Thread: how to spot ugly ducklings but good "Shavers" on the bay?

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.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/aucti...bay-101-a.html

That oughta help a bit.

Thanks much! I have been all over the wiki but missed this one! *bow

That is a very good thread! Thank you kindly for pointing me in the right direction.

Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: Feb 2011

here is another one


And the rest of it is in the original thread here

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...tml#post736914

Since you're on a budget , I would suggest you look at the SRP classifieds instead of wasting your money on ebay . You can find many shave ready razors at very reasonable prices . Almost anything decent on ebay will usually attract a lot of bidders , thus driving up the price , not to mention the snipers who throw in bids in the last seconds . The only way you will get a good deal , usually , is to take a gamble on bad pics , and or bad description , and luck out . IMHO , not the way to go when money's an issue . YMMV Good luck with whatever you choose to do .

Sorry Dave my first post might not have been clear enough. I am not so much looking to buy NOW but looking to educate myself BEFORE I try and buy. I figure if I start to educate myself now that at some point in the future I will be able to make an informed choice and reduce the amounts of failed tries. With the few links posted in this thread already I have found a huge amount of visual information to start working with. I am a very slow mover and am not a fan of jumping in the deep end without having some idea of what is under the water. that being said I do know my habits and that they do get the better of me in the long run. If I don't start learning now then I might make many uninformed snap choices when they do take over. A preemptive strike you might say!

Do you have hones, or lapping film or paste and any experience with them. Or are you looking to get the blade and then send it out. Once you are ready to start getting some other blades.

I am well versed in metal restoration but not in honing. I would be more than happy to clean and restore ( to the best of my ability) and have a talented hand add a fine edge until such time I am able to build the skill set to hone.

I must say those couple of threads were worth a wealth of information! They showed very clearly the issues people talk about and assume you know. Another couple months of SR shaving and educating myself and I might be ready to start looking around a bit!