Relaxing. Satisfying. Enjoyable. If you have been using electric or cartridge razors so far, chances are you will not associate these attributes with shaving. For many, shaving is a daily chore. For us, straight shaving has turned this chore into a pleasurable experience. But before you grab your credit card and buy yourself straight shaving equipment, you may want to peruse this article. In it, I will try to dispel some popular myths; give some basic advice on which equipment to buy; and introduce you to some further internet resources in the hope that they will help you to make your first steps easier.

Dispelling some myths or, why less is more

If you have browsed this or other forums already, chances are you will think that unless you start with a whole array of expensive pieces of equipment, you are bound to fail. This is simply wrong. Let me try to explain why.

1. "Straight razor shaving is easy to learn." It is not. It is an acquired skill. It will take months. Maybe even years. You will get there in the end, but it will take a lot of time. If you do not have this time (an average shave takes 30 minutes or more for a beginner), do not even think about trying it. Use a Double Edge (DE) razor instead. It really is the next best thing. Many of us use DEs, too, especially when we are in a hurry. In my private blog, I have also compiled a small comparison of straight vs DE vs cartridge razors in terms of efficiency.
2. "Straight razor shaving is simple." For many, it is not. Sooner or later, you will come across the term 'muscle memory'. We use that to describe how certain manual movements (like stropping a razor, or shaving with it) become an automatism. These automatisms are a prerequisite for successful, stress free shaves. And, as stated previously, they require patience. Even more so, they require manual dexterity. If you do not have either of these, please do not bother. You will just make yourself unhappy.
3. "Straight razor shaving requires lots of equipment." It absolutely does not. Most of us have turned it into a hobby. This hobby can have many aspects, one of them being collecting (or, in extreme cases, hoarding). The truth is, however, that all you need for a successful shave is:
   • 1 razor (USD 50)
   • 1 strop (USD 60)
   • 1 brush (USD 30)
   • 1 cream or soap (USD 15)
   • 1 tool with which to keep your razor in a serviceable state (USD 15)
4. "Razor XYZ is the best beginner razor ever!" It might be. But that is of little, if any, concern for a beginner. When you start out, there are many things that can go wrong. Dulling the edge through imperfect stropping. Not getting the shaving angles right. Using sub par lather. There are many more areas in which you will have to develop skills. A razor that shaves well (and that covers the vast majority of vintage razors, as well as modern production razors of European or American origin) shaves well. While this sounds like a truism, you should keep it in mind when people suggest that you 'upgrade' or 'branch out'. When you begin, concentrate on getting things right with one (type of) razor. Adding visual fluff, or branching out into different grinds and sizes can be fun, but it will only add more options for failure for a beginner.
5. "XYZ does ABC better than anything else!" It might. Some razors deliver particularly nice shaves for some people. But others hate them. Some soaps and creams work like a charm for some people. Others simply cannot get them to work. And let us not even start with hones... When you begin, resist the temptation to buy flashy, expensive equipment. The 'wet' in wet shaving can lead to many interesting things in a bathroom, many of them fatal for your equipment. Razors catch rust, or slip through your fingers. Strops cup. Brushes disintegrate. Save yourself the pain and anguish of losing something into which you have invested heavily. Less is usually more.
6. "XYZ works like a charm!" Listening to some people, certain pieces of equipment have a life of their own. They are magic. Such items quickly become very popular, and therefore very expensive. As far as razors are concerned, that would be those made by Dubl Duck (Bresnick), Filarmonica, or Wade & Butcher. They are good razors. They are not, in my opinion, outstanding razors. They are hyped, overpriced, and overrated collector items. Interestingly enough, only very few of them have actual collector potential, simply because most of them are everything but rare. No, you cannot pick them up in a local hardware store, but chances are you will get them for under USD 100 (instead for 3-500) if you are patient.

Happy shopping or, finding good equipment is actually easy

Let me begin by firmly stating that there are no silver bullets in straight shaving. For some, a Filarmonica "Especial Para Barbas Duras" is the bee's knees. Me, I find them visually unappealing, and nice but not outstanding in performance. Even if they were, a beginner could not use their full potential. Therefore, here is a short list of items I would buy if I were to start all over. I mention brand names and vendors in this part, because this is another problem area for beginners. But do keep in mind that there are many good manufacturers more out there, and certainly many more good vendors.

1. The razor. Whether you buy vintage or new, buy something that costs less than USD 100. There are hundreds of such razors in the market, and they will serve you well. Anything that costs more will not (I repeat: will not!) shave better in the hands of a beginner. My advice would be a new production, bottom line Dovo razor (Straight Razor Designs (SRD) usually have the best prices, and offer a free re-honing service - and yes, you will dull that first edge). Alternatively, any vintage Solingen razor will do nicely. I would get a 5/8 or 6/8 width blade, because they offer a good compromise between manoeuvrability and steadiness while being able to pick up enough lather for your to get through a shaving pass without having to rinse the blade every 15 seconds. An underrated source for new razors is Revisor who offer very nice looking razors for decent money.
2. The brush. One word for you: Thäter. As I hope to have made clear so far, I am neither a fanboy, nor do I follow hypes. But a Thäter brush will make your life as a beginner much, much easier. Getting good lather is one of the key contributing factors to a good shave, and these brushes will help you succeed in this area. Personally, I have two, a 21mm bottom line one, and a 26mm top line one. Get one of the latter if you can. Again, SRD carry them in the US. Other shops can be found on Thäter's website.
3. Soap or cream? Cream. Soaps are harder to lather up consistently, and you should keep things as simple as possible if you are a beginner. My personal favourites are Castle Forbes and Domenico Caraceni. But you can get excellent quality for significantly less money. "Aloe Vera" by Mühle/Edwin Jagger would be my recommendation. It is readily available from many online shops, is reasonably priced, and has excellent moisturising and soothing characteristics. Get the after shave balm, too.
4. Strops? A rather esoteric topic. I have a few, but the ones with the most convincing concept are those by SRD, my personal favourite being the English bridle leather one. They come at a price, but broken parts can be replaced. And you will nick, or even cut, your first strop. Little use in getting an expensive one, unless it can be fixed completely. I would absolutely not recommend a small strop, simply because it will force you to learn the X stroke (useful, but not required) and flip the razor many times more than a long, wide strop, thus introducing further risks to your razor. Other high quality strops are provided by Tony Miller, Neil Miller, Hand American, Kanayama, and The Different Scent (my personal favourite, by the way - best leather ever!!! ), but they all lack - as far as I can see - the replacement component bit. And you will put nicks or cuts into your first strop.
5. Hones? Do not get them. End of discussion. Yes, you will need a tool to sharpen the edge of your razor occasionally. But that tool can be a USD 10 barber hone, or - my personal favourite - a USD 16 balsa hone pasted with Chromium oxide. Another alternative, and one that might be a very attractive choice for a beginner if you like paddle strops, is the modular paddle provided by SRD (no, I do not work for them, I am not affiliated with them, but I have tested and reviewed their products, and this one is so good I had to leave it with the guys at The Different Scent. Nico, you're reading this? I want my paddle back!). One or two of the felt paddles with 1.0 and 0.5 diamond spray will also allow you to maintain your razor for a very long time. If you are wondering why I recommend you do not get hones, I should add 'yet'. But realistically, unless you intend to maintain more than a few razors, you simply will not need hones. Honing services are affordable, and the guys who provide them mostly know what they are doing. Besides, you save yourself the religious wars usually associated with hones and honing.

And that is it. You are all set, and ready to go. Especially as far as the razor is concerned, steer clear of the big brand names. They are not worth what they cost for a beginner. And they will not make you better at shaving. You will, but it will take time, patience, manual dexterity, but most of all, persistence. 

I hope I have made it sufficiently clear so far that what I am presenting here is solely my opinion. I am a 40-year-old security consultant with 3 years of experience with straight razors. I have done everything wrong according to my advice above. But through the generous support of Jens and Nico of The Different Scent, as well as a good number of seasoned users (Bart of coticule.be, Coully, oldblades, to name but a few, I have been able to try literally hundreds of razors, creams and other shaving paraphernalia without paying an arm and a leg. Massive props and kudos to these guys, not least for providing a constant flow of information.

Still confused, but on a higher level or, where to find even more subjective, biased, and contradictory information

But, information can be turned into knowledge, and a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I do not consider myself an expert in straight razor shaving - quite far from it, really - but I know my way around research and intelligence gathering. When I started out, things were quite horrible. A few people, though, have put a massive amount of work into a knowledge base called the SRPWiki over at SRP. This would be my first recommendation. Its beginners guide is arguably the best compilation of tips and tricks for beginners, and it should make your life significantly easier.

As far as discussion forums are concerned, I am somewhat biased. I am strongly opposed to two things: commercialisation, and propagation of hoarding ("acquisition disorders" in jargon terms). The biggest forum, Badger & Blade fails in both respects. Being an SRP offspring, it also hosts many members who were asked to leave SRP for causing problems, usually through providing wrong information, or pushing their goods and services. Personally, I would strongly discourage taking any advice given their without double checking. Which makes the forum useless for me, but your perception may be different. SRP generally provides much better information, but has a focus on hones and honing that I find disturbing.

If you speak French, the Coup Chou Club is an interesting place to be. Lots of information about French shaving equipment, naturally.

For Germany, my favourite would be Gut Rasiert Forum. If you think I lack diplomacy and people skills, you have not seen these guys at work. Which makes it a perfect working environment if you are looking for hard and fast, well researched information, provided by people with tons of experience. Lots of information about German razors, of course, but also some refreshing insights into sharpening equipment (yes, you can set an edge with a strop).

Last, but by no means least, is coticule.be. Bart is a personal friend, and while I strongly disagree with the look of his site (apparently a mix of the Eye Cancer theme with the Akward to Use extension), it is a very friendly and intimate place with tons of well researched and documented information about stropping and honing. Simply good stuff, with a European touch.

Of course, there are many more forums, blogs, and mailing lists around. Shave my Face, The Shave Den, Britva.ru, Jim Rion's blog to name but a few. But why do you not take the time and explore them yourself. After all, all I have written here is my personal opinion only. Subjective. Biased. And maybe even self contradictory. Because such is the nature of this hobby: no silver bullets, no proper procedures, no rules of war. And let me tell you, that is probably its single most appealing characteristic.