Making the change from a disposable cartridge razor back to the old fashioned, more manly and more superior straight razor is a great change to make. However, I think a lot of people don't even know where to buy a straight razor in the first place. They certainly don't appear on supermarket shelves these days.

Fortunately, it is not as difficult to get hold of one as you might think.

Online Suppliers

Because it is a bit of a niche market, straight razor shaving does well online. There are a lot of online retailers who sell straight razors, and they help keep the manufacturers in business. All of this means that there are still some very good quality blades being produced even today.

You can also get hold of vintage ones (sometimes in wonderful conditions) if that is more appealing to you (vintage ones do have a great design to them.

What To Look For

I am assuming here that you are a beginner, or you would already know where to find a decent blade online, so to make things easier for you I've put some buyer's tips below:

1. Choose a blade that is 5/8" or 6/8". This gradient is the easiest for beginners to avoid cuts and get a decent shave.
2. Choose stainless steel or carbon steel for your blade. If it is made in Solingen (Germany) that is a bonus.
3. Don't overspend and buy the highest quality first time around (you need to try straight razor shaving out for yourself first)
4. Don't under spend either. The whole point of a straight razor shave is the luxury and increased quality of the shave, so don't sell yourself short and buy a cheap blade.
5. Buy yourself a razor strop too, you will need this to keep the blade sharp.

Shave-Ready Razors

Most razors will NOT come shave ready. Don't let this put you off the purchase. Even a top quality blade will come in a state that requires it to be honed before use. In fact, sometimes the ones that ARE pre-honed do not come in the sharpest possible form.

After you've ordered your blade, do some local searches on Google to find a professional honer. It should only cost you $20-30 and will be well worth it. Sooner or later you might want to learn how to hone it yourself too.

Which Blades Are Best?

Typically, Dovo are the most popular right now and you can find a large variety of them available online still. You do not have to break the bank to buy a Dovo, but if you want something more middle ranged then Fromm also make great blades.

Remember, you will no longer need to spend money on replacement blades so this first investment will likely be your last (unless you want to upgrade to a top of the range straight razor at a later date.

I also suggest that you do some research into the art of straight razor shaving so that you can learn as much as possible while your blade is in the mail.

It is not a difficult past-time to master but there are definitely some tips out there that you should know. If you take the time to study, you will absolutely fall in love with this more refined art.