What to look for in a straight razor
Ok I have been all over the net many many many sites selling straight razors. Prices seem to very from 80 to a couple hundred dollars. So I have to ask as I'm as new as you get to this. What makes a straight razor better than the next one? Beginner seem to be cheap is this cause they won't hold up and last long? I want to buy 1 but I want a real nice one that will last a long time what should I look for?
jim
Everything Else Being Equal...
...I have found, time and time again, that the single biggest impediment to my straight-razor shaving enjoyment is honing; I seem to suck at it. It's not that I don't have the requisite tools -- the right ones, or enough of them -- I do; or, that I don't know how to use them -- I do. Rather, it's having purchased straight razors (on eBay, but could've been anywhere) with warped spines. If you can't lay the blade down on a demonstrably flat surface, without seeing light (or, if you can't stroke the blade down-and-back on a wet, lapped-flat hone, without it moving the water along the entire width of the blade like a squeegee), then it's going to be a PITA to maintain the edge and a disappointment to shave with.
If the front-end alignment on your car is "off", you get it fixed (rather than replacing unevenly-worn tires). If, if, if. But, short of a regrind, there's no making a "silk purse" out of a "sow's ear" razor.
The time to check is before you buy. Besides, who needs more than a couple or three straight razors, anyway?