Howdy gents. Been lurking for awhile and figured it was time to make a post. I started with straights a short time ago. I have a rather nice C-Mon that I use as my daily shaver and she serves me very well. Unlike many people, at this point I am not looking for collection grade razors. With the wife being laid off and the economy such as it is I find that I am willing to lower the bar on looks in hopes of keeping the bar high for quality of shave. I wish to expand my knowledge and feel of other types and sizes of razors. The bay is a great resource to be sure but can be very confusing and intimidating to the novice when funds are low and must be doled out with great care. Even tho I am fine with inferior looks I do still wish for a blade that can be shave ready and not break my already broken wallet. Anyone have any pointers on spotting a good quality edge without much concern for the freshness of the shine? As I said I am new to straights (recent DE convert) so have little to no knowledge. I understand this is a very open handed question but as the saying goes, if you dont ask you dont learn.

Thanks kindly for taking the time to read my post as it is very much appreciated.