Check-in from good old Chicago

Hello everyone!

Started straight razor shaving a month ago and everything has gone swimmingly so far, in no small part to advice I received lurking on this forum. So I would just like to say hello and offer my thanks for the wealth of knowledge I found here; I look forward to learning more and more.

Also if anyone has any advice on what should upgrade first let me know.

Current gear:
Wester Bro's Gunmetal Straight from whipped dog has some minor character giving patina, very happy with it
Green Proraso
Poor Man's Strop Kit
Bottle of Thayers Witch Hazel alcohol free-toner for after shave
An Art of Shaving Genuine Badger Brush I got in some random present a couple years back


Now what should I buy next/replace? I have my eye on the following stuff and I figure my brush or strop should be replaced first but who knows they both seem to be working fine.

A Tony Miller Plain Vanilla 2 1/2 inch strop
A Plisson "The House of the Barber" Brush
A Naniwa 12k for freshing up my blade or should I just get some lapping film from 3M?
Some new shaving soap? Mystic Water perhaps?
Or am I missing something else entirely?

Thanks B&B

Look at Boar Bristle Brushes. Great value, and my Semogue 830 has a really nice face feel and the handle is comfortable. It takes a day or two to dry out though, so maybe one of the smaller ones. May folks speak highly of the Omega boar as well.

Glad you joined us!

Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.

If you are happy with the razor I vote to get a quality strop. I have found that stroping is the key to the
straight razor experience.

Welcome to B&B!

Find some good-smelling aftershave samples to try out. Check out places like Garry's Sample Shop, Maggard's Razors, etc.

I really enjoy Mystic Water soap, although I'm a DE guy. I assume their soap works for SR shaving as well.

I'm a noob myself when it comes to straights, but welcome to the forum. If I was going to play with your setup, I'd probably start with another soap or two. I love proraso, but there are lots of great soaps out there that everyone should experience.

Welcome aboard good fellow! I purchased several brushes at great prices from http://bullgooseshaving.com/
The Omega boar, Vie-Long horse and Edwin Jagger badger varieties for under $50 are spectacular for their price range!

Welcome to the forum !!

Welcome to B&B.

Hello and welcome to B&B !

Welcome to the forum.

My first piece of advice would be to stop by Q Brothers in Lincoln Square.

I would hold off on picking up a new strop until you have your stropping down 110%. Putting a nick in a Poor Man strop is a bummer, but putting a nick in a TM is heart breaking.

If you want to try your hand at honing it's usually best to have a second razor to practice on. That way you aren't messing up your daily shaver.

Hello and welcome to B&B!

Usascot said:

If you are happy with the razor I vote to get a quality strop. I have found that stroping is the key to the
straight razor experience.

Click to expand...

I agree.