Rare DD Grim Reaper-Missing the Reaper!

Sorry, there's no Dubl Duck Reaper missing the reaper here. I just wanted to start a thread to discuss what makes a razor more valuable outside of the brand and type of blade/condition. Just a few that add and subtract from the value to me are:

Add:

-one off designs or errors(original) that improve the look or design off the razor, such as wood scales with more figuring than usual
-belonging to someone well known, as long as proof can be given
-good story behind it
-modifications that look orginal or improve the look of the razor

Do Not Add to/take away:

-belonging to someone of little importance or no proof of belonging to someone notable
-errors from the factory that are really just a defect
-putting "rare" scales from one brand onto another brand, especially when the brand name is on them(like Goldedge scales on a WB)
-damage that can conveniently be described as a feature of the razor, like a chip on the heel would be described as "finger notch" and so on


Any other ones?

over hype?
even if the razor shaves like a champ does it justify spending $250+ on?
I am not sure.
I am not convinced that one should spend 300 bucks only so they can say "Hey I have a Filarmonica" they are not the only good shavers out there, but thanks to the Filly/ Puma/ DD/W&B hype many good razors still go cheap.

Part of it is the same psychology that makes someone want Gucci shoes or a gal with one of those handbags with the makers name (I forget which one) that you see all over it. Having the label sticking out where all can see it ..... I have an X, Y or Z, whatever the 'hot' item is.

OTOH, some razors have a reputation based on quality and performance. I've got ducks, fillys and W&Bs that bring the high dollars and thankfully I got them before the bubble. AFAIC my Gencos shave every bit as well and you can pick them up a dime a dozen , figuratively speaking. ;)

Its hype that bugs me. Ok, its a Filarmonica, but does that mean I should pay custom razor prices for something thats got cheapy plastic scales and a fairly ordinary looking blade?

I just dont believe that the shave is that much better than a DOVO Bismarck or something to justify the crazy prices.

I have an old ERN that I picked up on eBay for £20 and it shaves me every bit as well as my Wacker that cost ten times the price. You dont need these expensive razors to get a good shave.

I'll spend a good amount for a razor that I like the look of, but I'm under no illusions that it'll shave me better than a cheaper one. Thats why I am so warey of hype; People get gradually convinced that they have to have the item as its the Holy Grail of shaving and the prices go crazy.

I'll wait until the prices come down before I get a Filarmonica! :)

It does not shave that much better than a Dovo Bismarck. Or a Dorko 300, which is much rarer, but still cheaper. Or a Friodur, which is much less rare, but only costs a fraction.

Incidentally, I just took a look at the Classifieds for the first time after a couple of months. I was... not too pleasantly surprised by both the quality, and much less the prices for razors there. I sometimes wish we had kept the old ads so that people today could get a better idea of what the "real value" of a razor (ie what people were paying before the hype set in) was.

Well, spilled milk and all that.

One thing that does seem to add quite a bit to the value of a razor is if the razor is in really super-duper, NOS, fresh from the box condition, with all of the labels, hang tags and stickers attached. You would say, "well of course that's true," but it seems kind of counterintuitive to me, because that means that the first person who actually uses the razor is diminishing the value of it by 50% or more?! And who would want to be the first person to hone and shave with some NOS treasure? To me that's like the bottles of wine that can never be opened and drunk because they have become too valuable. A nice hobby for someone else, but completely nonsensical to those who want to enjoy the wine for what it is. :shrug:

Anyway, I just wanted to add that to the list.

Oh, that's easy. I currently have exactly one razor on display. It is everything but NOS, instead, it's a restore by Max (for those who know, it has green handles and silver bolsters...). I absolutely wouldn't mind owning an NOS version of it, and I would not shave with it either. As functional as it is, I consider it more a work of art. Something that cannot be said about too many other razors - in my opinion. De gustibus and all that.

In my REAL LIMITED newb "experience" I find it absolutely crazy that someone will pay over $300 U.S. for something that I know must have been under $10 back in the early 1900's or even late 1800's. Most likely they were even cheaper - say $5 back then. I mean, even my folks said a weeks wage back in the 50's was $35-50 per week. That was a 40 hour work week too!

Personally, I have bid on some nice looking razors like DORKO's, BOKER, and DD's (to name a few) but my limit was $100-125 U.S. After it topped that I would just quit bidding and sit back to watch the REAL craziness continue! I saw one go for $450. :gaah:

Nope, the newb in me still won't pay more than previously quoted above - and to me that is even too much. But, I have a RAD now and need to get my "fix". But I think I am done now. The last one was a real decent BOKER from U.K. that I paid $50 U.S. for. Had all the trimmings too, right down to the tree impressed into the scales. I now have my "7 day set" and am looking for a home for them. A felt lined box, preferably. Once that's done and acquired, this "newb" is finished buying razors.

Well, mostly finished.....until I see that one beauty that I just have to have. You ALL know what I am talking about, right? ;)

Cheers! :beer1:

I may regret this.. but I will give you hint.. when looking at ebay always look at the Newly Listed items first. You will find items that are good values or have been miss listed as buy it nows for a low price and they have not caught it yet. I have picked up a few gems this way for other hobbies I have.. and if my last purchase was pictured correctly I grabbed another for my RAD.

Yes, $5 razor can shave just as good as a $300 one, but the operative word here is 'can'. Some people like to try hundreds of razors (yours truly included), but it beats me why would a new guy without a clue try to buy random razors.
The prevailing philosophy one one of the shaving forums is 'buy the cheapest razor you can find in case you decide it's not something you can continue with; it'll shave just as well as the more expensive ones'.
If you look at how many people post 'I tried it, figured out it's not for me' you may think twice of how well this strategy works.

And yes, some of the hyped up brands are just that. There's absolutely no consistency among the razors, a case of Chronicitis. But as far as my experience goes any dublduck or filarmonica is a top notch shaver.

As far as what makes a razor valuable, it's the quality and the condition, which are two completely different things.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gugi

As far as what makes a razor valuable, it's the quality and the condition, which are two completely different things.

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Very true and it is also the eye of the beholder. For instance this Mappin Bros just went for $140.00 on the bay a few minutes ago. Some guys wouldn't be interested at all while a couple of others were willing to shell out.

I think everyone mssed the point of this thread. I didn't mean what makes a razor valuable or not, but what I meant was what are other factors other than quality and brand name that can change the value. I started it in response to all these ads for things like "Rare Wade and Butcher missing the R" and the German officer's razor listings on eBay and how these claims supposedely affect the value.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Very true and it is also the eye of the beholder. For instance this Mappin Bros just went for $140.00 on the bay a few minutes ago. Some guys wouldn't be interested at all while a couple of others were willing to shell out.

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I had my eye on that but forgot about it. Kinda glad I did now!

That Mappin Lancet is a great example of only the real razor hunters knowing a good blade. I was in on that bid I don't know whether you noted that the bidding was at less then $40 until the last minute on that one, the snipes all hit at the end... What I mean here is that the blade wasn't being bid up all week by a bunch of "Name Hunters"


Here is my biggest downer on blades... Uneven Hone Wear... I hate it because it is/was so easily preventable
number two in my book is popped original pins, if you don't need to remove the scales why do that...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Very true and it is also the eye of the beholder. For instance this Mappin Bros just went for $140.00 on the bay a few minutes ago. Some guys wouldn't be interested at all while a couple of others were willing to shell out.

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Yes Jimmy.
I was outbid (outsniped to be precise).
Rub it in, why don't you? ....

;)

You are right though. Some people don't think the lancet is a nice razor. Otoh you have people like me who are not collectors at all who have been trying to find one for a long time (at a reasonable price) with no luck.

the reason I did not bid higher on this one was that the point had a fair bit of wear so I didn't think it would warrant >100$. Still, It would have been nice to have it.