which do i pick

[rac]

hi all
think i want to try a straight razor out ,been checking out the bay and don't quite know what to go for ,please anyone got any pointers for a confused person .
rac

[Luc]

Mmm, even if I did that, I wouldn't recommend getting the first straight on ebay.

It's more of a gamble than anything else.

There is 99.999% chances that it won't be shave ready so you will need to send it to a honemeister.

A shave ready straight from BST would be my recommendation.

Sheffield (England), German, European or American steel is good. 5/8 or 6/8 is good too. Full Hollow, half hollow is fine.

You can get a square or spike point but I think round point is easier to work with.

Then you will need a strop!

[bazwalk]

Definately stay away from the Bay! I would recommend a SHAVE READY carbon steel blade, 5/8 or even better a 4/8 if you can find one. Agreed a round point is safer to start with.
Yes you will need a strop but get a practice/cheap one first- you will almost certainly nick it !
Above all ENJOY

[grump]

Mmm, even if I did that, I wouldn't recommend getting the first straight on ebay.

It's more of a gamble than anything else.

There is 99.999% chances that it won't be shave ready so you will need to send it to a honemeister.

A shave ready straight from BST would be my recommendation.

Sheffield (England), German, European or American steel is good. 5/8 or 6/8 is good too. Full Hollow, half hollow is fine.

You can get a square or spike point but I think round point is easier to work with.

Then you will need a strop!

+1 to the advice here.

[mdunn]

Mmm, even if I did that, I wouldn't recommend getting the first straight on ebay.

It's more of a gamble than anything else.

There is 99.999% chances that it won't be shave ready so you will need to send it to a honemeister.

A shave ready straight from BST would be my recommendation.

Sheffield (England), German, European or American steel is good. 5/8 or 6/8 is good too. Full Hollow, half hollow is fine.

You can get a square or spike point but I think round point is easier to work with.

Then you will need a strop!

luc ftw

[Seraphim]

hi all
think i want to try a straight razor out ,been checking out the bay and don't quite know what to go for ,please anyone got any pointers for a confused person .
rac

The classified section of this site is likely a good place to find an actually usuable straight out of the box razor, is listed as "shave ready".

[FiXXXer]

I started with a Gold Dollar and a Filly strop from RupRazor.

[FiveOhNine]

Another one saying don't buy your first razor on fleabay - you will almost certainly get junk. Pick up a starter kit from a known source (such as has already been mentioned) and go from there.

[rac]

hi all
thanks for the tips , think i will avoid the dreaded bay then ,
i shall go and do more research .

[waxwing23]

I just wanted to throw my two cents in.I have had great luck buying off the BS&T. If you see a straight you like tell the seller you are new and ask if it would be good one to start on.Folks here couldn't be more helpful.You need a shave ready edge to start so you know what sharp is supposed to feel like.There will be plenty of time later to get your heart broke by a piece of ebay junk.

[SliceOfLife]

I'd advise against a 4/8 as a starter for the simple reason that 5/8+ seem to be much easier to strop than 4/8 (for me at least), and stropping is one of the more important things to get right when you're learning.

[Doc4]

+1 to what Luc said.

... and I'll quote this for reference too.

This exists as a separate section to reinforce how important this is. When you buy a new straight razor from an online retailer, or a brick and mortar store, it is almost never shave ready. If the retailer SPECIFICALLY STATES the razor has been honed and made shave ready BY HAND, or has been honed by a “honemeister” then you probably have a shave ready razor, however if the razor has never been opened, and has come straight from the factory – there is a VERY slim chance that the razor will be shave ready. Some will require just a light touch up hone, and others may require up to an hour (or more) of a skilled “honemeisters” touch.



THE most important key to your success with a straight razor, is starting with a properly honed, keen edge that someone (with ideally years of experience) has both sharpened and test shaved with. Simply buying a new razor, or picking up an ebay razor – is NOT sufficient, and will NOT yield good results. Also, don’t be fooled, honing is NOT easy, hones are quite expensive, and you do not want to start off handicapped – not knowing if your razor is sharp enough. You will have a miserable time attempting to hone your first razor, and you will almost surely fail.



DO –
1.) Get your razor (ideally) from someone on the forum who has been around for at least a year, and has a fair amount of posts. This isn’t a “sure bet” but typically individuals who have been around for awhile, and who are relatively active/interested in the hobby are going to be significantly better at both honing, and helping you in your adventure.
2.) If you are buying new – make sure it has been honed properly. If not – send it out to be honed by someone who has been straight razor shaving for a while.
3.) Get the best razor that fits your needs, and your budget. Cutting corners, or “cheaping out” will not get you a good razor. Be HIGHLY suspect of a straight razor costing less than $40. The rule of thumb “you get what you pay for” applies to a certain extent – in that the quality of the razor (shave-wise and fit & finish) tends to increase up to about $100 or so. After $100, most of what you are paying for is enhances ascetics, custom features, rare or historical blades, and so on and so forth. This doesn’t mean that you can’t spend $40 on a nice razor on ebay in mint condition, send it out to be honed, and end up with a better shaving razor than a $100 (or more) new or used razor, nonetheless when selecting a razor, typically if it’s going for close to, or more than $100 on ebay, it’s doing so for a reason, and likewise with new razors. Do you need the flashiest razor out there? Heavens no, a plain handled new razor from Thiers Issard, or Dovo for example can be a superb razor for under $100 as well, but – you’ll be more interested, and have more fun/excitement/pleasure using one that speaks to you design wise. Remember, pending you don’t do anything silly with it, a straight razor will be a lifelong tool, and will supply you with a lifetimes worth of shaves. Do it once… do it right.

DON’T –
1.) Assume your razor is shave ready.
2.) Buy your first razor off of ebay, unless it has been honed, and is being sold by a reputable dealer.
3.) Try to hone your first razor.
4.) Cheap out on equipment. You don’t need the flashiest things, but you DO want top quality, as a strop, hone and razor will last generations.

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