A College Kid Starting Out

Hello everyone,
My name is Mike and I have been wanting to start shaving with a straight razor for a while now. I am finally ready to commit to it, but I'm having a problem in choosing a razor. I'm currently in college, so that's where most of my money is going. As a result, I don't have that much to spend on a razor. Do price and quality always go hand-in-hand with straight razors? Is there a razor out there that I can get a nice shave from that won't cost me a whole lot? Any help would be great. Thanks.

You can get a good used razor for about $40 on up. Check the classifieds section in the forum. Most of the dealers there will send it shave ready. Also, there are some good merchants online that will sell good razors for a low price (Whipped Dog comes to mind). Be aware though, that many (not all) online merchants will try to tell you their razors are shave ready when they are not, or will try to pawn off razor shaped objects. Ask about an online merchant here before you commit to a sale.

The used razors are generally no worse than the new razors -- they may be blemished, but that is not bad for a 100 year old razor. They will shave just as well, if not better, than a new one. Additionally, a good new one will generally run 80 - 120 minimum. You don't want to know about the maximum!

Welcome mdiamond, SRP is to some, a home away from home. You have a world wide membership willing to share their varied expertise with you. Look in SRP classified. There are often decent quality razors for under $100. Please do not look on eBay. There can be good razors but there are also many, many more dubious down to pure crap razors offered there. None of them a re shave ready, despite what they might say. Most of the sellers know very little, if anything about straight razors. There are a few online dealers with reasonable priced razors and are reputable in their dealings. On site that comes to mind is www.gemstarcreation.com. He is a master honer and one of the SRP moderators. At the tag end of his list of razors for sale will be a number of excellent razors at very, very, reasonable prices. He will also answer just about any questions you might have. Asking is a good trait on this forum.

Hi and welcome. +1 to mentioned above. Whipped dog starts from 40 from memory and you could pic one up in the classifieds for the same but know what the razor is. The vendors you see on the site are safe places to look and you could put an ad in the want to buy area of the classifieds.

Hey Mike! And welcome! I too, am in college and pretty broke most of the time. While I did break down and buy a new Dovo during a summer when funds weren't tight, I found that there are great deals to be had at antique stores. Some of my best shavers are $20-40 razors. With a few hours of cleaning (sanding and polishing), scale repair/pin tightening/scale making, and honing you can get a great shaver! Some are hit and miss, but the main brands have typically been able to produce a great edge. So I'd definitely check out antiques if you are looking for the less expensive alternative.

Since you new to everything, I would buy an antique "shave ready" from a reputable site or member on this site. Many of the members on here can produce a great edge and will be reasonable with prices. The antiques don't always look the "sharpest" :roflmao but can be fantastic shavers!!

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Originally Posted by MuskieMan33

The antiques don't always look the "sharpest" :roflmao but can be fantastic shavers!!

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I can vouch for that, brother.