What straight razor to buy.

Hi I'm new to the wet shaving experience. I just recently made the switch from cartridge and electric shaving last week. I purchased a merkur 34c. All I can say is wow. Wish I would've made the switch a long time ago. I'm still struggling on my neck area and above my lip. Can't seem to get it right without knicking myself. So any advice would be appreciated.

Anyways, I started doing more research and I got really interested in straight razors. I first off want to get proficient with the DE before I purchase a SR. Well my question is what razor would you guys recommend for a beginner and fit under $150. Also what tools would you recommend for maintaining the SR. I know you have to strop and hone, but I'm not sure what I would need.

Thanks!

Better to get two good vintage blades than one new one. Two razors give you something to shave with while one is either away being honed, or being your first honing attempt. www.whippeddog.com is our go-to guy here for cheap, shave-ready vintage razors. Some are pretty, some are not, but all are quality and all will shave when you get them.

If you insist on a new razor, many here will recommend a Ralf Aust. I have not tried one. But I can personally recommend a Dovo Bismarck or a Dovo of the same profile without the gold wash and fancy pants scales, or a new Boker King Cutter. Or a nice 6/8 shoulderless from Revisor. They have a huge selection on their website and many will fall within your budget.

You need a hanging strop, for routine pre-shave stropping. That is a minimum for maintaining your razor. Stropping is your most essential skill, after prep and the actual shave. Bad stropping can spoil an edge fast. You will get a certain number of shaves from your razor before it needs honing. That number depends on your beard, your skill and technique, and the razor itself. It might be a dozen. It might even be less. It might be a hundred. But sooner or later it will need to be honed, either by you or by someone else. An old beater from whipped dog is a great choice for your sacrificial goat to practice honing on. So if you get a new razor, I still suggest right away getting a shave ready vintage razor. By the way, most razors are NOT sold shave-ready. Some are. But don't expect someone who doesn't even shave with a straight to know how to hone one, or even to know a sharp blade from a shave ready blade. Put it this way. Your pocketknife should shave hair from your forearm with zero effort, but you wouldn't want to shave your face every day with it. Just sharp isn't good enough. Knife sharpeners are not razor honers. Only buy a razor claimed to be shave ready from a reputable person. And only pay someone to hone a razor if they have a reputation for doing a good job. A big ego is no particular qualification, nor are claims of being the best. If a long standing member here vouches for someone, you will probably be in good hands.

BUT... you can greatly increase the life of an edge with pasted stropping. First of all though, NEVER put any abrasive paste on your main hanging strop. Your routine pre-shave strop must be on clean leather. You can have a second hanging strop for paste, or you can use a loom strop (highly recommended) or a paddle strop, or a piece of balsa. (even more highly recommended!) You can use chromium oxide, known here as CrOx. It is cheap and does a fine job. But it comes basically in only one grit size. Some call it .5u, some call it .3u, but I think the variation in any given sample is probably great enough that the difference between these two specifications is irrelevant, if it even exists at all. I don't notice any difference. Even better than CrOx, though, is diamond, because not only does it cut fast, but it is available in a wide spectrum of grit sizes. I mostly use .25u and .1u for edge maintenance stropping. Sometimes just the .1u. If the edge of a razor seems to be going a bit dull anyway, I will first visit the .5u diamond. I strop on pasted balsa after every shave, and I never (as in never ever) need to re-hone. Period. If this method sounds good to you, I will give you the details of how to do it in another post.

You can do like I do and strop with paste after every shave, and generally never experience a dull edge. Or you can wait until the razor seems to be a bit dull, and play catch-up on the pasted strop. Its all up to you. Or you can give it a touch-up on a finishing stone. Or lapping film. A good finishing stone would be the Naniwa 12k SuperStone. A bit cheaper and a bit slower would be a C12k, which is what we call a Chinese natural stone from Guangxhi province that has the approximate effect of a 12k synthetic. More expensive would be a synthetic like a Shapton. You could also jump a little deeper into the rabbit hole with a Coticule (from Belgium) or a JNat (Japanese) or one of several other natural stones. These stones demand a bit more skill to get the best results possible from them. Big ones can be quite pricey, too, though many honers make do with small stones. Then there are the "barber hones" like the Swaty, which are no longer made but are often still found for a decent price. A barber hone, used with lather, by knowing hands, can restore a not too dull razor to a fairly sharp razor. Most guys do not automatically hone after every shave, though I could see someone doing that with a very fine shapton or similar. Touch-up honing is mostly done when the razor obviously needs touching up.

Then there is film. 1u lapping film on glass or polished marble or granite makes an excellent touch-up hone, or a finishing hone. It is very easy and quick to learn to put a scary edge on a razor with lapping film. You can go finer too. Many guys finish on .3u film with damp paper undder the film for a comfortable, yet extremely sharp edge. There is a thread probably 150 pages long by now, just on lapping film. Lots of newbies were walked through the process of honing their first razor, on film, in that thread.

So, there are a lot of ways to maintain your razor, but you don't have to use any method at all... just send it out for honing. Lots of guys do that. But usually here, we start out with a shave ready razor or better yet more than one, and maybe have the first dull razor honed by someone else, but eventually start doing our own honing. It is very satisfying, and no it isn't cheaper, except maybe the film route, but you don't have to worry while your razor is traveling across the country and back, and being honed by someone you have never actually met.

I assume you already have a good brush, and a bowl or mug, and soap or cream. One simply doesn't spray canned goo on his face to prep for a straight shave.

Slash, I'm not the OP, obviously, but I'd love to read your "never (as in never ever) hone" diamond paste balsa stropping method. Please post it (or link if it's an old thread).

Okay.

First of all, the balsa itself. You can get it from hobby lobby, hobby hut, or online if there is no brick and mortar source nearby. Get a plank 3" x 36", of whatever thickness. Cut it into 3 equal lengths. Or 2 if you prefer a longer piece. It will warp a bit, so glue it to a marble edge tile or a piece of heavy glass. Or a 1/4" aluminum plate. It must then be lapped. Stick a whole sheet of sandpaper to a very flat surface such as heavy glass from an old table top, or sink cutout from a polished granite countertop, using only a VERY light spray of 3m or Loctite spray adhesive. It must go on tight, smooth, and flat, with no bubbles or wrinkles whatsoever. There... Instant lapping plate. 220 grit works. 320 gives a noticeably smoother surface. You can start with 220 and finish with 400 or even 600 grit. Rub the balsa on your plate until you have an entirely new surface. Wipe off the dust.

Now the paste. Less is more. It should seem like you have nowhere near enough. The idea is to embed the abrasive particles in the balsa, not have them rolling around on top of it. So, you mustn't have a coating of paste. It may be helpful to thin the paste or slurry with acetone or alcohol or a very light oil such as gun oil or sewing machine oil, depending on whether it is oil based or water based. Acetone works on all, but evaporates quickly. CrOx is available as paste, stick, or powder. It is the green stuff. Diamond is not often found in the hardware store but is readily available online. Cheap stuff is of questionable quality. Www.tedpella.com is one place I ave gotten it. Any strength, though 10% is easiest to apply consistently. You can also use slurry or powder but remember you only need a tiny bit. A matchhead worth is a bit much. Distribute it as evenly as possible and rub it in. 1u can be useful after honing or to bring back a fairly dull but still barely shaving edge. .5u is used much more than 1u, though. Most of the time I find .25u followed by .1u quite sufficient and if I am in a hurry I just go with .1u. At least a dozen laps per grit. I use very light laps and more of them, for a keener edge. A tiny bit of pressure and fewer laps gives a slightly softer edge. Over time you will find exactly what works for you.

I also keep a 1/16" thick piece of balsa with no paste. I rest one end on a bench or counter and hold the other, so it can sag just a tiny bit, and strop on that, after wiping all trace of diamond from the blade. Seems to greatly improve the .1u edge. And by the way, ALWAYS wipe all trace of diamond from the blade before going to the next grit, or to leather. It is easy to contaminate clean leather, or fine pasted balsa with coarser diamond.

It is well worth the effort to put this setup together and it will keep your razor going indefinitely once you have the method dialed in

Slash McCoy said:

Okay.

First of all, the balsa itself. You can get it from hobby lobby, hobby hut, or online if there is no brick and mortar source nearby. Get a plank 3" x 36", of whatever thickness. Cut it into 3 equal lengths. Or 2 if you prefer a longer piece. It will warp a bit, so glue it to a marble edge tile or a piece of heavy glass. Or a 1/4" aluminum plate. It must then be lapped. Stick a whole sheet of sandpaper to a very flat surface such as heavy glass from an old table top, or sink cutout from a polished granite countertop, using only a VERY light spray of 3m or Loctite spray adhesive. It must go on tight, smooth, and flat, with no bubbles or wrinkles whatsoever. There... Instant lapping plate. 220 grit works. 320 gives a noticeably smoother surface. You can start with 220 and finish with 400 or even 600 grit. Rub the balsa on your plate until you have an entirely new surface. Wipe off the dust.

Now the paste. Less is more. It should seem like you have nowhere near enough. The idea is to embed the abrasive particles in the balsa, not have them rolling around on top of it. So, you mustn't have a coating of paste. It may be helpful to thin the paste or slurry with acetone or alcohol or a very light oil such as gun oil or sewing machine oil, depending on whether it is oil based or water based. Acetone works on all, but evaporates quickly. CrOx is available as paste, stick, or powder. It is the green stuff. Diamond is not often found in the hardware store but is readily available online. Cheap stuff is of questionable quality. Www.tedpella.com is one place I ave gotten it. Any strength, though 10% is easiest to apply consistently. You can also use slurry or powder but remember you only need a tiny bit. A matchhead worth is a bit much. Distribute it as evenly as possible and rub it in. 1u can be useful after honing or to bring back a fairly dull but still barely shaving edge. .5u is used much more than 1u, though. Most of the time I find .25u followed by .1u quite sufficient and if I am in a hurry I just go with .1u. At least a dozen laps per grit. I use very light laps and more of them, for a keener edge. A tiny bit of pressure and fewer laps gives a slightly softer edge. Over time you will find exactly what works for you.

I also keep a 1/16" thick piece of balsa with no paste. I rest one end on a bench or counter and hold the other, so it can sag just a tiny bit, and strop on that, after wiping all trace of diamond from the blade. Seems to greatly improve the .1u edge. And by the way, ALWAYS wipe all trace of diamond from the blade before going to the next grit, or to leather. It is easy to contaminate clean leather, or fine pasted balsa with coarser diamond.

It is well worth the effort to put this setup together and it will keep your razor going indefinitely once you have the method dialed in

Click to expand...

That's very, very clear and helpful. Much appreciated!

Wow I didn't realize there was that much that went into this. I appreciate all the information that was provided. I definitely want to try this out, but I'm not ready at this moment. I need to get more familiar with the wet shave before I dive into this more advanced technique.

rgalvarado2 said:

Wow I didn't realize there was that much that went into this. I appreciate all the information that was provided. I definitely want to try this out, but I'm not ready at this moment. I need to get more familiar with the wet shave before I dive into this more advanced technique.

Click to expand...

The pasted balsa method is strictly optional. It is just a way that I have found to keep my razors from ever getting dull. There are other simpler ways of maintaining your edge, including simply having someone else hone your razor when it is dull.

In your opinion what would a simpler way be for a beginner other than shipping it off? I'd like to learn to do it myself but your method which seems pretty fine, also send a bit complicated.

rgalvarado2 said:

In your opinion what would a simpler way be for a beginner other than shipping it off? I'd like to learn to do it myself but your method which seems pretty fine, also send a bit complicated.

Click to expand...

I think it seems complex because Slash gave you a lot avenues to get to the same place. Let me see if I can simplify a little.

Get a 12"X3" slab of balsa wood from the local hobby shop/craft store. Sand it flat on one side if it needs it.

Get some 0.5um diamond spray from one of the vedors on the B&B board or Amazon.

Shake it up real good and spray it on the balsa. Strop your well honed razor on your new balsa strop.

Strop on leather and shave. It is actually simple. Hope this helps.

rgalvarado2 said:

In your opinion what would a simpler way be for a beginner other than shipping it off? I'd like to learn to do it myself but your method which seems pretty fine, also send a bit complicated.

Click to expand...

The simple way is to get a Naniwa 12k SuperStone. Maggard has good prices and I just bought a progression from them. But as with all rocks, you must lap it before first use, and periodically thereafter. To lap it, I suggest getting a piece of heavy glass bigger than a sheet of sandpaper. Actually just get the same setup I mentioned for lapping balsa. Lightly draw a grid pattern on the stone with a pencil. Lap away until the grid is totally gone. Don't over-run too much... that just puts a very gentle dish in the stone because the center is always on the paper, and the ends are not. You dont have to run straight up and down the axis of the sandpaper. You can go diagonal, for more distance. I like to use water when lapping most rocks.

Nani lapped? Okay then. When the razor seems like it is not as sharp as it once was, soak the stone for a couple of minutes. HOLD IT IN YOUR HAND! You will catch on to proper pressure and alignment much quicker by holding the stone loosely in your off hand, not resting on or against your body or any object. Sort of like it is floating in space. The razor and stone will find their own alignment as long as you always make sure the edge never touches stone unless the spine is already on the stone. Always flip the edge out when changing direction, never the spine. Use a bit of an X stroke even though this stone is wider than most razor edges are long. Keep a squirt bottle of water handy for re-wetting the stone as needed. Usually you will only need a dozen or two laps. But DO NOT COUNT LAPS. Watch for the feedback. A sharp razor scoops under the water on the stone, rather than pushing it ahead. A sharp razor will feel like the stone is sucking it down into it, because the bevel and stone surface will be so perfectly matched. There will be a seal between them. When you feel that, just give it a few additional laps and see what you got. The treetop test works for me. My hair is too short for hht. Pass the razor 1/4" over your forearm. A very very very sharp edge will silently and effortlessly lop the tops off of a bunch of hairs on each pass. Not so sharp as that, maybe it makes little catches and pings, but still gets a good number of hairs. Less sharp than that, maybe it pings audibly in a very quiet room, and only gets a few, or even a couple. This of course is still a subjective test, and depends on the texture of your arm hair and slight variations in your stroke. But it gives you a way to compare one edge with another, or one razor now with the same razor before.

I think as far as rocks go, a nice synthetic is the easiest way to learn. You could also go cheaper and get a C12k but they are harder to lap, and cut more slowly. You could speed up a C12k with a small diamond plate to raise a slurry, or a squirt of diamond slurry. A coticule is a bit harder to master except if you only use it for touchups, you can hone on a coti with just clear water, to good effect. Some other naturals, too. A translucent or black Arkie works but is realllllllyyyyyyy slow, and is a real PITA to lap. So for rocks if you want simple, buy and lap a Naniwa 12k.

Film works good, too. You could do touchups on a piece of 1u film. Your plate must be extremely flat for best results. Your local glass shop could cut you a nice 3-1/2" x 13" slab of heavy glass that would work good. Get the plain back film, not the sticky back. You could also go for a post finish on .3u film over damp paper but learn to just do the 1u film first, without paper.

If you really just cant be bothered, try a shavette. You can get one that will work just fine for a couple of bucks if you don't mind waiting for it to ship from China. Or $5.99 from Sallys. "Magic Razor" is their brand. I suggest getting the model that uses the half DE blades. Get the blue pack Personna DE blades while you are there. And Clubman. They have huge bottles and even jugs of clubman.

Must say thanks again to Slash (and alpster too for the "simplified" method) for posting on the balsa strops. I had some balsa and diamond paste already, but the posts got me off my butt last evening. I don't have a 0.1u, only 0.5 and 0.25 -- hopefully that's "good enough" for now. Will know better tomorrow how this did on refreshing the edge on my Hoffritz that has ten shaves on it (today I used a brand-new-to-me Whipped Dog Sight Unseen). Thanks, gents!

Ditto for Larry at whipped dog. My first 2 straights were his sight unseen razors. Very first effective and properly honed and shave ready.

Slash McCoy said:

Better to get two good vintage blades than one new one. Two razors give you something to shave with while one is either away being honed, or being your first honing attempt. www.whippeddog.com is our go-to guy here for cheap, shave-ready vintage razors. Some are pretty, some are not, but all are quality and all will shave when you get them.

Click to expand...

lishijia said:

Must say thanks again to Slash (and alpster too for the "simplified" method) for posting on the balsa strops. I had some balsa and diamond paste already, but the posts got me off my butt last evening. I don't have a 0.1u, only 0.5 and 0.25 -- hopefully that's "good enough" for now. Will know better tomorrow how this did on refreshing the edge on my Hoffritz that has ten shaves on it (today I used a brand-new-to-me Whipped Dog Sight Unseen). Thanks, gents!

Click to expand...

To me, .25u is sort of an awkward grit that is capable of making a rather harsh edge. 1u or even .5u make a fairly comfortable edge. .1u also leaves a very comfortable edge. I don't know why, but .25u sometimes leaves an edge sharp as you could ever want, but harsh. Not so bad that you can't shave with it and enjoy the shave, but continuing the progression to .1u makes it seem complete. YMMV. By all means, go for it with what you got. It will work. I just think it is a bit better with .1u. In fact I have been meaning to try something finer.

Every edge has a point where finer abrasive will not make an edge sharper. Has to do with the crystaline structure of the steel, which is affected by the alloy, heat treating and tempering, and work hardening. The width of the very edge can only go just so thin, without simply crumbling until it again reaches a sustainable thickness. At least in theory there is a limit to sharpness. However, I suspect that there is more to this than meets the eye. More to it than a simple explanation can explain. And I suspect diamond of very small size can have effects on the edge that do not exactly relate to absolute sharpness. And I think .1u is just starting to get into that range.

Well I didn't mean to digress so much but sure, try with what you got. If you want to fall a bit deeper into the rabbit hole, or if you don't like the .25u edge, then get some .1u paste or slurry.

Slash McCoy said:

To me, .25u is sort of an awkward grit that is capable of making a rather harsh edge. 1u or even .5u make a fairly comfortable edge. .1u also leaves a very comfortable edge. I don't know why, but .25u sometimes leaves an edge sharp as you could ever want, but harsh. Not so bad that you can't shave with it and enjoy the shave, but continuing the progression to .1u makes it seem complete. YMMV. By all means, go for it with what you got. It will work. I just think it is a bit better with .1u. In fact I have been meaning to try something finer.

Every edge has a point where finer abrasive will not make an edge sharper. Has to do with the crystaline structure of the steel, which is affected by the alloy, heat treating and tempering, and work hardening. The width of the very edge can only go just so thin, without simply crumbling until it again reaches a sustainable thickness. At least in theory there is a limit to sharpness. However, I suspect that there is more to this than meets the eye. More to it than a simple explanation can explain. And I suspect diamond of very small size can have effects on the edge that do not exactly relate to absolute sharpness. And I think .1u is just starting to get into that range.

Well I didn't mean to digress so much but sure, try with what you got. If you want to fall a bit deeper into the rabbit hole, or if you don't like the .25u edge, then get some .1u paste or slurry.

Click to expand...

Thanks -- digression is good! I meant to ask earlier, how often do you refresh the paste? Or, to put that another way, how does one know more paste is needed?

Thanks for the feedback. Do you know any great YouTube videos that have a great overview on stropping equipment and how to strop?

lishijia said:

Thanks -- digression is good! I meant to ask earlier, how often do you refresh the paste? Or, to put that another way, how does one know more paste is needed?

Click to expand...

When the balsa is no longer doing its job the way you are used to it getting done. For me that is usually about 6 weeks. Lately, I have started re-lapping my balsa before each application. Yes I guess it wastes the little bit of diamond that is left in the balsa, but I think a nice flat surface is very important for best results.

Slash McCoy said:

When the balsa is no longer doing its job the way you are used to it getting done. For me that is usually about 6 weeks. Lately, I have started re-lapping my balsa before each application. Yes I guess it wastes the little bit of diamond that is left in the balsa, but I think a nice flat surface is very important for best results.

Click to expand...

I fully expected the "when it's no longer working" part. Very grateful for the follow on of your experience, which gives me a less abstract ballpark area. Thanks again, Slash for all your time in this thread!

"When you can walk the rice paper and leave no trace, your footsteps will not be heard."
--Master Kan--

lishijia said:

I fully expected the "when it's no longer working" part. Very grateful for the follow on of your experience, which gives me a less abstract ballpark area. Thanks again, Slash for all your time in this thread!

Click to expand...

He really is da man! Thanks from me as well Slash!

Making a diamond pasted balsa strop based on Slash's methods was the first thing I did after receiving my first razor. Gets the job done!