This post attempts to provide you with information, video, and suggestions when you start shaving. It includes suggested equipment to avoid as well as a list of equipment with good reputations. There are help files and links to places to buy gear, links to videos on how to shave and strop and much more. There's even information on what to look for if you decide to shop on ebay.
If you take the time to read this entire post you should have a good idea on where to start. This website also has a great search option that can provide you with member questions and discussion within the forums. Good Luck and Happy Shaving.
Newbie faq (frequently asked questions) in case you don't see the answer to your questions here:
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions (Newbie Corner)
READ THIS BEFORE BUYING A NEW RAZOR!!!:
When you see "shave ready" and it's straight from the factory, it's not really shave ready. Unless it's from one of the honemeisters here or someone you trust with honing, It will likely need to be honed BEFORE you use it. WHY?
CLICK HERE if you're really interested in the reason. Otherwise just trust me
.
Basic gear needed:- 1 to 2 shave ready razors
- hanging strop (linen optional)
- soap or creams
- mug or scuttle
- brush
- Lynn Abram's Video on shaving, stropping, etc. (optional but HIGHLY recommended, can be bought directly from Lynn by sending paypal to:lsabrams@adelphia.net or purchased at www.classicshaving.com, or www.vintagebladesllc.com)
Soaps, mugs and brushes?- SOAP
To get started you can go to most any pharmacy such as cvs, walgreens, etc. and get a puck of Van Der Hagen (Surrey) soap to start. Other good soaps are arko and proraso. Some like Williams Mug Soap. Some Targets carry Proraso, but it's not in the shaving section. It's usually in a special aisle with men's skin care products.
- BRUSH
To start a 5 dollar boars hair brush from walgreens/cvs etc. will do
- MUG
Again, to start you can get a 2 dollar mega mug at a market such as wal-mart.
Eventually you'll probably want a nice badger brush made with winter hair and a really cool mug or scuttle. There are also lots of cool soaps to try.
Skin Care- Styptic Pencil and/or Alum Block
- Witch Hazel
- After-shave of your choice (optional)
- Pre-shave of your choice (optional)
The basics for skin care is a shave soap that doesn't irritate or dry your skin, something to stop the bleeding if you nick yourself, and witch hazel to sooth your skin after the shave. Some report better results with preshave creams. Some like fancy After-shaves. Once you're into it, It's all about you and what you like.
various websites for soaps and skincare:
http://www.straightrazordesigns.com
http://www.classicshaving.com
http://www.drugstore.com
http://www.bear-haven.com/
http://www.thegentlemensquarter.com/
SRP Members and websites to sharpen razors.
Websites to look for razors, strops, mugs, and other gear:
www.classicshaving.com
www.billysblades.com
www.thewellshavedgentleman.com
www.straightrazordesigns.com
www.ShavingShop.com
http://shop.writerferret.com/
http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/
members here who regularly/semi-regularly sell great razors:
adjustme69 (Lynn Abrams)
urleebird (Bill Ellis) -
http://www.billysblades.com
JoeChandler (Joe Chandler) -
http://shop.writerferret.com/
Vladsch (Vlad)
PapaBull (Robert Williams)
xman
Some GOOD RAZOR BRANDS (this is just a starting point)
Maestro Livi, Dubl Duck, Dovo, Henkels, Revisor, Boker, Genco, Geneva, Clauss, Wade & Butcher, Robeson, Maher & Grosh, Puma, Thiers-Isard, Boker, King, Wostenholm, Fabyan, Geo Wostenholm, Wapienica,
Most any razor that was FORGED in Germany, England, France, Italy, are good blades. Razors marked Solingen that were FORGED in Solingen are good blades.
Warning: See below for info about razors trying to be passed off as "solingen" razors.
Bad Razor Brands (
stay away from these)
Zeepk, Master, MasterUSA, Kriegar, Steel Warrior, Sanguine, Simco, "Good Quality", "Special Quality", "Best Quality", "High Quality", "Two Man", pakistani (any razor made in pakistan), Razors "designed by Jim Frost"
There are some "no brand" razors on ebay dirt cheap. DON'T BUY. Also some razors have taken to painting "SOLINGEN" on the razor and are not dirt cheap but not overly expensive either, The blade is forged in pakistan and scales put on in germany so they are using a legal loop hole to claim these are manufactured in Solingen. this causes some problems. Watch out for them.
a few Ebay members that often sell good razors on ebay
altima55, manyware, Mr_Barence, portal5, grottolord, open_razor
EBAY sellers to avoid
bood5244, coonr, thebarterman60
good hones to start out with
Norton 4000/8000 combo
Norton flattening stone (optional lapping stone for smoothing your hone, you can use 300grit wet dry sand paper and plexiglass)
If you want to paste, start with these
http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.c...g?categoryId=4
pastes are usually measured in microns 1 micron diamond paste is equivalent to 14,000 grit. 1/2 micron (or .5 micron) diamond paste is equivalent to 60,000 grit. Using a pasted strop on a razor once every 20 to 30 shaves has been reported to touch up the razor enough that you can go longer between honing sessions with that razor.
Everyday stropping versus Pasted Stropping
It's recommended that you strop daily with a regular strop. Most folks prefer a hanging leather strop with a linen backside. Some use Loom strops, some use paddle strops. This is done before you shave. Some folks clean their blade and strop after the shave also. At the very least, strop your blade properly before shaving.
Using a
"Pasted" strop is generally done every 20 to 30 shaves for the purpose of extending the time between sharpens via honing. Not everyone does this but those who do have various methods, depending on the person. Generically using a strop with 2 or 3 different paste grits such as 3 micron, 1 micron, 1/2 micron in graduated order while using a regular stropping method will touch up the sharpness on the razor enough to prolong the time between sharpens. Be sure to clean the razor very well after stropping on a pasted strop. you
DON'T want to transfer the paste particles onto a clean regular strop.
For those who are interested in using pasted strops you can find products and info at
http://www.thewellshavedgentleman.com
Advanced gear once you're into it and want to sharpen- hones
- flattening or lapping stones or materials
- paddle strops and pastes
- 1 to 3 practice razors to hone with. These will be good brand razors that will be decent shavers when you're done, but due to minor imperfections like chipped handles, beginning pitting/'pock marking', etc. it wouldn't be a blade you'd expect to pay a lot for or get a lot from as is.
Some general guidelines for honing.
Lynn Abram's video has pointers on sharpening as well. You can also check out the videos and animations in the files section here. Some links are provided in this post.
New razors and razors that have previously been sharpened to satisfactory performance typically do not require excessive honing. A 4000/8000 combination stone such as the norton water stone is plenty good for general sharpening. If you prefer a slightly better edge you can either take it to the pasted strops after finishing up on the 8000 side or you can run it over a stone such as a 10000 grit or 12000 grit stone or similar. The higher the grit you go, you get more polishing effect and less actual metal removal effect.
Remember to lap your stones before the first use, and periodically as needed. Use either the wet sand paper method or a flattening stone that's maintained via the wet sand paper method. *wet sand paper method: take a truly flat hard surface such as thick plate glass or thick stone tile, put the sand paper on one side, slosh it with water and rub the stone on the paper for a while. To check for true flatness clean the slurry off the stone with plenty of water , slosh water onto the stone and press it against the other side of the true flat surface and see if it "sticks"*
If you want to get into serious sharpening you may need a bit more.
- 200 grit stone or 220 grit stone - serious and fast metal removal for removing nicks and dings (extreme cases only).
- 1000 grit stone - fast metal removal for setting a bevel and removing nicks and dings
- 4000 grit stone - minor bevel setting and general sharpening
- 8000 grit stone - finishing touches on sharpening with a minor polishing effect
- 10000 grit stone - good polishing with very little actual sharpening
- 12000 grit stones, pastes, and higher grits - high polishing effects.
- Flattening stone - a stone used to keep your hones truly flat. the flattening stone must be maintained generally through the sand paper method or a metal lapping plate such as a shapton lapping station
- Shapton lapping station (metal plate) - an expensive means to keep all your stones flat and negate the need for the sand paper method or a lesser cost flattening stone
Hone qualities and information
Japenese water stones generally seem to cut slower than Norton stones. Norton water stones seem to cut slower than shapton stones. You can find all the grits you need in japanese stones with equal results, and thereby save money, but you'll be spending a fair bit longer at the hone than you will with the norton stones.
wide hones versus narrow hones
Opinions are like finger prints. Generally everyone has their own unique set. Hone width is GENERICALLY subject to personal preference. Some like a 3 inch hone versus the narrower hones.
HOWEVER in cases where the blade does not set evenly on the wide hone, A narrow hone can sharpen the blade better.
Alternative gear for basic restoration- restoration CD from www.billysblades.com
- variable speed dremmel or rotary tool, and buffing pads
- Maas, flitz, or other metal polishes
- Norton 1000 grit stone for setting the bevel (not necessary but helps it go faster)
If you need a regrind
shaving tips and good links
Helpful Video
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...d,17/Itemid,3/
SHAVING:
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...d,20/Itemid,3/
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...nload/gid,125/
http://www.menessentials.com/oxid.ph...ght_razors.tpl
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...d,23/Itemid,3/
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...wnload/gid,38/
(one handed shave)
video introducing straight shaving, includes video on how to strop and how to shave.
Stropping:
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...d,46/Itemid,3/
http://www.classicshaving.com/articl...90351/4057.htm
http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-Use-a...:-1:LISTINGS:1
Honing:
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...wnload/gid,78/
http://www.classicshaving.com/articl...90351/4057.htm
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...wnload/gid,11/
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...wnload/gid,76/
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...wnload/gid,77/
FAQS
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...tegory/2/2/12/
Help files:
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/co...cman/Itemid,3/
IMPORTANT message
This post is a basic starting point and is by no means a complete list. It is subject to change without notice. There is all kinds of great information on this website not included in this post. There are also a LOT of brands, sellers to avoid. Therefore, if the brand/seller you're looking at getting isn't on this list and you're not 100% certain it's good, ASK! ASK! ASK!
DISCLAIMERS:
Information listed here, both positive and negative, is provided based on SRP Member feedback and comments. ALL information is posted as personal opinion under the rights of freedom of speech. Razors of any form are a tool, not a toy. Use caution when handling or shaving with any razor of any kind. Shaving with a straight razor is an art for some, therapy for others and an addiction for still others. Start at your own risk. The information on this website is provided as is, without any warranties expressed or implied. By browsing this website and/or using the information herein you are releasing
www.straightrazorplace.com and its owners, administrators, moderatiors, members, affiliates, web hosts, guests, contributors or otherwise from all liabilities and responsibilities arising from said usage. You should be at least 18 years of age or older to pick your nose in public.
CRITICAL INFO FOR NEW MEMBERS!!: Read This Before Buying/Using A Straight Razor!!
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