Welp.
The bug has bitten again. I'm interested in a straight razor, strop and hone. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, of course. Something to get me on the right foot.
I briefly skimmed the straight razor guide and found it interesting.. however I didn't see any articles in there about selecting a razor (width?).
So here I am. Looking around on the web, classicshaving.com mostly (what are some other good sites for straight razors).
What do I want to look for in a width, for starting out? 5/8ths?
Again nothing too fancy.... just to get me going.
Straight Razors
Based on my limited experience, the 5/8 blade seems to be the most popular. I would visit straightrazorplace.com and check with some of the guys there, and go with a shave ready razor. Tony Miller at SRP offers some great strops, both paddle and hanging. You should be able to get set up for less than $100. Almost forgot, at SRP Lynn Abrams has a video you can download and see him shave with a straight razor.
Others will offer up their thoughts, and you will be on your way!
Randy
Others will offer up their thoughts, and you will be on your way!
Randy
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." J. B. Books
Re: Straight Razors
In my opinion, your best bet is to get a starter kit with a shave ready razor. Tony Miller (hierphoto) usually has one on sale either at SRP (com) or on Ebay. The razor won't be new, but it will be a good one and you'll be able to shave as soon a syou receive it. You'll also know what a keen razor should feel like, so you'll have a standard to work against. You can't be sure a new razor will be shave ready. The starter kit will have everything you need. They're usually in the range of $100-125.Mindflux wrote:Welp.
The bug has bitten again. I'm interested in a straight razor, strop and hone. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, of course. Something to get me on the right foot.
I briefly skimmed the straight razor guide and found it interesting.. however I didn't see any articles in there about selecting a razor (width?).
So here I am. Looking around on the web, classicshaving.com mostly (what are some other good sites for straight razors).
What do I want to look for in a width, for starting out? 5/8ths?
Again nothing too fancy.... just to get me going.
Another necessity is Chris Moss' book, which you can download here or buy in hard copy.
Joe
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Sam
- M'Learned Friend
- Posts: 12019
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great stuff from dr. chris and joe lerch. i got razors from dave francis. really sharp. and lynn has honed up a few for me, but he sold me new razors after i got some older ones that francis had made up. i never got the norton stone and regret doing it. i got some stones from dave francis that he had gotten from tilly. since there is so much information about the norton and so many people use it, i should have gone that route. so now i am stoneless and have just the 0.5 handamerican liquid and a strop on a board that narval made up for me. so dont make the mistake and get barber hones like i did - get the norton. i just have two straight razors now.
i like 6/8 cause i have a touch coarse beard. have used the 7/8 which is almost 8/9 friodur and it is unwieldy. loved my 5/8 bismarck but i was worried about washing away the gold wash so i sold it. dovos are great. i hear hen and rooster and some crown and swords are great. but i love my TIs that i have. you want a nifty one, check out the SRP razor from classicshaving when you get better at it. really light weight and fun
sam
i like 6/8 cause i have a touch coarse beard. have used the 7/8 which is almost 8/9 friodur and it is unwieldy. loved my 5/8 bismarck but i was worried about washing away the gold wash so i sold it. dovos are great. i hear hen and rooster and some crown and swords are great. but i love my TIs that i have. you want a nifty one, check out the SRP razor from classicshaving when you get better at it. really light weight and fun
sam
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edgebreakdown
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:13 am
- Location: Australia
Mindflux
I reckon the best place to start is the disposable. Just to get your confidence up with handling a straight. You can drop it and not see $100.00 go up in smoke. If you accidently knock the blade on the tap (spigot), you just change it. The razor and blades are dirt cheap. I have one that cost me $8.00 Australian and I use either Feather or those cheap Israeli blades in it . You are always guaranteed a sharp blade. With practice you get a fantastic shave with it. Even if you get a traditional straight a good idea might be to get one to use just in case you don't manage to sharpen the straight quite right, you can pick it it up and use it, keeping your straight shaving skills honed (pardon the pun) while you get the traditional straight just right.
I used a Puma straight on and off for 10 years, I invested in a Feather and then just for curiosity (and travel) the one I mentioned previously. Since I have had the two disposables, about 3 mths, I haven't missed a shave with a straight. My Puma hasn't seen the light of day since I got the Feather and my DEs are out of a job.
There is no doubt about the sense of accomplishment maintaining and using a trad straight can bring. For me the main thing is a good shave with the minimum of fuss. The most important thing is good soap and a good brush and learning to make a nice lather. For years I never paid much attention to this, partly because there wasn't much info around. Consequently my experience of the straight shave was not great, even with a top quality straight. It makes a HUGE difference, although you can't get a good shave with a bad blade, a good soap and brush will go a long way to making whatever equipment you have perform at it's best . I reckon you would be experiencing a great straight shave pretty quickly with one of the 3 Ts soap, a nice badger brush, Vulfix do some nice ones at good prices, and a cheap disposable blade holder. I wish I'd started that way round, I think the daily pleasure of a good straight shave would have been mine much sooner .
Best of luck wishing you many great shaves,
Alasdair
I reckon the best place to start is the disposable. Just to get your confidence up with handling a straight. You can drop it and not see $100.00 go up in smoke. If you accidently knock the blade on the tap (spigot), you just change it. The razor and blades are dirt cheap. I have one that cost me $8.00 Australian and I use either Feather or those cheap Israeli blades in it . You are always guaranteed a sharp blade. With practice you get a fantastic shave with it. Even if you get a traditional straight a good idea might be to get one to use just in case you don't manage to sharpen the straight quite right, you can pick it it up and use it, keeping your straight shaving skills honed (pardon the pun) while you get the traditional straight just right.
I used a Puma straight on and off for 10 years, I invested in a Feather and then just for curiosity (and travel) the one I mentioned previously. Since I have had the two disposables, about 3 mths, I haven't missed a shave with a straight. My Puma hasn't seen the light of day since I got the Feather and my DEs are out of a job.
There is no doubt about the sense of accomplishment maintaining and using a trad straight can bring. For me the main thing is a good shave with the minimum of fuss. The most important thing is good soap and a good brush and learning to make a nice lather. For years I never paid much attention to this, partly because there wasn't much info around. Consequently my experience of the straight shave was not great, even with a top quality straight. It makes a HUGE difference, although you can't get a good shave with a bad blade, a good soap and brush will go a long way to making whatever equipment you have perform at it's best . I reckon you would be experiencing a great straight shave pretty quickly with one of the 3 Ts soap, a nice badger brush, Vulfix do some nice ones at good prices, and a cheap disposable blade holder. I wish I'd started that way round, I think the daily pleasure of a good straight shave would have been mine much sooner .
Best of luck wishing you many great shaves,
Alasdair
Just one one more stroke on the hone and it will be perfect....... Oh $****
Oh wow.. haha I didn't realise that it could be this complex (or to some people easy).
With honing and stropping the blade, what sort of life expectancy is there in the razor itself? I realise sharpening the blade takes very little off to get your fine edge back, but after a certain point would you not have worn down the metal requiring a new razor? (This would likely take years and years though, right?)
With honing and stropping the blade, what sort of life expectancy is there in the razor itself? I realise sharpening the blade takes very little off to get your fine edge back, but after a certain point would you not have worn down the metal requiring a new razor? (This would likely take years and years though, right?)
With just two razors, I don't think you need the Norton. I have it and it's so messy that I only use it when I do a bunch of razorrs. For maintenance, I use pasted strops and/or a barber's hone. Something like a Swaty will refresh an edge with just a few strokes, and you can slow it down by using lather.tngentleman1 wrote:so now i am stoneless and have just the 0.5 handamerican liquid and a strop on a board that narval made up for me. so dont make the mistake and get barber hones like i did - get the norton. i just have two straight razors now.
sam
What I use the most is a set of pasted paddle strops (a four sided and a two sided) with the following pastes: 6,3, 1, .5, .25 and plain finishing leather. The grit equivalents are: 3K, 8K, 14K, 50K and 100K. So, I can do just about anything on an individual razor. And I can do it at my desk, without creating a mess at the sink.
With .5 on the pasted strop and a few barber's hones of different grits, you should be able to manage your razors fine. If you keep them keen, it's a long time between honings anyway. I don't think you're missing anything except another toy, unless you start getting Ebay razors that need restoration.
I have a handamerican two sided table strop, but I use the paddles much more.
Joe
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English
Mindflux,
Read the advice slowly and carefully.
These guys have given all the options that really work, and all the advice is exceptional and I mean exceptional. You can read for months and not find the answers you have been given.
If you don't understand or need more detail, ask them again. They are really helpful and nice people and they have fully tried and tested everything they recommend. They have rejected many other routes and processes that don't work to distill these simple but unbelievably effective processes to you.
Good luck and remember to be very very gentle with the blade until you gain confidence which will come sooner than you think if you follow the given advice.
Read the advice slowly and carefully.
These guys have given all the options that really work, and all the advice is exceptional and I mean exceptional. You can read for months and not find the answers you have been given.
If you don't understand or need more detail, ask them again. They are really helpful and nice people and they have fully tried and tested everything they recommend. They have rejected many other routes and processes that don't work to distill these simple but unbelievably effective processes to you.
Good luck and remember to be very very gentle with the blade until you gain confidence which will come sooner than you think if you follow the given advice.
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Sam
- M'Learned Friend
- Posts: 12019
- Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2004 9:13 am
- Location: memphis, tennessee
- Contact:
chris: i would also add that for the occassional collector, say someone with 2 or 3 or so straights, the norton works best. not having to concern yourself with an X pattern is a major advantage, not to be discounted. now, if you take it more of a serious hobby, you can get into the niche of hones, but for someone with little to no experience, id get a norton. the pasted strop 0.5 is easy enough to maintain a semi to sharp edge, but that 0.25 diamond paste that nirval sent me, wow, it was keen.
sam
sam
Ive also been looking for a real straight recently. I saw this shave set over at knifecenter: http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store ... tml?s=JEPK . Would are your views on that one? I already have a good brush (kingsley pure badger) and cream.
A straight razor and a revolver and im ready to take on the world.
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Sam
- M'Learned Friend
- Posts: 12019
- Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2004 9:13 am
- Location: memphis, tennessee
- Contact:
ok, george genovezor or tony at SRP can get you a great strop, with linen, for around $38 delivered. paste, you dont need yet if it is a conditioned strop, which it being new from those guys, will be. so that leaves about $40 for a razor and lynn can get you a sharp one. if some of you are newbies, they have giveaways from time to time on the SRP forum so join up. i got great razors for $35 and they were SHARP. that razor from knife center might not be. a good advantage of getting one from lynn or the guys at SRP is that you Know what a sharp edge is to comapre it to.
sam
sam