Thread: May I have your advice?

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.

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...

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

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...

Not a bad idea. I might just keep it then and turn it into a project. It would be my first attempt at such a thing, but seems like a worthy candidate. And blue scales do sound nice...

The sight unseen deal is basically a way of providing a shave ready razor to someone who, if they are honest, has no clue what to look for in a razor. Therefore, seeing it or not, shouldn't matter. At least, that's why I bought my sight unseen razor. Because I could look all day, but all it did was make me more confused. So I said to myself, "This guy is trusted. He knows what he's doing. I don't. I'll buy one." Now it wasn't anything great to look at. But it was sharp, and shaved well. And that is the point of the sight unseen deal. Provide a person who hasn't developed any experience, a chance to use a shave ready razor. Anyone buying them should realize they aren't going to get a collectors item. All that said, I think Larry should have cleaned that one up better before sending it to you. I've seen about 5 of his razors in person, and they were all in better shape than that one. I'm a little confused by it myself. That is not representative of what I would expect from him, based on the razors of his that I have held in my hand.

Originally Posted by Chreees

Not a bad idea. I might just keep it then and turn it into a project. It would be my first attempt at such a thing, but seems like a worthy candidate. And blue scales do sound nice...

I reckon these would look nice on it...

Ersatzteile

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

I reckon these would look nice on it...

Ersatzteile

Those are VERY nice. How much is that in USD?