Thread: Purchased a Friedrich Dennert Solingen and have no clue.

Well, you guessed it, Im a newbie to the straight razor world. Let the hazing begin, ok, well when youre done, i have a few questions.
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Done?
Ok, now, I purchsed a nice looking straight razor from a reputable seller on eBay, its Friedrich Dennert Solingen. I want to know how to care for it, Ive read that some vintage razors require special strops, honing, etc etc. My questions are, what strop should I get, any history on the razor, and did i get a good deal? I paid $100 for it, but, i fugured the blade looked in great shape and the etching looked beautiful to me, so why not?

The blade looks gorgeous! Sorry I have no idea is it was a "fair" deal.

A strop is an essential part of straight razor care. Their are some wonderful strops out there for reasonable prices.
How much are you looking to spend on a strop will determine which direction to point you.

Did the razor come shave ready? Be warned that some people say their razors are "shave ready" when they actually aren't.
I would suggest sending it out to be properly honed by a professional (check out member services for contact information of a number of members who offer this service)


Ultimately I believe that razor will give you a wonderful shave when properly honed.


P.S. If you haven't already, there is a ton of information in the Library section of this website about razor prep and what to expect with your first shave.

Thanks. Well, the auctioneer had a Globusmen I tried to win but the bidding went up to $200, too much for a beginner like me. Well, I dont know, if I have to spend about $100 or less, well thatd be great.

The man that sold it to me, Paolo, said that the blade comes very sharp and that with a light strop it should be ready to use. Unfortunately, I dont have a strop.

I been checking out the pages for more information, right now im staying away from honing though, as ive read so far that I need to learn to shave with it first.

Welcome to the forum

It is against forum policy to give valuations. Your razor appears to be in fine shape from the one photo. Vintage razors require no special strops or honing if they are in good shape, no more so than a new razor. Research the forum for info on strops and honing, that will give you an idea of specific questions you may have on each.

If you haven't honed before it would be a good idea to have a pro do it for you. Once you decide on what strop you will get, practice stropping with a butter knife to get the technique sorted so you stand less of a chance of nicking your new strop up too badly.

Bob

We don't allow valuations due to their subjective nature but razor looks fine.
Buy a strop with both linen & leather components & get some dexterity practice first with a butterknife or similar.
Have a good read here to get started : Straight Razor Place Wiki - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I will check it out, I am reading the different threads all over the page so I learn properly. Thanks so much. Looks like imma be a regular soon here on this forum now.

I am. Seems like a lot of info but its all straight forward. Any idea if the strops from SRD are good?

Originally Posted by theycallmepeter

I am. Seems like a lot of info but its all straight forward. Any idea if the strops from SRD are good?

They do have a good rep.

Originally Posted by theycallmepeter

I am. Seems like a lot of info but its all straight forward. Any idea if the strops from SRD are good?

I have heard nothing but good things though I have not personally used one.

Well it looks like there's no better option for my first strop than one from SRD, thanks for the help and info, I'm learning as I go along. I'm really reading all of Lynn's advice. I will post more questions later and pics of acquisitions too.