Thread: May I have your advice?

+1 on all the experts, but I went a little too far in the Photobucket and that cloisonne vase looked pretty nice. It would not give you a good shave either, but when you realized what you had done, you would feel a lot better than you would if you bought that skinny ersatz straight.

I ordered a sight-unseen, poorman's strop with balsa, silvertip badger brush and soap kit, and a 12K barbers hone from WhippedDog.com. For right at $100, I felt like it was a good deal, and gave me everything I needed to get started.

Now here's what happened...

I got the stuff in the mail. The razor (a J.A. Henckels Twinworks 85) looked good, besides some major black stuff (I was told it was patina, and later on rust here on the forum) on the blade. Truthfully, I was wondering to myself if Larry had accidentally sent me a flawed sight-unseen instead of a "flawless" one. I worked on it a bit with some Mothers polish and a rag, and removed a lot of it. It now looks like this:



So then I went for the first shave with it. I was disappointed. Granted it was my first shave with a straight, I felt like I was doing everything right, because I had done literally weeks of research. I was told by the guys on here I was just being a noob, and that I would get better. Well, my brother ended up giving me his Dovo Black Star that he was no longer using. I gave it a simple 10 x-strokes on the 12k barbers hone, and it shaved beautifully. So I contacted Larry and told him what was going on, and he said he couldn't argue with my evidence and to send it back for a free re-honing. Also, I could get a future re-honing as well. So I sent the razor back. I also had purchased a Wade and Butcher off of eBay right before emailing him about the Henckels not shaving well, so that one was on its way back from being honed, along with two vintage razor cases I had purchased from him. I got the Wade and Butcher back, and it shaved great, just as good maybe even better than the Dovo. The two vintage cases look great and match the Henckels and W&B. I got the Henckels back and this time around it shaves great, too. So the first time was a fluke. No problem, I'm sure it happens time to time, as with all things in life.

So that is my experience with WhippedDog.com. The customer service was excellent, definitely among the best of places I've ordered from online (not just shaving stuff, but everything). Now, would I purchase another sight unseen razor? I dunno. Now that I own a few razors and know a little bit about them, I think I much prefer knowing what I will be getting, so eBay or the Classifieds on here look look like better options for me. For newbies just starting out, Larry does know how to put an edge on a razor, and the sight unseens he sends out will be shave-ready (a little different in my case, but still). Also, you may get lucky and get something really cool (I saw a guy on here get a Puma not long ago as a sight unseen, in excellent shape, and to me that is a very interesting razor). Don't get me wrong, I like my Henckels, I just wish it hadn't come with rust on the blade. I guess I was expecting something more along the lines of what is pictured on the website (a vintage straight with no rust).

For what it's worth, I did order a flawed poorman's strop, and this is what Larry sent (looks like a brand new one instead):



I haven't used it yet, though, as my brother also gave me this Chicago strop, which I felt would be easier to use (for obvious reasons):



Also, here is the silvertip badger brush I obtained from Larry (absolutely LOVE this thing!):



Oh, and the barbers hone (pictured with my Dovo with taped spine to protect the black, and the Henckels which I was trying to sharpen up before I sent it to get re-honed):



So, as you can see, Larry does sell good products at good prices, and has excellent customer service. I just would fully understand that the sight unseens may have rust on the blade, even if you get the more expensive one that is supposed to be without flaws. I guess rust is not considered a flaw? I dunno. I just don't think I will personally order another sight unseen again, as much as I do love my Henckels, but I will probably order other products from WhippedDog.com (soaps, badger brushes, razors that are pictured, etc), and likely use his honing services again.

Hope this post helps you in making your first beginner's purchase.

As for the Henckels you pictured in your original post, compare it to the picture of mine and you will see what Glen means by it was worked on. When searching for razors, always avoid the ones that look that thin.

I was a bit concerned with doing the sight unseen from Larry, so I spent an extra five bucks and got a sight half seen. It was a fantastic Columbia that had some patina that cleaned up nicely with some Maas polish. The edge was great, I am getting DFS with it just a couple weeks into Str8 shaving.

The very fact that sight unseen razors are cheaper should tell you everything already. It's because no sensible person would buy those razors once he saw them.

Originally Posted by Bruno

The very fact that sight unseen razors are cheaper should tell you everything already. It's because no sensible person would buy those razors once he saw them.

I admit, the more I see posts like these, the more I get frustrated with what I got... Makes me want to return the Henckels and go on eBay and get something without rust on it. I keep trying to look at the positive, though...

EDIT: It even says this on the sight-unseen listing:

"(The pictures shown are representative of the razors you will receive.)"

I don't see rust on the razors in the pictures...

Aside from the scales, that's the same Henckels that I got off eBay last year when I started SR shaving. It looked small to me on the eBay pics. Mine is a 3/8, had an uneven edge, and had more wear on the square point/toe. I had also ordered a new DOVO from SRD at the time. I used the DOVO regularly and the Henckels for practice on honing and restoration.

The Henckels is small, but it shaves well under the nose and chin area. However, I would not recommend it as a beginner SR.

Originally Posted by luteplayers

I was a bit concerned with doing the sight unseen from Larry, so I spent an extra five bucks and got a sight half seen. It was a fantastic Columbia that had some patina that cleaned up nicely with some Maas polish. The edge was great, I am getting DFS with it just a couple weeks into Str8 shaving.

I just posted this is another thread, and then I found your post too,,

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ml#post1135123

And figured it was worth repeating here too



Just a little hint ... For you and the other 3 newbs I saw say the exact same thing in two different threads...

You do not really want to be polishing a Honed "Shave Ready" razor, kinda defeats the whole purpose ..

Polish then hone,,

But then again they are your blades and your face

Exactly Bruno,
I'm not getting this business model of the Whipped Dog at all. It reminds me of a grab bag booth at a church bazaar in 1958. Hey this is a razor site right? Nothing personal about Larry the WD but what the hell? These are straight razors! Is someone hoping that the Whipped Dog tosses them a 8/8 NOS Filarmonica just to keep the excitement going? When I see a razor I can't afford I say to myself....I can't afford that razor. I don't buy a bag sight unseen and hope that there is an xALIx razor in there with a $5.00 strop.

Originally Posted by Bruno

The very fact that sight unseen razors are cheaper should tell you everything already. It's because no sensible person would buy those razors once he saw them.

I like patina, but the line between it and rust can be blurry. Many people like pristine shiny razors, and I can see how receiving one that's a bit more rustic looking can be disappointing.

I quite like your Henckels. I'd be inclined to remove a little more of the patination around the pivot. I've never unpinned a razor, but if I had that razor I reckon it'd be the first one I unpinned. I'd polish it a little more and then maybe get some nice blue scales from the Revisor web site. I'd leave some of the patination, though, esp on the blade itself. Once you're finished restoring it a little, you have a few razors to compare it with as you set about honing it. That's what I'd do...

This whole Straight Razor thing can be just as Hard or Easy and you want to make it. It can also be as Expensive or Inexpensive as you want to make it.
The best thing to do is read as much as you can about Razors, and Soaps, and Hones and Strops before you Buy. You really want to be a well educated Buyer and Shaver.