and have several questions: (1) the best quality razors regales of the cost (2) how hard is it to hone and what kind of stone (3) how often will i have to hone the razor? (4) my wife will not go for a strop hanging on the wall. that being said or their other options? (5) what about the learning curve? [last but not least] (6) are straight razors safe to use? thanks
Several goods questions. Unfortunately I have no easy answers. Best, (can of worms full of opinion) but reputation and research are your friends. Vintage can be restored and made ready by several remakers. Most I've seen make them better than new. I have a few remade by @HolyRollah , these are among the best in my collection (about 50). Gemstar customs remakes better than new as well. New, I can't help much. Most are more than I can spend. A little research will bring up the popular brands. Dovo is my only new(in production). I like it very much. Honing is a skill of it's own. I wouldn't recommend learning it before you know if you even like shaving with a straight. It would be like learning to build a bicycle, and ride one at the same time. And I found honing harder to get proficient at. And honing requires the acquisition of the hones, which can get costly. Most send razors to experts called honemiesters. It costs about 25 bucks for a expert to sharpen your blade (if that's all it needs). You'll have to sharpen (hone) when you can't Shave with the edge any longer. I know that's a duh answer. But with soo many variables (stropping ability, shaving properly, general environmental storage and care, how often it gets used) I couldn't give a better responce. I've used an Eaton razor about twenty times without going back to the hone. Will your wife allow a hook? You can store a strop elsewhere. A hook to hold it is all you'd need. Or you could get a bench strop or paddle strop. Both are easier to learn with anyway. The learning of these skills are directly related to your determination and patience. Lastly, I've cut myself more with a de than with a straight. It's very rewarding to achieve these goals and skills. But it definitely requires a big portion of "want to". Good luck, the guys here love to help, so ask away.
I'm fairly new to straights myself. I bought a professionally honed razor in February, and haven't felt the need to send it for a re-hone yet. As far as razors, every one has its pros and cons, so I won't speculate on "best" but will recommend having it professionally honed. There ia definitely a learning curve, and I'd say start small with easy areas (cheeks) and move forward as you're comfortable. I still sometimes just do my first pass with the straight, then finish with another razor. As far as strops, you could get a hanging strop and only put it up when you are using it, or go with a paddle strop. As far as safety, if you can use a kitchen knife without harming yourself or others, you should be able to shave with a straight. Like guns, cars, explosives, and almost anything else, it's only as dangerous as YOU make it. I've nicked myself with my straight, but it wasn't any worse than what I managed to do with a Mach 3 or any other razor...
David already said it well. I started with a nice vintage razor that was honed by a pro with great results and didn't even buy a hone until I was well into straights. There was no reason to spend a bunch of money on hones until I knew I was going to stay with straights. Keep in mind that stropping is the most important component of straight shaving as you can ruin an edge quickly with poor stropping. I started with a Gemstar bench strop and then moved to a Drygulch hanging strop. You can hang a strop on a door knob if your wife won't let you hang one. You will need to pay attention when straight shaving, but I find them safe and they provide wonderful shaves. Welcome to the Dark Side and have fun
I started with an H. Boker that a friend gave me. It had belonged to his father-in-law, and my friend wears a full beard. I sent it off to @HolyRollah who got it in great shape, so my suggestion is a vintage razor that has been professionally honed. Everyone else has said it better than I could. Oh, yes, don't drop your straight, and make sure your goods are covered.
1). If you look on the buy sell section: you'll see several shave ready straights all under $50. A new Dovo "Best Quality" will cost $80. Whipped dog has some great entry level razors. The razors listed above will come with the proper shaving edge. 2) Honing is not rocket science. With that said, many do not wish to venture into that rabbit hole. A barbers hone can be had for ~$20 or so. This and a strop will keep a shaving edge sharp for literally, years. Honing services run for about $20-25. 4) Some use a bench strop, or you could just hang your strop from a towel rack, and put it away when you're done stropping. 5) I began getting good shaves within a couple weeks, however it took about 90 shaves for it to become second nature, and exceptional shaves on a routine basis. 6). They're razors. Not much more dangerous than handling de blades or shaving with any other razor sharp objects. You'll get a few cuts and nicks starting out, but not any worse then getting cut or nicked with a safety razor. After a couple months, a a cut or nick will become a rarity. More cuts occur when honing, as some here will attest too
Lots of good advice here. A trick for your strop: Drive the center hinge pin of your bathroom door out so the top is sticking up just enough to hook the strop over. The head of the pin keeps it from slipping off, and I'll bet you a cup of coffee your wife never even notices. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
'Best' is subjective. You can purchase a new razor from an established company (Dovo, Böker, etc), or go the vintage route with models from known makers (Solingen, Sheffield, US, Japan) and odds are you'll get a quality product. Best to avoid low-cost Asian and Pakistani-made razors. All it takes is time and money. Practically never if you take care in maintaining the edge. Don't leave it hanging on the wall. They're removable and can be stored out of sight when not in use. Varies. For most with daily practice, you can get a quality shave after weeks of regular use. I used a DE for final clean-up the first few months of SR shaves. Safer than shavettes, axes and machetes; riskier than safety razors and carts.
Stropping is very very important and that is what keeps your edge going on and on. In the beginning you will likely kill your edge fairly quickly, but a trip to someone that hones is pretty quick and inexpensive. Condition is everything when it comes to vintage straights. There are a ton of under appreciated brands out there that can be top shelf and inexpensive. If you find something that interests you that you are unsure of PM an experienced member.
