Hi, I've been shaving with a DE razor for almost six months and having so much fun with wet shaving that I have decided to kick up a notch by attempting to shave with a straight razor. My questions for the pros are: What razor would be the best to use for my first try with the cutthroat? And How difficult is to keep a sharp edge on the blade? The honing part is the one that gets me thinking about invest on a nice blade, my dexterity skills are not that great and I might get frustrated and quit. We all know that a dull blade is an unsafe blade and that honing is part of the whole experience but I know my limits. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Marco
First Straight Razor
- Thread starter marquinho
- Start date
First off, go for it, Marco!! 
Most important, is to get the razor properly honed (Lynn Abrams does a really great job, for example, and there are others on this board who do as well) to start, so you are starting from a good place.
You'll need a strop and (unless you want to always send your razors out for honing) a Norton 4000/8000 stone. Beyond that, you are into 'want' not 'need'.
You can get all that stuff, and a nice TI 5/8 straight here: http://www.classicshaving.com/page/page/846013.htm
I'd also suggest Lynn's DVD, full of great info, and you see how it's done.
Most important, is to get the razor properly honed (Lynn Abrams does a really great job, for example, and there are others on this board who do as well) to start, so you are starting from a good place.
You'll need a strop and (unless you want to always send your razors out for honing) a Norton 4000/8000 stone. Beyond that, you are into 'want' not 'need'.
You can get all that stuff, and a nice TI 5/8 straight here: http://www.classicshaving.com/page/page/846013.htm
I'd also suggest Lynn's DVD, full of great info, and you see how it's done.
You might also check http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.com/. Also log into http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/ . Many of the members here are also on that site.
Rick
Rick
Well, you have some good suggestions.
Honemeisters can sharpen the blade for you periodically. Honing is not rocket science, but it's easier for some people and has a learning curve. For a nice edge, you would need a certain collection of stones / pasted paddles, etc. so this adds to the cost. Let me say that it feels great when you hone a razor yourself
As for the razor itself - I generally recommend a round point, or at least a not-so-aggressive spike for a first-timer. Some true spikes reqiure lots of attention to avoid nicks. I did start with one and got 7 or so cuts and nicks in my first shave (not that this disconcerted me one bit...)
Size and grind:
5/8 is recommended as standard, I personally believe 6/8 is better for a start. 4/8 and 7/8 might be harder to use for a beginner. What is your beard type (boar bristle, peachy fuzz, etc.)? Full hollows are great, but some people prefer a heavier and stiffer grind, especially for a tough beard (sharpness is the same, but the wedges have more momentum and this might help; some newbs inadvertently press with a full hollow there and this is not optimal)
I'd rather go to Tony Miller (wellshavedgent) than Classic (which would set you back another 20 for honing, Tony's come honed). If you buy quality stuff, in general you could sell on the forums if things don't work out. BUT THEY SHOULD!
Good luck
Ivo
Honemeisters can sharpen the blade for you periodically. Honing is not rocket science, but it's easier for some people and has a learning curve. For a nice edge, you would need a certain collection of stones / pasted paddles, etc. so this adds to the cost. Let me say that it feels great when you hone a razor yourself
As for the razor itself - I generally recommend a round point, or at least a not-so-aggressive spike for a first-timer. Some true spikes reqiure lots of attention to avoid nicks. I did start with one and got 7 or so cuts and nicks in my first shave (not that this disconcerted me one bit...)
Size and grind:
5/8 is recommended as standard, I personally believe 6/8 is better for a start. 4/8 and 7/8 might be harder to use for a beginner. What is your beard type (boar bristle, peachy fuzz, etc.)? Full hollows are great, but some people prefer a heavier and stiffer grind, especially for a tough beard (sharpness is the same, but the wedges have more momentum and this might help; some newbs inadvertently press with a full hollow there and this is not optimal)
I'd rather go to Tony Miller (wellshavedgent) than Classic (which would set you back another 20 for honing, Tony's come honed). If you buy quality stuff, in general you could sell on the forums if things don't work out. BUT THEY SHOULD!
Good luck
Ivo
I made the jump a few weeks back, so I'm more towards your end of the spectrum than the pro. I'm glad that I did, but must still say that I've cut myself more times than I can count in the last week. To add to the excellent recommendations already given:
First of all, don't toss your DE - you'll want to keep it at hand for touch-up - I'm slowly coming around to getting my chin smooth, but for the days where I'm not up to par, I'd rather not look mangy. Out comes the HD for the trouble spots.
Second, don't skimp on the prep - I have to really get my beard soft to make it work. The softer your hair is, the easier it seems to me. To me, at least.
Third, your hand may shake as you put the blade to your throat. This is not the time for a stiff drink to calm your nerves . Ease into it to the extent you feel comfortable. It took a few shaves for me to get there.
Good luck!
First of all, don't toss your DE - you'll want to keep it at hand for touch-up - I'm slowly coming around to getting my chin smooth, but for the days where I'm not up to par, I'd rather not look mangy. Out comes the HD for the trouble spots.
Second, don't skimp on the prep - I have to really get my beard soft to make it work. The softer your hair is, the easier it seems to me. To me, at least.
Third, your hand may shake as you put the blade to your throat. This is not the time for a stiff drink to calm your nerves
. Ease into it to the extent you feel comfortable. It took a few shaves for me to get there.Good luck!
From personal experience I when I started I was more comfortable with a heavier blade 5/8 or 6/8. Thicker blades were more forgiving and gave fewer nicks.
But as I became more proficient I preferred the flexibility of a thinner blade / lighter blade. I have a thick beard.
To start you will need atleast a strop to keep the razor sharp between shaves.
Honing can be learned later.
But as I became more proficient I preferred the flexibility of a thinner blade / lighter blade. I have a thick beard.
To start you will need atleast a strop to keep the razor sharp between shaves.
Honing can be learned later.
I wouldn't worry too much about the grinds etc. Get a good well honed 5/8 or 6/8 razor. That's all you need to be concerned with. Check the buy/sell forum on straightrazorplace.com. You can usually find a quality vintage straight that is shave ready at a decent price say $40-$60. Also Bill Ellis (billysblades.com) and Joe Chandler (shop.writerferret.com) usually have nice restored razors and are members here.
Try one of the less expensive hanging strops from Tony at the wellshavedgentleman.com. Though they cost less, they are still great quality and you can use it as a travel strop once you upgrade.
For touching up the razors, I would suggest a bench hone from Tony. Get one side pasted with boron carbide and the other with chromium oxide. This will keep your razor keen for a while. Then when you do buy a water stone, you can still use the bench hone to apply that extra polish. Of course, you can always jump right in a buy a Norton stone.
If you don't like the straight experience you can still sell all of this stuff without too great a loss.
Jordan
Try one of the less expensive hanging strops from Tony at the wellshavedgentleman.com. Though they cost less, they are still great quality and you can use it as a travel strop once you upgrade.
For touching up the razors, I would suggest a bench hone from Tony. Get one side pasted with boron carbide and the other with chromium oxide. This will keep your razor keen for a while. Then when you do buy a water stone, you can still use the bench hone to apply that extra polish. Of course, you can always jump right in a buy a Norton stone.
If you don't like the straight experience you can still sell all of this stuff without too great a loss.
Jordan
F
firebox
All good advice. I nicked myself less with the str8 than when learning on a DE. Sharp steel cuts no matter behind a safety bar or not. That lesson helped more than any other. Prep and allowing enough time was the best advice I got. I have enjoyed trying different str8s and they all seem a little different. Its the challenge that makes it worthwhile and success means a great shave.
Heck, I might even try to convince myself I'm saving money since I'm not buying cartridge blades. That makes me feel even better.
I don't count the Norton, the razors, and strops. They are investments right?
Good luck and go slow.....
Heck, I might even try to convince myself I'm saving money since I'm not buying cartridge blades. That makes me feel even better.
I don't count the Norton, the razors, and strops. They are investments right?
Good luck and go slow.....
I'd reccomend a barbers hone, rather than a waterstone- I've found they are a lot easier to get a really good shaving edge on the razor with than a waterstone, they are also cheaper. The Exide hone is great, but you'll more easily find a Carborundum- any of these, 101, 102, or 103 will do fine. Read the thread about barber hones. Also, if you get a paddle strop with a fine paste such as chromium oxide, you can use that to get the edge shaving sharp without any difficulty when you can't get the edge you want on the hone, such as when you are learning, or if you get a really tricky razor (I find the pasted strop great for wedge grinds).
You'll need a hanging strop for daily use- take good care of it and it will last for ever.
You'll need a razor- at 5/8 the grind isn't so important, as any will be quite stable. At 6/8, which I think is optimal to learn with, unless your beard is very light, get a stiffer bladed razor- the more flexible hollow grounds are harder to use on a tough beard than a stiff razor.
I'd emphasise that honing is quite a knack to get the edge just right, but it's perfectly OK to set the bevel flat on the hone, and use a pasted paddle to get it up to shaving sharpness, and this is not at all difficult.
You'll need a hanging strop for daily use- take good care of it and it will last for ever.
You'll need a razor- at 5/8 the grind isn't so important, as any will be quite stable. At 6/8, which I think is optimal to learn with, unless your beard is very light, get a stiffer bladed razor- the more flexible hollow grounds are harder to use on a tough beard than a stiff razor.
I'd emphasise that honing is quite a knack to get the edge just right, but it's perfectly OK to set the bevel flat on the hone, and use a pasted paddle to get it up to shaving sharpness, and this is not at all difficult.
I think these two points merit more discussion. If we assume you get a well-honed shave-ready razor Chromium and a fine barber hone will go a long way. Heck, some stropmeisters on SRP shared that they go months and even years without honing!
However, if you are getting into honing: depending on the razor, Chromium and a barber hone may equal hours and hours of work. Just setting the bevel and then working with Chromium is unheard of, afaik. If anyone has done it, I'd love to hear details - state of edge before barber hone (even though this is quite subjective), what barber hone was used for how many laps, and then how many hours on the Chromium
Cheers
Ivo
I don't think it need be that hard- you can get an edge sharp on a hone, but not sharp enough. In that situation, it can be very easy to just give it a few strokes on a pasted strop, and it will come up shaving sharp. I've had this experience a few times, though admittedly the paste I was using was Hamon no.2, which is a bit coarser than Chromium. Maybe a coarser paste on the other side would be advisable, such as Dovo red. I do this less now that I have more experience with the hones, as I get a more lasting edge off the hone, and once you get the knack, it can be a very sharp edge. I still occaisionally do this with wedge razors, which I find very hard to get shaving sharp to my satisfaction off the hone.
I didn't think we were discussing restoring a razor- although with a hollow ground blade, if it wasn't in too bad shape, a barbers hone will get the job done- with a bit more pressure, no lather, and a bit of patience, it will do fine. But yes, for more serious work, a coarser stone is useful.
I didn't think we were discussing restoring a razor- although with a hollow ground blade, if it wasn't in too bad shape, a barbers hone will get the job done- with a bit more pressure, no lather, and a bit of patience, it will do fine. But yes, for more serious work, a coarser stone is useful.
I think the best favor you can do for yourself is go over to srp and read all the help files there. It will tell you what you need and what to expect.
Yes, it does depend on the razor and the state of the edge.
I was not talking about restoring - just buying new / NOS razors. Some razors I have gotten NOS only needed a stropping. Other NOSs were fine with 20 laps on Escher + 10 Chromium (one of my Pumas). And yet others have needed over 100 laps on Norton 4K (e.g. a NOS 15/16+ Dorko I got from Germany)
Cheers
Ivo
I was not talking about restoring - just buying new / NOS razors. Some razors I have gotten NOS only needed a stropping. Other NOSs were fine with 20 laps on Escher + 10 Chromium (one of my Pumas). And yet others have needed over 100 laps on Norton 4K (e.g. a NOS 15/16+ Dorko I got from Germany)
Cheers
Ivo
The first question you really need to ask yourself is whether you want to get into what is involved with using a traditional straight (honing, stropping, etc.) or are just looking for an interesting way to shave.
If you're just looking for the later, then you should consider a Feather (either the folding or Japanese version). They provide a very good shave and you don't have to worry about honing or stropping etc. There's lots of good info on the Feather on this site.
If you want a hobby, and are interested in learning everything associated with a traditional straight, then jump right in. My first piece of advice is NOT to buy a new razor, but to buy a refurbished vintage razor. There's lots around at SRP and you can get a nice shave-ready razor for between $40 and $50. My first three razors (shave-ready refurbs) cost me less than $100 - which is less than one new razor.
You can also likely get used strops (hanging and paddle) if you post over at SRP.
If money's no object, then buy a new razor - the Thiers Isard Gnomes are supposed to be good for beginners, but any decent 5/8 or 6/8 will do. The Dovo special is also supposed to be a very good razor for the price. As others have said, pay someone to hone it up for your.
You'll also need a strop for daily stropping and you'll likely want a pasted strop for maintenance purposes - both of which you can get from thewellshavedgentleman.com in a variety of flavours/prices.
If you're just looking for the later, then you should consider a Feather (either the folding or Japanese version). They provide a very good shave and you don't have to worry about honing or stropping etc. There's lots of good info on the Feather on this site.
If you want a hobby, and are interested in learning everything associated with a traditional straight, then jump right in. My first piece of advice is NOT to buy a new razor, but to buy a refurbished vintage razor. There's lots around at SRP and you can get a nice shave-ready razor for between $40 and $50. My first three razors (shave-ready refurbs) cost me less than $100 - which is less than one new razor.
You can also likely get used strops (hanging and paddle) if you post over at SRP.
If money's no object, then buy a new razor - the Thiers Isard Gnomes are supposed to be good for beginners, but any decent 5/8 or 6/8 will do. The Dovo special is also supposed to be a very good razor for the price. As others have said, pay someone to hone it up for your.
You'll also need a strop for daily stropping and you'll likely want a pasted strop for maintenance purposes - both of which you can get from thewellshavedgentleman.com in a variety of flavours/prices.
