Shopping list for beginners
Chosing your first equipment can be a daunting challenge. The following article is aimed at beginners looking for sound advice. We also recommend to carefully read our Beginners Guide and the Frequently Asked Questions. Both contain information on buying (and using) your first equipment, and while it will take you about an hour to peruse, they will save you time, money, and pain.
The following list is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Neither is it authoritative. It is meant as a general guide, and based upon the collective wisdom of experienced users of the SRP Forum. If you are on a tight budget, you may also find the article Buying a beginner's set on a budget useful.
The first razor
- Resist the urge to buy a fancy model. Experience has shown that almost any beginner will dull it while stropping, damage the edge when hitting a tap, or simply drop the razor.
- Resist the urge to buy from an auction site. For starters, you will not be able to tell whether a razor is the condition described by the seller. Defects can be slight but fatal. Even if the razor is in excellent condition, chances are you will pay considerably more than the current going rate. Good razors on eBay are rare, and the experienced users will spot, and snipe, them very quickly.
- Stick to what is recommended in the FAQ. A larger, heavier, stiffer razor will be easier for you to use in the beginning. You will find watching your manoeuvres easier, as well as keeping it flat while stropping.
- Whether you buy new or from the Classifieds, buy for function, not looks. A beaten up vintage, honed by a professional, will likely outshave a new production razor in any event.
- Two razors are better than one. Get both in shave ready state, and keep one for comparison purposes. If unsure whether your shaving razor is actually shave ready, consult the edge of the spare one.
- When buying from a reputable source, learn to live with the fact that the razor is shave ready despite your personal disagreement with that verdict. It is tempting to blame initial frustrating experiences on the blade, but in most cases, it is lack of technique, or preparation.
- When buying from the Classifieds, make sure you understand the significance of the ad. Some crucial points:
- Can I trust the seller? While the Classifieds offer a higher success rate for inexperienced buyers than antique markets or online auction stores, it is eventually up to you and the seller whether you will consider the purchase a success.
- Make sure you buy from an experienced member, preferably one who is also known to be good at honing. The interpretations of "shave readiness" vary, and unless the seller has honed, and used, a good number of razors, his verdict may be much different from yours.
- The devil is in the details. As a beginner, you will no be able to adequately assess whether "some hone wear" is not much of a problem, or a death warrant for a razor. "Blemishes" may be easy to fix for an experienced shaver, but may equally easily ruin your shaving experience right from the start.
- Sterilising a razor is always a good idea, as long as you understand the risks to the razor associated therewith.
- Buy mineral oil, and use it. At least once a week, some beginner comes in here drowned in tears because his razor has developed rust spots. Even stainless steel will stain, it just takes an hour more.
The Brush
- Go for function, not looks. A simple brush of good quality will allow you to test both creams and soaps, whereas a more luxurious super badger will make it difficult for you to get decent lather out of soap (and even some creams).
- Bigger is not necessarily better. Invest your money in a functional bowl or scuttle, rather than an expensive brush - it will enhance your shaving experience more than the brush alone ever could.
The Strop
- Do not build a personal relationship with your first strop. You will nick, or even cut, it. While sometimes the damage can be fixed, more often than not this strop will end up as a pasted strop.
- If you cannot resist the urge to buy an expensive strop, get one with replaceable parts. Alternatively, get one that comes with a second-rate quality strop for little money.
- Do not buy finishing pastes for your first strop. Palm grease will suffice. Pastes are typically used for edge maintenance, and you should be quite a few shaves away from needing that. In any event, pastes will have to be applied to another strop, unless you invest heavily into a four sided paddle strop.
Hone(s)
- Do not buy them if your razor comes shave ready. Familiarise yourself with the razor, finish your first few shaves. Read up on hones first. We have conveniently put some relevant Wiki articles into one collection, which can also be downloaded as a PDF file for printing: SRP Guide to Honing. Take your time, and make sure you understand what the various hones do before you buy.
- Keep an eye out for an inexpensive finishing stone, such as a barber hone, in our Classifieds in the meantime. Unless you intend to restore razors, this will be the only stone you will ever need.
- A pasted strop is considered a viable alternative to hones, and it will most likely be less expensive.
Creams, Soaps, etc.
- Get them. And get quality. Some experienced members would go as far as recommending to spend significantly more on creams et al than on your first razor, brush, or strop.
- Read our review section. The reviews in Reviews - Straight Razor Place Forums can be ordered by rating (eg using the category tools like this). With the recent overhaul of the rating system, these ratings make actual sense.
- Make sure you understand the significance of an individual review. The more member reviews a review gets, the more accurate the results will be.
- Another not too uncommon recommendation is to go for the full line of Castle Forbes products. They are considered to be (among) the best, and they will make your first shaves (and, truth be told, all subsequent ones) easier, and more pleasurable.
Everything else is just fluff. Do keep in mind that shaving with a straight razor is not rocket science, and a lot of what is being discussed is aimed at getting from 99% to 100% of what is technically achievable.
