Thread: Do you get what you pay for?

I am thinking about buying a straight razor. I am not really on a tight budget but on the other hand I don't want to pay more than I need to. I saw a Dovo brand razor in a shop and it seemed kind of expensive for what basically after all is nothing more than a very thin knife. Then again, I see these really cheap razors on ebay and I have to wonder if they are just junk or not. I'm not talking about all those old second hand used ones that are probably crawling with exotic and dangerous germs, but new ones for like $10 or so. Are they just garbage? And if so, why can't a good razor be made for that price? Any recommendations on an online vendor? I don't have to worry about the budget but I need to be able to justify the cost if it is exorbitant.

I know I need a strop and a sharpening stone but I actually got my great great grandpa's old strop. Well, my Dad has it but he said I can have it if I get a straight razor for it. My Dad has sharpening stones and he de-stresses by sharpening his pocketknife freaky sharp on them and shaving parts of his face with it. Bizarre, right? Well anyway he has them and says I can use them.

I guess I could ask similar questions about the brush. I understand you can't use regular canned shaving cream with a straight razor but must use a brush and a shaving mug. Once again, family heirlooms to save the day... I got my grandpa's shaving mug and his brush too, but it is all falling apart. The hair is all frizzled and it looks like about half of it must be gone. Well, at Bed Bath &Beyond I saw a shaving brush and it looked nice but it was like $165 and I see shaving brushes, not so nice I guess, but only $10 at Wal Mart. So are they junk? Was that $165 brush just a rip off? What do I get for my money when I buy an expensive brush? And should I have two of them, so one can always be drying? That is what the lady told me. Was she just trying to con me into buying two of them? It didn't work cause I didn't even buy the first one.

Right now I am using a Fusion and basically whatever gel type shaving cream is at the store when I run out. I think I get a pretty good shave, and I am not worried about saving money on cartridges but I kind of like the idea of going totally traditional and retro. I really like old timey stuff. I like the Barbasol shaving cream not because it is better than Edge Gel, but because it looks really cool. I like Old Spice because it smells really old school. Now I am ready to jump back in time with both feet and start shaving with a straight razor.

And before anybody suggests it, those ones with the replaceable blade, I have tried and I don't like them. I cut myself up so bad it looked like I had spent the morning sorting wildcats. I was leery of it in the first place but my Dad's barber uses one to shave customers and he seemed to have no problem with it.

Any recommendations for a wannabe straight razor user?

Everything. Bob said is correct in my opinion. I would also add that a vintage straight razor, in addition to being good value, can be, and often is more unique than a brand newie, while you can spend a lot on a nice vintage razor you dont have to.
With regards to exotic bacteria, they can easily be disinfected if you are worried.
The classifieds here have good vintage razors, it if you see something somewhere else and there isnt a pressing urgency to buy it immediately, posting some GOOD pictures here will usually yeild some reasonable advice as to whether it is a good buy.

About a strop. Don't use a heirloom strop for your first. Once you have mastered stropping go ahead and use it.

SRD's strops are a great value, but whippeddog.com's poor mans strop kit does nicely as well.

All good advice above. The advice about not using your heirloom strop until you have improved at stropping is a good one. You WILL cut up the strop when you are learning. All of us do. Either Star Shaving sells good quality cheap strop or WhippedDog.com is also a good choice. Welcome to SRP and straight shaving! Do all the reading you can on this site. Many, many good articles. That will really help you out in the beginning. All the best and keep us posted!

Hi there, I am new to straight razor shaving but I can tell you that Van Der Hagen shaving kit is available locally in any drug store and is pretty inexpensive. You get the soap, boar bristle brush and a shaving cup. I would personally go and spent few extra bucks on their Luxury kit, it comes with Badger brush and better soap. Make sure that the razor is trully shave ready. Most of all listen what people here tell you, they all have been through it and give sound advice, why not learn from mistakes someone else has made and save yourself time and money !!!

TulaneBoy,

Welcome to SRP!

You don't have to spend a ton of money to get started in this endeavor, and ideally, whatever you buy to get you started would be something that could last a lifetime (though trust me, you'll want to upgrade!)

See my post in this thread for a list of hypothetical things for a beginner to buy on a modest budget (link)

In that thread, the OP had a $350 budget and, following my list and before shipping costs, would have had 2 brand new, shave ready straight razors, strop, brush, mug, 1 puck soap,1 cream and a couple of post shave items to experiment with and still had $50 left to play with.

Would someone who buys what I have on that list be content with only those items for the rest of their days? Maybe. Could they be? Absolutely.

Again, welcome, and don't hesitate to let us know if you need help or have questions!! We love helping out our brothers in blades!

Originally Posted by Attila

...The advice about not using your heirloom strop until you have improved at stropping is a good one. You WILL cut up the strop when you are learning. All of us do.

All of us? For the record I just want to note that I practiced stropping with a butterknife, first on a old belt and then with my first "real" strop, for about an hour (spread out over several days) before I ever put a razor to leather. I am not particularly coordinated or talented with games that use hand-controllers.

For the record I felt very well prepared to strop a razor on leather when the time came. I began very slowly and methodically and, over a few weeks, gradually increased my speed. I was careful, deliberate and I mean to say I beat the snot out of that first strop. Saying I only nicked it is being nice to myself. I slayed to son of a gun. I turned one corner into chopped liver. So, for the record, maybe not ALL of us cut our first strop but I mangled mine. Glad it was a cheap-o, oh yes.

At the beginning, not sure about SR fit or not for me ... i've taken a Gold Dollar 100
Gold Dollar 100 Barber Straight Cut Razor High Carbon Steel Blade Shaver GD100 | eBay
Really slow to hone, but it works.
And i use AlOx lapping film.
If you are sure about SR, take a look on this pakistani set
Sovereign Straight Cutthroat Razor with Badger Brush Strop Shaving Set | eBay

Not need hundreds dollars to shave

Most everyone has nicked their strops multiple times while learning. Even experienced SR users may occasionally nick their strop. If the irreplaceable heirloom strop matters to you, I would 1st develop your proficiency on another strop.

A razor that is not shave ready will not shave comfortably and may not shave at all. It is important for a nooby to start with a shave ready SR because without one, a nooby will not be able to determine whether any shaving issues are prep, technique, or a dull razor. Having a shave ready SR is so important that even experienced SR users will often keep at least a few fresh razors honed by respected honers around as a reference for comparison when something seems to be off with their honing or shaving.

There are two usually reliable ways to get a reasonable cost shave ready SR:
-Buy a shave ready (vendor honed) basic name brand (Dovo, TI, RA, etc.) razor from a reliable vendor who specializes in straight razors. New razors do not come actually shave ready from the factory and need honing before 1st use.
-Buy a vintage shave ready SR with light wear from the classifieds. There are many brands of vintage razors that shave very well, but are not the pricey hot sellers (brands such as DD, W&B, and filimonica) of the moment. I have seen some reasonably good vintage SR being sold shave ready around a price of $ 50. This is what I bought as a nooby and I believe that such prices are a bargain considering the cost of sending a razor of unknown quality out to be repaired, honed and shipped. Classified razors are being sold by people who use SRs and know that what they are selling will give good service rather than razors being sold by people who do not use, care about, or know anything about the razor they are selling.

A good razor that is not shave ready cannot shave well and will be a disappointment until it is made shave ready.

A used or new razor that cannot be made shave ready because it is badly abused or worn, is made of poor steel, has a poor heat treat, or has bad geometry will always be a disappointment.

Razors have very thin edges to make them easier to hone and sharp enough for good shaving. The thin edge requires the finest steel, heat treatment and geometry to stand up to the stresses of shaving. For this reason, only the most skilled cutlers were usually assigned to make a companies razors. A bad razor will chip or roll its edge easily and may never become shave ready or stay shave ready long enough for acceptable service.

Be careful when selecting stones for use on razors. Many stones used to sharpen knives and tools are much too course for sharpening razors and will heavily wear or damage a straight razor. Stones for use on razors must be of very fine grit and lapped flat before use. Such stones are are not cheap and are usually obtained from specialty woodworking stores (cabinet making, wood carving, etc.), specialty knife stores, and razor vendors rather than a local hardware store. I suggest looking into pasted strops and lapping film/sand paper posts for inexpensive razor maintenance while you are learning and deciding whether SR shaving is for you.

HTH


-

Also, a bunch of good razors were posted on the classifieds today.