Buying A Straight Razor

The Governor

I'm looking at getting the straight razor. One with a proper blade that you sharpen, not one with clip in blades.

I don't wanna break the bank on my first razor, so just want the bare minimum setup. I don't need any special brush, foam or aftershave stuff. I just want the razor and strop I believe it's called?

I'm a total newbie so any advice is massively appreciated.

pudzey101

i ordered one off ebay , not sure on the make but the blades/razors that come with it are wilkinsons swords . top quality and the closest shave iv ever got , but be careful as there very sharp !!

hitemfrank

If you want the lowest cost into straights and to receive a shave ready blade (you want this, trust me) http://www.whippeddog.com will have what you need. The razor will be a vintage razor, it wont be in great condition but it will serve you very well to get started with. He also sells a cheap basic strop. You want a cheap strop to learn how to strop as it's highly likely you will cut it up a bit while learning.

$28 for the razor, $25 for a strop and I think $7 for international shipping and you're ready to go.

The Governor

Thanks for the advice

Frank, would you know much about these Gold Dollar razors? See the mob ebay quite cheap but yet they seem to be popular?

hitemfrank

You can get them on ebay for about 3 quid if you look around but they do take about a month to arrive.

Also, it wont be shave ready - not by a long shot. What you need to do to get them shave ready can vary from just honing them to removing excess metal just so they sit properly on the hones.

Quality control is not important at the Gold Dollar factory it seems.

They can take a good edge though.

The Governor

I'll probably just go for a shave ready from your recommended site to start of Frank, don't know anyone to hone a Gold Dollar