldn't spend too much on it. I bought a cheap 2 1/2" Scalpmaster strop on eBay to learn on. It cost less than $20 and held up quite well. I use it as my travel strop now. Once you get your stropping technique down then you can graduate to a more expensive model without the fear of hacking it to bits.
