New to all this

I

iamacup

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Location
Canberra
Hi Folks,

My wife and I are trying to reduce our waste through various changes in our life, and one of the things I've suggested is a shift to non-disposable shaving systems.

For the last few years I've been using an electric razor, this now needs new blades and these cost about as much as a new electric razor. I don't fancy doing this every few years and I thought now would be a good time to try out a straight razor. My wife is interested in a DE for her shaving needs too.
At this point we are just researching and looking at the different options.

We are both looking at getting vintage/restored razors, as we don't want to blow huge amounts on a change in our routine that may not stick. The DE seems to be the easy one to find, no end of DE razors out there for anything from $10 vintage to $50 new, plenty of blades too. this should be easy to find really.
I have been hankerin' to try a straight for some time and this seems to be a good way to go. This seems to be much more of a minefield when it comes to buying vintage.
What is the best place to look for razors and shaving gear on a shoestring budget, and is there any advice for buying my first straight?

We are in Canberra and are open to shopping internationally but would prefer to support local and Australian traders.

Looking forward to hearing back from the knowledge base here.

Thanks,

Cup
 
@iamacup firstly welcome. Secondly great alias (y)
There are some great members here who can offer the right advice to you. Unfortunately I'm not one of them as I buy and keep everything so probably against your philosophy.
There is a social Meetup soon in Canberra and with these small local face to face meetups you can ask a ton of questions which could be faster than asking a hundred here.
You may also find a kind gent who'll loan you a razor to help you out. But basics are very cheap though unlike me I fell down the 'rabbit hole' and have spent thousands ;)
Good luck (y)
 
Welcome @iamacup
In Canberra there are a few places to buy a straight ranging from the shaver shop (I’ve been to the Woden one once, staff are not knowledgeable), Aussie knives in Mitchell are a Boker importer/stockist so they have a couple straights and a DE or two and in the city you have menzbiz for the best range.
Where abouts in Canberra are you may I ask?
I’m in Gilmore and we have sleeper agents around the place :)
 
Welcome, @iamacup!

I agree with RustyBlade that there are bunch of great guys here who can point you in the right direction. I started off with a Merkur 34HD, a Proraso Green Tea & Oatmeal and a no name brush. There will be a bunch of other starter combinations you can begin with. I'm sure there will be others who will chime in with their starter sets, as well as their current faves. Good luck!
 
Welcome to P&C @iamacup - great to have you here (y)

The Australian straight razor guru and one of the friendliest and most helpful people to reach out too is @Mark

If he is not around here, I am sure people can give you his private contact details. He usually has great value restored and really shave ready straights and stropes for sale...as well as stones.

Else: Larry from whippeddog.com also has fantastic shave ready beginner sets and great value brushes for sale.
 
Hi Cup,
I was fortunate and was able to buy most of my vintage straights from an Australian seller who bought on online auctions. This acted as a prefilter and my seller only sold good razors. Never had a dud from him. Unfortunately he has shut up shop. Ebay is fine if you know what to look for. If you're buying vintage you want a clean looking unit. Small amounts of corrosion on the blade may not be a big deal but if there's been any corrosion on the bevel/edge then it could be more trouble than what it's worth. Sometimes you don't see that stuff until you get it and put it under a microscope. Solingen and Sheffield steel are probably the most common and safe ground but there's plenty of good vintage razors still out there. Economically.....? There's an investment in the straight razor (should be able to pick up a good one for less than $100) but then you have to keep the edge on it. A good strop may be $50 to 100 + is essential then you've either got to find someone to hone the razor periodically or invest in honing stones which could easily set you back $1K.
DE's are definitely cheaper to get into but there's plenty of us on P&C here that love straight razors.
A word of warning - it is possible to set yourself up to shave very cheaply, effectively, sustainably and have fun doing it but if you hang round this site too long you'll be spending thousands!! We specialise in enabling!
Others here may have some better advice re: sourcing vintage razors.
Good luck.:)
 
As far as straights go they are the least wasteful however;
Canberra is a wasteland as far as hone misters go so you would need to learn and get the gear (Hones and strops) or pay postage and service fees.
Practically speaking DE is cheaper if;
A) you settle on one lifetimes worth of blades (blade acquisition disorder is the scourge of our time)
B) don’t go mad on titanium/stainless black coated high speed low drag tactical operator billet razors made by blind monks from Atlantis.
 
Wow,

Thank you all for the replies.

@RustyBlade thanks, I've been a Cup for online games for many years, and it's my online persona.
@Ferret619 We are in Kaleen, North Belconnen. I had looked at the shaver shop option and I wasn't thrilled by the choice. Looking at Mensbiz, the price looks like a second razor once I have got the knack down. I sharpen my own chisels, drawknives and other tools; I have a head start there, but I'm sure there will be a learning curve. Also some better quality stones will be required too.
@alfredus I have heard of Larry at Whipped Dog, that is the way I'm planning on going with a sight unseen, poor man strop and a decent brush.

Thank you for the advice, the $50-$100 mark is the realistic price range for a razor and first strop. I've heard the first strop gets cut to shreds while learning the poor stropping technique. Is this a realistic figure?

Cheers,

Cup
 
iamacup said:
Wow,

Thank you all for the replies.

@RustyBlade thanks, I've been a Cup for online games for many years, and it's my online persona.
@Ferret619 We are in Kaleen, North Belconnen. I had looked at the shaver shop option and I wasn't thrilled by the choice. Looking at Mensbiz, the price looks like a second razor once I have got the knack down. I sharpen my own chisels, drawknives and other tools; I have a head start there, but I'm sure there will be a learning curve. Also some better quality stones will be required too.
@alfredus I have heard of Larry at Whipped Dog, that is the way I'm planning on going with a sight unseen, poor man strop and a decent brush.

Thank you for the advice, the $50-$100 mark is the realistic price range for a razor and first strop. I've heard the first strop gets cut to shreds while learning the poor stropping technique. Is this a realistic figure?

Cheers,

Cup
Click to expand...
Lots of folk out your way :)
We occasionally have a meet up at Tilleys FYI in case u are ever interested.
Good on ya for sorting your own tools, realistically razors are easier than knives and other tool blades in that the spine rests on the stone as opposed to the freehand work on knives for example.
 
I would start of with a DE. Very little time needed to learn to use it, and minimal waste with the blades, which are cheap. A straight is not the easiest thing to learn. Many have tried and given up, plus you will be buy honing stones for constant maintenance. It is a not a cheap option..
 
I am not a straight user myself, but know that Larry's gear is always great value for money and have had great experiences with his brushes myself and heard nothing but great things from others.

As for price: I tend to look at life the other way round: I first try to determine what I/me/myself wants (not what the world tells me to want). Then I look, how much my wants would cost and lastly determine, if I have the budget for it.

I have always protects on the backburner, because of lack of funds, but I never try to fit a project into a set budget before starting out.

One last tip: the biggest improvement to your (and your wife's) shaves will come from great lather. People tend to spend crazy amount of time researching their first razor/blade - get a great soap (10-30$) and a decent brush (25-??? $) and don't skimp on the soap when lathering...

If you don't believe me now: save this Post and have a look at it in 1-3 years ;)
 
Welcome aboard Cup,
Keep an eye out in the classifieds here for the occasional DE or the evil bay
Starting with a shave ready vintage str8 in the 11/16" to 13/16" range will get you off to a great start that you may with will power never need to update
As noted a decent brush and soaps will keep you both in smooth shape
Cheers
Dion
 
So I need to look into a decent brush, horse hair is where I’ll start with a brush, not expensive but apparently very good, I want something with some exfoliating power.


Thank you all

Cup
 
iamacup said:
So I need to look into a decent brush, horse hair is where I’ll start with a brush, not expensive but apparently very good, I want something with some exfoliating power.


Thank you all

Cup
Click to expand...
They are good but a little smelly for a while.
 
iamacup said:
So I need to look into a decent brush, horse hair is where I’ll start with a brush, not expensive but apparently very good, I want something with some exfoliating power.
Cup
Click to expand...

Exfoliating is overrated. Boar is the only fibre that really accomplishes this, and even then, the quality of the lather is far more important than how hard you scrub.

Synthetics are the best lathering brushes around. Face feel is a subjective thing and down to preference/opinion, but synths work best as far as performance goes, and that's not subjective, they just do. Whenever I pick up my boars or badgers, the difference is significant. I can get the same lather result, but takes longer, requires more product, takes more time and yields less lather. No difference in the 'exfoliation' factor whatosever. Plus, Synths never ever shed fibres, dry faster.
 
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