Straight Razor - Where to start?

[DRIVERW123]

Hello all

I have been shaving with a safety razor for some time, and I dabbled with a Feather Artist Club shavette several years ago. I recently pulled the shavette out and have rekindled my relationship. I am finding it a lot better than I remembered (thoughts of cuts and nicks and blood) and the irritation that I sometimes get with my R41 is gone. I am now wanting to kick it up a notch and go for a straight razor, but where to begin?

I have found a Ralf Aust carbon 6/8 full hollow with a straight tip from a local supplier, and also thought I'd grab an Ezra Arthur English Bridle leather 2.5" strop. This is not a small amount of money so I'm wondering if I'm over doing it with the razor, is the strap too extravagant, and should I be looking for a vintage or lightly used second hand razor? I have read that the 5/8 are easier to learn with, but most people end up with a 6/8 so I don't want to pay twice for a razor if it is just a learning curve that I have to overcome. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Aggelos]

I'd definitely start with a second hand shave ready razor, that I suppose you can find in the classifieds here or there.

The thing is, with your local supplier, you can find a good razor, but it will, most of the time, need the finishing touches to be shave ready. And thus I've seen many a newcomer to straights buy an overly expansive piece which provided a poor shave and a lot of disappointment.

Keep in mind also that, as there is no "best blade" for a DE or a shavette, just "best for me" blades, there is also no "best straight razor".
If you feel that you might end with a 6/8, then start with a 6/8, they are not a far cry from 5/8. Strangely though, 13/16 is a new category altogether.

Thus my advice is always to try to score both a cheap second hand wedge and a cheap second hand hollow ground, that will tell you much about what you really like, sometimes for less than the price of a brand new one and with the knowledge that they've been prepared correctly.

 

[DRIVERW123]

This is the spiel on the site:

RALF AUST STRAIGHT RAZOR 6/8" FH AFRICAN BLACKWOOD

• 6/8" width, full hollow grind
• Extra hard carbon steel blade
• Premium African Blackwood scales
• Factory-honed, shave-ready edge
• Sturdy cardboard packaging case
• Handmade in Solingen, Germany

The reference to the "factory-honed, shave ready" led me to believe that it would be fine for a few months, or is this indicating perhaps that it passes a 'minimum' sharpness requirement that would not be suitable for most experienced shavers?

 

[ajduplessis]

Ralf Aust typically come shave ready as any menbers would confirm. Caveat: I dont own a RA so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Slash McCoy]

This is the spiel on the site:

RALF AUST STRAIGHT RAZOR 6/8" FH AFRICAN BLACKWOOD

• 6/8" width, full hollow grind
• Extra hard carbon steel blade
• Premium African Blackwood scales
• Factory-honed, shave-ready edge
• Sturdy cardboard packaging case
• Handmade in Solingen, Germany

The reference to the "factory-honed, shave ready" led me to believe that it would be fine for a few months, or is this indicating perhaps that it passes a 'minimum' sharpness requirement that would not be suitable for most experienced shavers?

You SHOULD be fine with the factory edge on your Aust. When you get it, before you do anything else, see if it treetops. The standard is to sweep the razor 1/4" above the skin of the forearm and it should sever at least a couple of hair tips. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. If not, try again at 1/8" and as a minimum it should get a couple of hairs there. You can also look up HHT and test it that way. Does no good to try to strop and shave and then wonder if it is dull or not. Test as soon as you open, and test after stropping and after shaving. Get a benchmark. Not everyone's hair responds the same and not everyone's stroke is the same so your results will partly be individualized for you.

Fine for a few months is a pretty lofty goal. I would expect at least 10 shaves, while you are learning. Your shave and stropping technique will very likely work your edge pretty hard at first. If you get a month out of it on your first run then you are doing pretty good.

A Ralf Aust for your first razor is yeah, a pretty good start but sure you can start out a lot cheaper. A shave ready vintage is a great start and a good bang for the buck, as long as it is ACTUALLY shave ready and not just "internet shave ready". I suggest that you verify any online vendor here before you buy a razor thinking that it won't need honing before you can use it. The BST forum here is a good place to pick up a razor, but good deals go fast and the one that has been offered over and over that seems too expensive, well, sometimes guys just love their razors too much to part with them easily I guess LOL! So keep an eye on it and be ready to pounce. No member of long standing is going to list a razor as shave ready if it is not, and besmirch his reputation. Vendors that are well recommended by members here are a good bet, too. On fleabay, you are sort of on your own, a little lost lamb among the wolves and wolf traps. VERIFY a seller before you pull the trigger. There aren't many who are trusted by the membership here. But if you see a seller that sells ONLY razors and sells quite a few of them and has a lot of them for sale, and has near perfect feedback score, then maybe take a chance. What you want to avoid is pickers who find a razor at an estate sale or in a storage auction, folks like that. Don't buy a razor from someone who doesn't shave with a straight razor. Or even worse, someone who doesn't shave at all. As in the half of humanity that doesn't have whiskers. How can such a person have any idea of the suitability of a razor for use, or what is and is not shave ready, or how to make it so? Such a seller should be verified before you paypal your fortune away.

Ideally you would start out with TWO shave ready razors. That way you still have the second one to shave with, while the first one is out being honed or you are trying to learn to hone on it.

If you want a cheap beginner strop, look for a seller named "thexbay" on fleabay. He sells a 2" and a 2-1/2" wide strop. Get the 2-1/2". It is last I checked only $8.88 shipped. I have actually used this strop and it is NOT a great strop but it is okay, and at that price, expendable. Upgrade any time you feel ready. This will definitely not be your forever strop but it gets your hand in the game. Member Tony Miller is well regarded here as a strop maker and sells a Plain Vanilla strop that would be a step up. You could conceivably use it as your beginner strop but I see it more as an upgrade from your beginner strop. Do it like you feel it.

I forgot to mention Gold Dollars. Very cheap Chinese razors that actually shave okay, IF shave ready. I don't know of anyone reliable who is selling them shave ready at the moment, though. So verify verify verify any that give you a warm fuzzy internet feeling and are claimed to be shave ready. The iconic model 66 is showing up in much better quality than in years past, and is not as difficult to hone as it once was. My recommendation is for a 1996 or a W62. They are both just a notch below the big name brands and in fact maybe a hair above the Dovo entry level razors unless you get that Dovo from a seller who really knows his stuff and hones what he sells. They can be so warped and twisted that it really takes some effort and thought, and skill/experience, to set the initial bevel. Afterwards they are not particularly difficult to hone, but straight from the factory you might get a good one or you might get a lemon, and it will still need honing. The Gold Dollars of a decade ago were as bad or worse in that regard but are much more docile now, especially the two models I recommended. Fendrihan's has the W62 for I think $20 and it is not listed as shave ready but it very nearly is. It would be very easy for an accomplished honer to quickly put this one to rights. I don't know who to get a 1996 from at the moment but I think they are all over Amazon. But again and again, VERIFY any shave ready offer. And when you get the razor, test it with one of the standard sharpness tests before you give it the ultimate test, which is the shave test.

The shave test is the test that really matters. However if you are not yet a skilled shaver, then that test is inconclusive unless you manage to get a perfect go, first time at bat.

VERY FEW straight razor edges will give you the same super easy shave as a shavette. Don't expect that shave ready razor to cut as readily as a good DE blade or a Feather AC blade or similar. But it should be close. Yes, a straight razor CAN be that sharp, some will say even sharper, but usually not done by professional honers who after all have to pay themselves something for their time and need to get that razor out the door. If you want that level of sharpness, you have to chase that dragon on your own. See the Newbie Honing Compendium in the honing forum. And be ready for a long read. One takeaway from a complete study of that thread and its sub threads is the use of the pasted balsa strop. This is almost universally done WRONG and delivers less than perfect results. Follow the instructions in the pasted balsa thread exactly and precisely, and if the edge was sharp to begin with, you can make it much sharper, and keep it so indefinitely. Don't bother actually trying this until you have had a couple of successful shaves first. Don't go in clueless. You won't recognize success or failure if the shave is a failure in the first place.

 

[kingfisher]

What Slash said.


It's a rabbit hole, to be sure. I went into it and spent a little over a year in it, then came back out the other side and went back to a Feather SS shavette. For me, it is just better in almost every way. Not quite as cool, but otherwise much more satisfying.

You probably won't know whether a straight razor is better or worse for you than an AC shavette until you've tried the regular straight razor for yourself, and for quite some time. Maybe you'll end up thinking that the Ralf Aust is the best razor you've ever tried and you'll be a straight razor shaver for life. Or maybe you'll be like me; think for a while that regular straight razors are better, but then ultimately decide that an AC shavette is better.

If you're going to get that experience, though, you should definitely do it right. An Aust is a good start, to be sure.

 

[DRIVERW123]

Wow, thanks chaps for the detailed response. I haven't struck a forum with such knowledgable people who are ready to take the time to impart their knowledge to fellow members, even newbies like myself.

Kingfisher, I think you are right - I'm going to have to just have a go and find out for myself to see if I take to straight shaving. I have to say that the Feather Artist is doing a fantastic job, and I am using the Pro blades for the first time. I have used the Super blades hitherto and the standard Pro's seem to work much better for me.

Slash, I went for the Ralf Aust 6/8 with American tip today as I am located in Australia and simply don't have access to good resellers. From what I have read here, along with your comments above, the RA should be OK for a month or so, and there is a local mobile guy who does sharpening. He tells me that he does cutthroats for a few barbers and it can be done in ten minutes! This might get me out of trouble for a few months until I can get some stones and have a crack myself. I went with the Frank Shaving Extra Wide leather only strop to get me started . I will bring up the Newbie Honing Compendium and settle in with a glass of Barossa Valley shiraz tonight.

 

[Omarz]

Wow, thanks chaps for the detailed response. I haven't struck a forum with such knowledgable people who are ready to take the time to impart their knowledge to fellow members, even newbies like myself.

Kingfisher, I think you are right - I'm going to have to just have a go and find out for myself to see if I take to straight shaving. I have to say that the Feather Artist is doing a fantastic job, and I am using the Pro blades for the first time. I have used the Super blades hitherto and the standard Pro's seem to work much better for me.

Slash, I went for the Ralf Aust 6/8 with American tip today as I am located in Australia and simply don't have access to good resellers. From what I have read here, along with your comments above, the RA should be OK for a month or so, and there is a local mobile guy who does sharpening. He tells me that he does cutthroats for a few barbers and it can be done in ten minutes! This might get me out of trouble for a few months until I can get some stones and have a crack myself. I went with the Frank Shaving Extra Wide leather only strop to get me started . I will bring up the Newbie Honing Compendium and settle in with a glass of Barossa Valley shiraz tonight.

I consider slash McCoy the resident sr expert,he knows what’s what and what isn’t he’s set me straight (pun intended) a few times when I hamfisted something with my sr.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Wow, thanks chaps for the detailed response. I haven't struck a forum with such knowledgable people who are ready to take the time to impart their knowledge to fellow members, even newbies like myself.

Kingfisher, I think you are right - I'm going to have to just have a go and find out for myself to see if I take to straight shaving. I have to say that the Feather Artist is doing a fantastic job, and I am using the Pro blades for the first time. I have used the Super blades hitherto and the standard Pro's seem to work much better for me.

Slash, I went for the Ralf Aust 6/8 with American tip today as I am located in Australia and simply don't have access to good resellers. From what I have read here, along with your comments above, the RA should be OK for a month or so, and there is a local mobile guy who does sharpening. He tells me that he does cutthroats for a few barbers and it can be done in ten minutes! This might get me out of trouble for a few months until I can get some stones and have a crack myself. I went with the Frank Shaving Extra Wide leather only strop to get me started . I will bring up the Newbie Honing Compendium and settle in with a glass of Barossa Valley shiraz tonight.

Frank Shaving used to make some cheap but very good badger brushes, but price went up and quality went down and the brand fell under the radar. I would be interested in seeing their strop. A review would not be out of place, and a link to the strop listing would be cool. (Remember you can't link to an open auction on ebay, but you can link to a closed auction or a Buy It Now.)

You don't need stones anyway. You can touch up that edge with 1u lapping film, and optionally up your game with .5u, .25u, and .1u diamond paste on lapped balsa. Cheap and simple, compared to stones, which won't give you the same level of sharpness anyway. I suggest once you have decided that straight shaving is something you are ready to jump into with both feet, start accumulating your kit and be ready for when the edge goes North on you. Unless you go get shaved by one of your knife sharpener guy's razors. Generally I say if the guy does not himself shave with a straight razor, he does not have a clue and cannot have a clue. If he is defying the laws of physics then a shave from one of his edges will tell the tale. I have a very bad feeling about this, myself. Most stories of "sharpener" guys with razors end badly. Maybe you could have him point out a barber using his services. Just for good measure, ask him what he uses for a finisher.

There are quite a few Australian members and one of them can probably hook you up with sources and contacts local to you.

 

[kingfisher]

Wow, thanks chaps for the detailed response. I haven't struck a forum with such knowledgable people who are ready to take the time to impart their knowledge to fellow members, even newbies like myself.

Kingfisher, I think you are right - I'm going to have to just have a go and find out for myself to see if I take to straight shaving. I have to say that the Feather Artist is doing a fantastic job, and I am using the Pro blades for the first time. I have used the Super blades hitherto and the standard Pro's seem to work much better for me.

Slash, I went for the Ralf Aust 6/8 with American tip today as I am located in Australia and simply don't have access to good resellers. From what I have read here, along with your comments above, the RA should be OK for a month or so, and there is a local mobile guy who does sharpening. He tells me that he does cutthroats for a few barbers and it can be done in ten minutes! This might get me out of trouble for a few months until I can get some stones and have a crack myself. I went with the Frank Shaving Extra Wide leather only strop to get me started . I will bring up the Newbie Honing Compendium and settle in with a glass of Barossa Valley shiraz tonight.

If you haven't yet, you should also try the Schick Proline in the Feather shavette. I like them a lot better than either of the Feather blades. Smooth and sharp from the very first pass. Last about 16 shaves for me. Sometimes the Feather feels a bit harsh, but the Proline never does.

 

[DRIVERW123]

I will be sure to give a review on the Frank strop but I have no experience with strops so you'll have to take for what its worth. Interesting about the lapping film - that is worth reading up on. I did have some concerns about using the local sharpening guy and I posted that thinking that someone may caution me. Perhaps this lapping film is a good place to start.

The Feather blades in my shavette can be brutal and they command respect. I have been going well with it for a few days and got cocky - it bit me pretty hard this morning! I have to say that I have no irritation whatever, which is a first for me. I have a six month supply of the Feather blades but I'm tempted to try the Schick's based on your recommendation Kingfisher. I'll let you know how I go.