Thread: Question about a purchase:

Hi
Not a bad pick up as it appears. I personally hate returning stuff unless I have to. I would consider using some of those blades as learning fodder for honing. It doesn't sound like you do your own honing (bevel setting, chip repair, edge finish work), but this might be the time to seek out some water stones and have at it. The forums here at SRP offer more than enough advice to get you started, and I can say from experience there are few tasks more satisfying than shaving comfortably with a razor you've honed.

kingping

Originally Posted by diyguy

The blades look pretty good to me - especially considering that you got them from eBay. Duzzy, you are always welcome to use my tools if you have any interest in cleaning them up yourself. You can borrow my hones as well if interested. Just shoot me a PM. Have fun!

Thank you very much for the offer. I might give it a try on one of the more banged up blades--but given how much my hands shake I'm afraid of doing more harm than good.

Originally Posted by kingping

Hi
Not a bad pick up as it appears. I personally hate returning stuff unless I have to. I would consider using some of those blades as learning fodder for honing. It doesn't sound like you do your own honing (bevel setting, chip repair, edge finish work), but this might be the time to seek out some water stones and have at it. The forums here at SRP offer more than enough advice to get you started, and I can say from experience there are few tasks more satisfying than shaving comfortably with a razor you've honed.

kingping

I also hate to return things, especially when the seller is a good person. I'm really probably just acting like a kid over the whole deal. I wouldn't miss them if they were gone tomorrow, and it's a purchase I shouldn't have made in the first place.

But at the same time... it would be fun to see them restored.

Thanks for your input everyone.

If you paid approximately 12$ per item I would say that you have done good depending on the chips and nicks and how much work it would take to make them usable if possible. The barbers hone is a GREAT ONE, I have the same one with the same tin container, my favorite! I would forgive the seller, what I consider a chip(un seeable) and what he calls a chip (seeable) are two different things, I think he has been honest and above board and has gone out of his way to make things right if need be. He deserves a thanks as well as positive feedback.

+1 on all the responses. It is getting more difficult to find used razors with that much potential for 12 dollars. Most of them would turn into great shavers by just honing them up. If you don't want to do it youself, send them out or at least the ones you like the best and enjoy the shaves!

Originally Posted by Duzzy

But I'm new to the whole process and I don't want to get everything cleaned and honed if the cost will out weigh the return (which is entirely subjective and up to me I know).

This is the same mistake that it seems just about every beginner makes, even though we constantly tell them not to do it.
Yes, the cost of getting a razor cleaned and honed will make it far more expensive than buying one that's already good to go.

The only reasons to buy razors that need work is if you enjoy doing the work, or you're really short on money and very long on time (i.e. your time doing it is worth far less than the minimum wage), or if the razors are special and you just can't get them in good condition.

Now if you want to have many dozens of razors or become reasonably good and try to run a business, all that time and expense in tools is the upfront cost of learning. Once you become good it may become profitable, but it'll take you quite some time before you break even.
When you don't have the expertise to know what's good you're just gambling, so generally you'll loose, because you'll mostly get the leftover stuff that the people who are good at it pass on, or you're pay more than those who know are willing to pay.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but this is the reality - on this forum you will get for free all the information and help that you need to learn, but you'll still have to put quite a bit of work or money yourself. Just get some quotes from the restoration and honing people and do the math yourself.

For those of you interested, here is a picture of the toe of the Dubl Duck. I do not believe that any of the chips are more serious than this, although they were certainly harder to photograph.

Hone it out.

Absolutely on the honing! You could even just ever-so-slightly blunt that point, making under-the-nostril positioning that much "easier." If that's the worst damage on the blade you're good to go. That kind of repair and stone work is incredibly satisfying, and even if you farm it out it looks like there's not a lot of hone wear on the spine and you'll have a great shaver at a decent price. Enjoy!

That chip is hardly worth mentioning, it will hone out quite easily.