beginner

[Steve Frenswick]

Hi,

My wife bought me a shaving book for christmas - sharp practice: the real man's guide to shaving.

It has several chapters in it about the cut-throat razor, which the author says he uses all the time. I wasn't sure whether I believed this or not, until I found this site.

I guess I have a few questions on this:

1 - Where can I get the cut-throat razor and strop to begin - can anyone recommend any shops in London?

2 - Has anyone read this book and is it accurate? Are there any other ones available on this subject also?

Hope you can help - Steve

 

[AFDavis11]

Welcome Steve,

I've been shaving with a straight for a few years, but I can't answer your specific questions so I'll just say "Hi" and welcome to the board.

There are tons of available resources though for those that want to learn.

 

[mparker762]

This book isn't carried by amazon US for some reason, though amazon UK does carry it. I have no idea if the information in it is accurate, but many men still shave with a straight daily, and find it the best way to shave. Most of the guys on this site favor the old DE safety razor (like the old gillettes), though there is a devoted following here of both the traditional straight as well as the new disposable straights like the Feather Artist Club.

 

[19george]

I don't know about places in London, but I would suggest getting this set from thewellshavedgentleman. It Comes with everything you will need to shave with a straight for a long time, and I imagine with the exchange rates being what they are, (not to mention VAT) buying this set won't be more expensive than buying a shave ready straight and strop locally.

Also instead of buying a book, I would suggest you buy Lynn Abrams DVD on straight shaving. It is a most comprehensive introduction to straight shaving. You can get it here or pick it up at classicshaving.

 

[Steelforge]

Welcome, from another UK based member.

In London you could easily source all the items you need from somewhere like Trumpers' on Curzon St in Mayfair - however they're very overpriced.

Best option is to buy online - the exchange rate makes buying from the USA very attractive.

If you want a shave-ready straight razor and strop from the same place then you won't go far wrong buying a beginners kit from Tony at http://www.thewellshavedgentleman.com/ , he's a great guy and will be able to ship to the UK if you email him and tell him what you're after. His razors are new and are all pre-honed by an expert, his strops are superb quality and very cheap for what you get. I took one of his strops into Trumpers a while back and the manager commented on how well made it was, and didn't believe me when I told him what it cost me.

Alternatively you could just buy a strop from Tony and get a restored 'old' razor from someone like Joe Chandler or Bill Ellis (links below), I'm not sure what they have for sale at the moment though.

http://shop.writerferret.com/
http://www.billysblades.com/Straights.htm

Slightly more expensive would be to buy a new razor from www.classicshaving.com and take their honing service for an extra fee, it's done by Lynn Abrams who is an expert - he's done 3 or 4 of my razors now including an old one I rescued off Ebay. The guy is a master.

I've bought razors (too many) from all of the above and they have all offered absolutely superb service, I would not hesitate to buy from them all again if I had any money left.

If you're just starting out it might be an idea to visit the forums at www.straightrazorplace.com as it's a great resource, B&B is home to all types of shavers but SRP is more focussed on straight razors. SRP is run by Lynn Abrams who has, recently put a really good DVD out. I had a straight shaving lesson at Trumpers for £75 which was good, but Lynn's DVD was many times more helpful (and a lot cheaper) - it's worth every penny.

http://www.classicshaving.com/catalog/item/1523551/3712226.htm

Hope this helps.

 

[mparker762]

2 - Has anyone read this book and is it accurate?

Lynn Abrams just posted a message on SRP to the effect that he's read a copy of the book and thought it worthwhile. So it doesn't seem likely that it contains any egregious errors.

 

[crowdog]

It reminds me of my brother. He had been watching some clint eastwood movies and thought he would "try" a straight razor. His wife is a beautician and so had a straight razor she used for necklines.

Needless to say, he about cut his throat, and vowed never to use them again. So even though I don't use them, take it slow and learn from these guys and you will be a pro.

Marty

 

[straycat264]

Hi,

My wife bought me a shaving book for christmas - sharp practice: the real man's guide to shaving.

I wonder how many other guys are in the same position - that's exactly the same reason why I've been looking at this forum - was given the book as a Christmas present by my girlfriend. I can't vouch (yet) for the validity of the detail in the book, but it's very well written, very entertaining, and tallies with everything I've read here and on other forums.

It's also persuasive enough that I have a straight on order from the States now (vastly cheaper than the UK shops) - the author really should be on commission...

So I have a nice learning curve ahead of me. Hopefully without too many extra scars....

 

[19george]

Welcome to forum Straycat!

 

[bbqncigars]

Steve, I think that the two most important things to start with are: start with a well honed razor; use a good strop properly (I have a couple of Tony's). You can ruin a good edge with improper stropping technique, and you can also put some ferocious slices in your prize strop.


Wayne

 

[netsurfr]

I too would HIGHLY recommend the Lynn Abrams DVD. Welcome to the group and the world of straight shaving.
Steve