Old ways are the best ways

Some Terms

The shitty thing is your first razor is going to cost you some money and most likely you won’t have a clue what you like, want or need. Human hair is about as strong as copper wire of the same thickness so it isn’t weak shit and you really will want a good razor. Yes, you can buy some for a deal on Ebay, but you need to be careful. I suggest looking at the sale sections of some forums like Badger and Blade. It’s a great site and I’ve been a lurker there for a while. Look for something that is sold as “shave ready.” Even if you buy a kickass, new Dovo or Thiers-Issard it will need a little work before it’s comfortable to shave with. If you are in the States and want to know the supplier I like the best send me requests and I’ll edit the post. There isn’t a lot of argument that some of the world’s best straight razor blades are/were made in Solingen, Germany.

Choose your weapon/s

Grind is important

The grind you prefer will depend on you, your hair and how you shave. If you want to hack off your hipster beard in one stroke a 8/8 wedge or true wedge will do the trick nicely. Just touching up your neck beard? A hollow or half hollow in 5/8 or 6/8 should keep you just fine. Honestly the half hollow is probably the most popular. And then there is the width, so for some strange reason the width of the blade is always measured in 8ths of an inch. So an 8/8 blade is 1″ wide and a 4/8 blade is a half inch wide, yes it’s silly but it predates you me and the Internet so why change it? Narrower blades are better for some hard to reach places, like your wookey hole or plum pouch or possibly your upper lip.