First Straight Razor?

M

Magnetite

Joined
Aug 25, 2010
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9
My "man-stinct" is calling for me to shave with a straight razor, it must be appeased to keep my internal beast subdued...

I've never shaved with a straight edge, and don't know a lick about it, but those triple blades are getting expensive.

What brand/style should I pursue, and what advice do the ancient ones have for me?

Beard type: thick, full

Note: Beard extends just beyond adam's apple--so I'd be shaving over that bump as well..
 
Any good razor will be fine - good new and affordable razors can be had from Dovo or Boker, and there are many, many good vintage razors, try to stick to steel made in America, Solingen Germany, or Sheffield England. The chinese ebay stuff will never take a shaving edge, believe me I tried it once.

The most important thing is that it has a shave ready edge, whatever you select. Most retailers sharpen razors they sell, or offer sharpening services. A factory edge from say Dovo is not truly shave ready, it needs work. While razor honing isn't rocket science, it isn't the same as getting a knife scary sharp and takes practice, trial, and error. It has to be not only as sharp as steel can get, but smooth too. I would suggest starting with a pro-honed razor so that you know what you shoot for when/if you start honing your own razors. You don't have to do it this way, and I didn't, but if I were to do it again it would certainly have made life easier.
 
I just started with straight razors 5 shaves ago (figure about a week), and I'm enjoying myself! The problem? I started with one razor (a beau brummel) and now I have seven! :eek: If you're simply looking for an inexpensive, yet consistent shave, look into DE's (double edged safety razor). I picked mine up at a local antique store (mine's a problem, they have too much stuff I want!) and some blades off of ebay for about 15 dollars. I'm not even halfway through the blades yet (1.5 years later) and the savings are great! With either a DE or a straight, a light touch is the key, and practice! You'll not regret it once the learning curve is over! Happy hunting and good luck!

-Matt-
 
Try Whipped Dog Straights. Larry over there does a good job and ships fast. The prices are very inexpensive. I just got a razor from him (ordered Monday, got it Thursday), and he puts a good edge on the blade.

I've been using a Dovo 6/8" for a couple months or so, but I think it came warped from the factory, so that's why I got a backup straight from Whipped Dog. Have your old shaving system handy to get the spots you miss. It'll take a while to get used to a new sharpening system. When you've got shaving and honing down, get a Dovo or Böker.

Have fun.
 
+1 for Larry at whipped dog... What part of the NW are you in? I'm in Portland and I know there are a couple barbershops that will do straight shaves if you're interested...
 
The Dovo Special Tortoise is a good basic razor that gives a great shave, if you're looking for a new one. :)
 
There are a lot of good instuctional videos on Youtube to get you off to a good start.

Keep in mind that straight-razor shaving is a lot of work. It really harkens back to a day when a man didn't shave himself. An upper-class gentleman was shaved by is valet who also took care of the razors. A common bloke was shaved by his wife -- or one of his daughters as part of her domestic training -- who also took care of the razor. And a middle-class man saved his womanfolk this task by dropping a penny at the neighborhood barber shop a few time a week -- as much for the socializing as for the shave -- where the barber took care of the razors.

This doesn't mean that a man can't do this himself. But just realize that it is a lot of extra work. The modern man who takes this on needs to do it not to save a few cents but as a hobby unto itself which is a perfectly valid thing to do, of course.
 
I would go thru 12-14 disposable razors per year and they cost about 15$ (the cheap Bic). So, not a lot of savings. Then I spend only one minute stropping my razor before each shave (3 times per week). So, not much time (after the stone work). But I enjoy sharpening and shaving with a razor handed down to me from my dad. Which his father gave to him. So, I like being connected to them. Third, I get a closer shave and feel like I do some part on not throwing away so much stuff. After I shave during the day I catch myself rubbing my jaw and thinking,--I did that and it is good! So, a sense of accomplishment of something well done carries some weight with me. Hope you enjoy it too. DM
 
+1 on the 5/8 or 6/8 Dovo Tortoise. Excellent razor for the price.

I have been using a straight now for like 5 years. There is absolutely nothing like it. Not only is it the coolest way to shave, it's also the best shave you will ever get. The thing is, it's not something you will pick up overnight. It takes time, patience and persistence. As I recall, it took me about 6 months to get to the point where I could routinely get and first class shave. Even though I am very good at it now, every day I shave I am amazed by how much fun it is and how good my face feels.
 
I hear ya, when my friends wanted bicycles I wanted a straight razor...and a beard lol.

Straight razors, in my opinion, are far superior to the new Mach z fusion insta-clogs out there, especially for the scruffier types, good on ya for switching teams :).
There's two subjects in straight shaving. Blade care and the actual shave. Being new at it your blade care will be a learning process and your face will suffer the consequences. If you buy a $10 razor that uses disposable safety razor blades(which are far cheaper than modern disposables) you can learn the shave without slashing your face up. Also the disposable has a few mm of blade sticking out of the sleeve so any cuts are very very small.
Once you have that one in the bag you'll have the familiarity with how a good blade should feel when learning your blade care. Therefore twisting your learning curve towards the clouds, saving you the frustration and the blood.

I've seen a few people turn away from straights out of frustration because they hadn't quite figured out honing and the strop. A taste of what you're working towards will spur you forward. Also, a travel friendly sidekick is the Dovo Merkur. Still manly, handles lots of hair, and is near impossible to cut yourself with unless you're trying to.
 
Oh and when you buy your first straight I'd recommend looking for a French point (rounded tip) over a square point as the square point can snag easier. Especially on the jawbone behind the ears.
A short blade is easier to manage in awkward places but long blade requires less passes. Hollow ground get a very fine edge but is easy to warp or chip if bumped against the sink. Flat ground has more weight and doesn't make that scraping sound because there's less resonance in a thicker blade but has a wedge shape verses the fine scoop shape of hollow ground.

Sorry about writing a book here. You just struck a major interest of mine and it's good to see more people converting. I have yet to get my girlfriend to switch to a straight for her legs lol.
 
Colorcaster said:
Oh and when you buy your first straight I'd recommend looking for a French point (rounded tip) over a square point as the square point can snag easier. Especially on the jawbone behind the ears.
A short blade is easier to manage in awkward places but long blade requires less passes. Hollow ground get a very fine edge but is easy to warp or chip if bumped against the sink. Flat ground has more weight and doesn't make that scraping sound because there's less resonance in a thicker blade but has a wedge shape verses the fine scoop shape of hollow ground.

Sorry about writing a book here. You just struck a major interest of mine and it's good to see more people converting. I have yet to get my girlfriend to switch to a straight for her legs lol.
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Good advice here colorcaster. I've got a nice scar from a french tip. I'd definitely go with a rounded 5/8 blade.
I started out with a dove with ebony handles. It's a good quality razor which won't break the bank, but that is still a quality razor as your skills improve. If you go cheaper, that's good too, but make sure you won't doubt the quality of the blade.
 
a french point is a half rounded tip, some what a cross between the spike point and rounded point.

A rounded point will be fine for someone just starting out, but later on you may enjoy the spike point more.

There are many different tip styles. Round, french, Barbers notch, spike... just to name a few. Try them all out see which you like the best.
 
THG said:
Try Whipped Dog Straights. Larry over there does a good job and ships fast. The prices are very inexpensive. I just got a razor from him (ordered Monday, got it Thursday), and he puts a good edge on the blade.

I've been using a Dovo 6/8" for a couple months or so, but I think it came warped from the factory, so that's why I got a backup straight from Whipped Dog. Have your old shaving system handy to get the spots you miss. It'll take a while to get used to a new sharpening system. When you've got shaving and honing down, get a Dovo or Böker.

Have fun.
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I went with whipped dog due to popular recommendations. Larry was really easy to work with and shipped real fast. I bought a bran new Dovo Col. Ichabod Conk razor. It was 120 bucks.
I asked him before hand if he would pro hone the razor for me, he said absolutely!
Got the razor 3 days later. I am no stranger to sharpening of blades, not a stranger at all, I certainly know what a sharp edge feels like. I opened the box, and proceeded to pop some hairs on my arm, it did INDEED pop hairs, however I found it... not too impressive? I then went for the tree topping test. The razor did not cut any hairs off the skin, even through thick hair, it barely caught anything. The edge of the razor has a really rough feel too it if you run your finger along side of it. Doesn't have that smooth super honed out feel at all. It shaved okay, but I was certainly expecting more. Are razors supposed to feel "rough" at the edge? I mean it feels like a partially damaged edge... its hard to explain.
Any thoughts?
-Max
 
Major factor in smoothness, especially with straights is prep. triple your lather soak time. As for hair topping, its not a good metric for shaving. There just isn't any consensus regarding hanging hair, or tree-topping and any relation to how a blade shaves.

If you are concerned about damage, do a bright light check of the edge, any imperfections should show up. If there was edge damage, it wouldn't shave at all. I think your best bet is to contact Larry, see what he says about it.

Bad stropping can do in an edge with a single stroke, and sometimes things don't quite go the way they should. But there isn't much to do to diagnose a blade over the internet.
 
never known larry to send out a razor that wasn't up to par. you could have rolled the edge by feeling it too much in the wrong way. it does not take much to spoil an edge on a straight these are super thin and if you listen to the old timers then you aren't supposed to touch the edge at all after honing.too many varibles and no pics have to agree with gadgetgeek.
 
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