Okay, the scoop on straights. In my opinion a straight razor will give the closest shave even over a double edge razor. This is a bit odd actually because as a rule you will never get your straight razor as sharp as a good double edge blade. I attribute this to the angle used and the lack of any guard or bar on a straight razor. Unlike a DE setup you have one blade that you will need to learn to sharpen and keep sharp. Dont fear though, this is not as daunting a task as it may seem.

To start you need a sharp razor. The best bet is to buy a razor that has been hand honed and made shave ready. This will not happen with a new razor right out of the box. Despite what the label says, or the guy behind the sales counter tells you, a new razor does not come shave ready. It is sharp, way sharper than any kitchen knife you own but it won't shave you. So, you can learn to sharpen right up front which IS a very daunting task for most people, or you can buy a razor either new or used that a seller has hand honed it or send your new razor off to someone who knows how to do this. All of the razors sold here at The Well Shaved Gentleman are hand honed before they are sold and will arrive clean, stropped and ready to use. This takes a bit of time and is why the retail price is a few dollars more than some places. If you like doing it from scratch and insist on doing the initial sharpening yourself a Norton 4000/8000 water stone is the best choice but will take some real time and concentration to learn to use properly. A less expensive choice are the vintage barber hones but these still require a steep learning curve and come is such a bewildering array or grits one cannot be sure the best ones to start with.

So, you have a sharp razor and need to keep it sharp. That's why I am here. On a daily basis, before each shave a razor must be stropped. This is best done on a hanging leather strop, 25 to 30 passes, up and back on each side of the strop, linen first, then leather. This process aligns and straightens the less than paper thin edge of the razor much like a Chef's steel on a fine knife. Stropping like this will keep a sharp razor sharp for several weeks to several months depending on the toughness of your beard, the quality of the razor and the effectiveness of your stropping technique. It is easy to learn with just a little practice.

Stropping on a hanging strop though will eventually reach a dead end where your razors edge dulls just a little too much for the strop to correct. At this point real sharpening is needed. For this one could go to a hone, like the Norton stone (remember that learning curve part?) or an abrasive pasted paddle strop. This type of strop consists of smooth leather or balsa wood surface into which abrasive particles have been embedded. These abrasive grits, in various degrees of coarseness will remove metal much as a hone will but using the same easy to learn movements used in daily stropping. A beginner has the best chance of success with this method and even if you later become proficient at honing on a stone the pasted paddle compliments it well by providing finer surfaces to further polish the edge after coming off of the hone.

One can also use this same paddle, with one non-abrasive surface for their daily stropping too if they wish to start out with just a single type of strop. Being a little narrower and shorter it will take more passes but packs the most bang for the buck into a single tool to start out with. Various abrasive pastes can be used on these and I make it easy buy offering my paddles already pasted and ready to use if desired or you can add abrasives on your own. A pre-pasted paddle can keep your razor sharp for up to a year before it needs honing on a stone again and one should get 6 to 9 months before the pasted sides need any further applications of abrasive.

The only other tools needed are a shaving mug and brush, shaving soap, a styptic pencil to close up little nicks and instructions. One can spend a lot or a little for a brush. Boar bristle brushes are inexpensive and work well with hard, cake type soaps while badger bristle brushes work best with cremes or soft tube soaps. I include a basic, get you started brush in my sets which you can upgrade later if your tastes change.

I offer everything from individual strops and razors to complete sets with everything needed to get started. I even do sets without razors for those wishing to purchase vintage razors from other sources but who still need everything else to get started.

My hanging strops, whether my basic #4 beginner model or my #1 Best all use the same high quality leather and only the size and hardware differentiates the model and price. I introduced Latigo leather as a strop option when I first started in business and it has quickly become a popular choice with others as well because of its superior draw, or friction when stropping. My latest offering of Honey Brown leather combines the look and feel of a vintage, well broken in strop that is excellent for finish stropping. Both are excellent choices for beginner or experienced user as well. For paddle strops I suggest leather for all surfaces but do offer balsa, a holdover from the past for those wanting a harder surface. My website shows the suggested options and combinations of these materials and I would be glad to guide you on more specialized choices for your specific needs.

I hope this guide explains a few basics on straight razor shaving and on choosing equipment and I will be glad to help you further with what you may need.

Thank you,

Tony Miller                                                                                 copyright 11/2006