Printable View
It might be a strange way to start a thread, but why do some razor brands command high values, I understand the concept of rarity, but why do some manufactures still fetch high values, (sometimes) regardless of condition. And some seeming to be almost un restorable Imo
Wade & Butler
George Wostenholm
Dubl Duck
Being three of the ones that spring to mind, are these razors (In working condition)
A CUT ABOVE ?
Your thoughts please
My favourites are Bengal :)
Personally I think there are very few really rare SRs and I can see paying much more for a NOS SR. Other than that I think it is mostly hype that drives the market. Realistically, any well made SR with a proper shave ready edge will shave you well.
Bob
Demand determines price. Demand can be influenced by public hype, such as these forums.
The Dubl Ducks are easy to understand. Every time Lynn sells a video, another person hears him declare that the DD WonderEdge is one of his favorite razors. So do you want to know why DDs are expensive? It's Lynn's fault!
Hey ! NO Lynn bashing !! ........... :nono: .............. :rofl2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Kidding aside, some brands are more expensive cause there's one born every minute ....... and two to take 'em ! ......... :rolleyes:
Kidding aside ........... I'm in a rare mood this morning .......... some razors attain to a cult status. W&B for barber's use, dubl duck wonderedge, reaper, goldedge, some of the fillarmonicas ...... others. The truth is, IME, while those are all great razors, any Sheffield or Solingen ........ or USA razor, from that era will be a great shaver 99 times out of 100.
Some razors are slightly better than others. However, they are not alone, and there is certainly more than the few mentioned as commanding high prices that are vert very good razors. Sometimes they are high on the popular list and that effects the value. A few years ago Puma razors were selling fast at higher values. Not so much these days. They are quite reasonable in price compared to where they were. They are still great razors but there is no frenzy at this point. I'm not sure when or if the others will loose their frenzy.
Razors become like sports teams - they all play hockey but they were different jerseys, people get attached to brands for whatever reasons.
Take Apple, it's a darn computer, under powered and over priced, but they have a cult like following - not a lot of difference in my opinion...:-)
Nice off-topic bashing here. I don't see how this benefits anyone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phrank
Its just the flavor of the month. I think Double Ducks have come down in price in the last year. I don't know if the current trendy razors will. I agree they all can shave well. What will the next hot one be?:hmmm:
You think those are high priced, check out some iwasaki razors. They are the best razors I've ever used, and made by a single person. So the high price is justified IMHO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doublewood
My Worchster, W.H. Worley &sons, and Genco Grant razors will shave with the best of them, JMHO of course. No need to spend 100's of bucks for a razor. I get mine for around (9.50 to 30 bucks on E-bay.).
Sorry - was meant as a common refrain I hear from techs, I'm a tech, and love the Apple solid state manufacture of their products, I have I Indy workstations, Linux, I work and use them all, was going along the favorite brand thing, like Ducks or W&Bs....as I post this with my iPhone while my hated Work Blackberry sits on my desk in my office...:-)Quote:
Originally Posted by sqzbxr
It's strange isn't it?
It's all steel, it's all similar
a different name/logo on it makes the values differ like crazy
funny how that works huh
I see the prices as a challenge. The feeling you get when you spend 20 bucks on a great razor is excellent. OTOH, I almost feel guilty spending an appropriate amount of money on a razor (certain circumstances don't apply) but am willing to pay top dollar for top quality service. I found an 8 dollar WH Morley, it was my first razor restore and hone. Very little rust, spent 1 hour honing it from dull on 5k/8k/12k and not really knowing what I was doing. It still turned out awesome.
This probably describes me best. My father was in finance for 40+ years and told me this "John, you're cheap. I'm trained to be frugal. But, I can't be called cheap. You're on a whole different level, many CEO's would be happy to cut off an arm to have you in their offices."
I want to thank everyone for their contributions to this thread. and hope its not finished yet:)
Although I have a few modern razors which shave well, I think the older razors have a different feel, can't quite explain it, all have the same purpose, personal preferences, size, weight grind can also have a baring, I have never tried a wedge, but grinds are for a different place
it's no different than other things. Some brands garner more interest for mysterious reasons. Compare a Chevy pickup to a GMC. They are the same except for cosmetic differences though their fans will argue otherwise and GMCs cost more. Same with the Colt and S&W fans who will argue which is better and Colt is usually more expensive.
I think if the razor is well made the vintage doesn't matter. I have about 100 razors these days, and a good razor is just that. If I was blindfolded I couldn't tell whether it was new or not for most of them. What is true is a vintage piece when it was new shaved better than most new factory pieces these days. QC is probably the reason which is lacking these days. We accept the fact a new razor will need honing. Back in 1920 if a new piece needed honing it was defective and would be replaced as such. However once properly honed the differences disappear.
A subject that is more important is how does the guy starting out know if his new razor is shaving well? Obviously if it tugs and pulls and leaves whiskers behind there is a problem. However many new razors will give a close shave however the comfort factor may have issues or maybe in those difficult areas with heavy growth a tad more pressure is required. I suspect many are shaving with subpar razors and haven't a clue.
I agree that hype can contribute to the market. Some of that may be founded or unfounded. I have a few off brand razors that shave like a dream....I also have some "in demand" name razors that shave like a dream. Let your face be your guide.