recommendations

[Waldganger]

Hey there guys.

I've been umming and ahhing about getting a straight razor for ages.

Now I think I'll actually start considering it for real.

I want recommendations for razor brands/types getting up to a max of about 100US.

I've been looking at DOVO carbon steel blades, what do we think of those?

any other brands to look out for?

I can get Timor brand locally, but really have no idea what to look out for.

cheers guys

 

[usiel]

I asked for and received a Thiers-Issard Eagle brand straight razor for my birthday last September. It's my first experience shaving with a naked blade, and I haven't touched a safety razor since. It's a particularly calming ritual to start your day.
My first straight razor shave was the most painful shave of my life, and it took probably forty-five minutes. Worst Razor Burn Ever. It's gotten progressively easier each time. In four months I've managed to cut myself twice on the Adam's apple (tricky area) and once on my thumb.
I researched the topic for weeks before I settled on the appropriate gear. Most everything came from http://www.classicshaving.citymax.com/Home.html.
I got a four-sided paddle strop from http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.com.
There's a Yahoo group dedicated to traditional shaving at http://straightrazorplace.com/.
I started with:
Thiers-Issard razor with stamina wood handles.
Four-sided paddle strop, pre-pasted on three sides.
Norton 4000/8000 grit water stone.
Lynn Abrams "World of Straight Razor Shaving" DVD
Shaving Mug Soap, Reguar, Lime Coconut scent (good lather=good shave, mug soaps rock!)
A good badger hair brush is nice if you can afford it, but boar's hair will do fine.

It's a bit expensive to get into, but you'll never have to buy those expensive-ass cartridges or disposables again.

Hope this longwindedness helps!


~Cameron

 

[Gigmaster]

Some good brands (depending on the condition of the blades) are Dovo, Dorko, Genco, Puma, Double-Duck, Wade and Butcher (my favorite), J.A. Henckles, Case, and Boker.

A good razor is a keepsake that will last for several lifetimes with proper care. My Wade and Butcher is 98 years old, yet it shaves bowling-ball smooth. Get yourself a good one.

On your first shave, take your time. Use the hot towels and classic after-shaves (I am a Bay Rum/Lucky Tiger/Pinuad man). This is YOUR time. Sometimes, it's the best part of the day. Shaving with a straight razor is a deliberate act, as opposed to the mindless automatic ritual of safety razor shaving....all 5 minutes of it! And there is no feeling like that barber-shop close, fresh feeling from a straight razor shave.