Need Help "Straight Razor"

Sunburyboy93

Sunburyboy93

Joined
Sunday August 23, 2009
Location
Sunbury !!
Right Guys, need your help...

I really want to give Straight Razor's a go, i bought one of those "Sanguine" Straight's that takes half a DE Blade......and it looked like Freddy Kruger had shaved me !!!.cut my face to buggery !!! :oops:

Want to have another go, now what is a good starting razor (without speding a fortune)

i see you can buy sets like this :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Straight-Cut-...rber_Shop_Collectables_LE&hash=item415078824f

For around £20.00, but are they any good ? :? , need the Straight Razor Shavers to help me out here... :?

Thanks
Steve
 
I wouldn't bother with that ebay set. Seems far too cheap to be of any quality.

If you're new to this you want a razor which has been sharpened by someone who has a good deal of experience sharpening razors - shave ready out of the packet so you don't even need to strop it for your first shave.

Neil Miller at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.strop-shop.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.strop-shop.co.uk</a><!-- m --> is very well respected around here and if you buy from him you at least will know that the razor and edge are good to go for shaving.

Larry Andro, <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.whippeddog.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.whippeddog.com/</a><!-- m -->, will also provide you with a cheap razor and strop. They won't be show pieces but they will have good shaving edges. $40 will get you a shave ready straight and a piece of leather for stropping, inc postage.

If you want something with a bit of class, I'd head for Neil's shop.

I'm sure there will be others along to recommend Neil, and maybe even a few other vendors.
 
sunburyboy93 said:
Right Guys, need your help...

I really want to give Straight Razor's a go, i bought one of those "Sanguine" Straight's that takes half a DE Blade......and it looked like Freddy Kruger had shaved me !!!.cut my face to buggery !!! :oops:

Want to have another go, now what is a good starting razor (without speding a fortune)

i see you can buy sets like this :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Straight-Cut-...rber_Shop_Collectables_LE&hash=item415078824f

For around £20.00, but are they any good ? :? , need the Straight Razor Shavers to help me out here... :?

Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...

2 words: Neil Miller.

Knows his stuff, is very helpful and a complete gentleman, and that's coming from a FAILED straight razor user.

Ian
 
I'd also highly recommend Neil Miller. I recently bought a terrific vintage straight from him; he'll offer all the help and advice you need :shave
 
Thanks Guys,

I have sent Neil an E-mail, so hopefully he will come back to me soon, does Straight Shavinh take alot longer than DE ?, as i said i only used one of those horrible ones that takes a DE Blade before and gave up after 4 slices in my cheek and nearly taking my top lip off !!! :shock: :oops:

I guess there are Vids on You Tube to help with Technique...

Steve
 
I found it difficult. Difficult enough for me to throw in the towel.

You can get there in time, but I wasn't prepared to put in the required time. I got good at stropping, though!

Ian
 
Neil, definitely.

As regards techniques, the handbook I linked to here:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://theshavingroom.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2630&p=31884&hilit=pdf#p31884" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2630&p=31884&hilit=pdf#p31884</a><!-- l -->
is worth a read. Here's something a bit more up to date:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.shavemyface.com/downloads/The-Straight-Razor-Shave.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.shavemyface.com/downloads/Th ... -Shave.pdf</a><!-- m -->
and here's a very good vid:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg[/youtube]
There's lots more tucked away here and there on this forum, and a welter of often conflicting advice on the web. My advice: take your time and try to avoid being disturbed when you're starting out.
 
It certainly is a steeper learning curve than DE shaving has been.

After a week of DE shaves I could get a close shave with effort (and irritation), after a dozen shaves it was getting easier. However, I'm 14 shave into str8 shaving and although I'm making progress its really slow, not particularly close and it takes an age, but satisfying none the less.
 
Large numbers of men love straight razor shaving. Many try it and give up, mainly because of the difficulty and effort involved in mastering technique and maintaining the razor. There's only one way to decide if it's for you. If you have significant doubts before you start, forget it. If you are keen to have a go - contact Neil.
 
This is quite a good guide which covers all the basics, the first 30 seconds or so are invaluable:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVIuyQFz0zo[/youtube]

I wouldn't listen to those posts above, you'll end up shaving sober, taking your time, not really cutting yourself and other boring stuff.

:mrgreen:
 
It may be worth having a peek at "The Invisible Edge" site, they do a lot of both refurbished & new straights. Also very approachable if you have any queries. If it encourages any I tried with a Dovo Shavette and left my face a red ruin ! The technique (for me at least) doesn't resemble using a straight razor in any way, shape or form. I found using a straight way easier. If need be you can always just shave the cheeks & "easy bits" with the open razor until your techniche & confidence grow, tidy up the rest with your own choice of DE.

All the best M8.

JohnnyO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom