Thread: Best quality razor

Here I go again

I know these razors are best left where they are right now (not in my hand) but I still can't let it go... The reason for looking at one is to get a razor and practice my honing skills before I pass on to my grandpa's razor.

Are the Super-duper-best-of-all-delux-quality-ever razors still crap, or are they good enough for this? I do get a razor for $6 and another $5 for the shipping to Sweden...

If you are talking about using new cheap rubbish razors for learning to hone I would not advise you to do so. You are better getting old (junk) razors off ebay and learn t to hone with them, they may never again be a decent razor but oce they were good. They will be made of good steel that can take an edge and allow you to learn to hone before moving on to better razors. The new cheap razors from Pakastian are not good enough to take an edge and allow you to learn to hone.

Hmm, you're in Sweden, the local antique shops should be stuffed to the gills with old heljestrands, tornbloms, eric anton bergs, and hellbergs. All of these are great shaving razors, right up there with the best ever made. Why not snag a few of those and hone them up before tackling your grandpa's razor.

Thanks guys, that was exactly what I wanted to hear, straight up answers!
I'll scan the local shops for old razors and see what I can do with them...

As I'm very much a get-it-now kind of person I couldn't stop looking at ebay. It must be some kind of drug

Anyway... I bid on some razors but got outbid all the time. But last night I finally got a winning bid! A Shumate razor withe black celluloid handle. It got some stains, but I think it will work fine as a learn-how-to-hone razor.

Some days back I also bought a hone from Tilly over eBay. So some time next week I'll get both a hone and a razor. Very nice

Originally Posted by mparker762

Hmm, you're in Sweden, the local antique shops should be stuffed to the gills with old heljestrands, tornbloms, eric anton bergs, and hellbergs. All of these are great shaving razors, right up there with the best ever made. Why not snag a few of those and hone them up before tackling your grandpa's razor.

If so I think many of us would like to buy one of you. The swedish razors on ebay are often not in very good nick.

You could look at www.tradera.com which is a auction site just like eBay. There are some straight razors there as well.

But, sure, I'll look into the swedish razors when I get a chance...

How much would you like to pay for a razor that has some stains and - ofcourse - is not honed? I'm not looking to earn money, just to know how much I should pay for them...

Now we need a short straight razor vacabulary English-Swedish.

Actually I think (and I know I'm the only one around here who believes this) you should learn to hone before you start shaving. Its like learning any skill before you start using quality equipment. At any rate I think buying a cheap razor like a pakistani or anything for less than $10.00 is good just to practice holding the razor and the general moves you need to make on the hone and the strop. Then when you've built some confidence use a vintage Eboy special to practice on and then and only then try honing a real shaving razor. Call it thebigspendurs three steps to razor ability.

I think the general consensus here is you go and buy a quality razor send it out to a honemeister and while you wait for it to come back put the hone and strop under your pillow at night and through osmosis you aquire the skills. Then when your razor comes back and you strop it and try using it and find it won't shave worn a damn you then do a post saying what happened and what do I do now they tell you to send it out again. Upside down world. I realize you want to start shaving NOW but its like anything else you need to learn the ropes first. Sorry for the rant gents.

I've got to agree with the BigSpender (but mostly because that is the way I learned and it seemed to stick). Buy a restorable e-bay special or two, hone them until you think they are sharp, attempt to shave, hone them again, attempt to shave, hone them again...until you have a razor that will shave. At this point you will be convinced that you have mastered honing a straight razor and you will have had substantial practice learning proper shaving technique. Then and only then should you purchase a honemeister sharp blade so that you have something to compare your own attempts with. That will rudely illustrate to you just how much more you have to learn, but by that time you will finally have the necessary experience to appreciate the difference.

Yes, I know, convoluted answer to a simple question. Par for the course when you're dealing with the ForestryProf!

Cheers,
Ed