Thread: Bought a cheap Chinese razor off eBay as a starter, now what?

There are many ways to get started "on the cheap.". For example, you can strop with a newspaper or go buy some balsa and leather and make your own. You can buy a coti As a one hone For all LeVels kind of thing, and hope it works out for you... But its all pears before swine if you have bad steel.

That's my take anyway. Some swear they get shaves off a Chinese razor...

Anyway - congrats on taking the plunge!! Remember this though, there is no rushing the learning curve. Plan for the long haul and you'll be rewarded. I was on and off for about a year. Finally I swore no matter what, I would shave for a year straight, with a straight and bingo, it all came together!!

All the best of luck! I look forward to hearing of your progress on the forums.

Some good advice already. You can shave with some Chinese razors, although that doesn't look like one of them, and they are not really to learn on. The best thing is you have found this website. Hang in there, find a good "shave ready" razor, and you will never look back.

The only Chinese razors I've been able to get an edge on are Gold Dollars and Titans. Looking at them, I reckon they come out of the same factory. They both have some pretty horrible grinding issues from the factory and need work before they can be honed. All the others are really just things that are razor shaped items but aren't razors.

In the past I had a couple of Chinese razors. My own experience with them has been you can make a half way decent razor out of one if you replace scales, do some shoulder and heel work. Why, go through all that, it isn't worth the time and effort spent on the modifications just to save a few bucks. Spend the few extra bucks a get a real razor, you'll thank yourself for it.

All the above advice is valid. My first regular straight shave was with a Chinese Gold Dollar #208 razor honed by a local honemeister. My 2nd cheap razor was a Whipped Dog sight-half-seen razor. Both of these razors turned out to be good shavers. Both are still in my rotation. You need to find out if the razor you bought can be honed to shave ready, then determine how well it can hold a good edge.

If you got into straight shaving to save money then you may be disappointed because it becomes more of a hobby where cost becomes secondary to the Zen experience. Good shaves can come from relatively inexpensive equipment but I think the best reasons are the joy that comes from learning the skill of straight shaving and preserving the tradition handed to us by our fore-fathers. We get off the grid of being cartridge dependent so we can collect equipment that will last a lifetime and be fun using during our journey.

the classifieds here can sometimes find a shave ready starter real reasonable .. if cudrunner cant help ,, but your budget would allow several ive seen lately on the classifieds,, good luck n have a bunch of fun tc

I tried to get into this as cheaply as possible, but I had the advantage of coming here first. I got my first razor from Whipped Dog. He promises that it will shave well, but he does not promise it will be pretty, or that it will be a brand you have heard of. I hit the jackpot and got a nice razor that, well, isn't very pretty. That's the background, here's my advice; First of all, if you got into this to save money, run away! Now, as fast as you can! It's a sickness! I've already bought a second razor and I'm saving for more. Don't throw that razor away! Unless I buy one like you've got, I'm going to have to learn to hone on a razor I care about. I'm already planning to restore that first razor, and the first razor I attempt to disassemble and re-pin is going to have to be that one I care about. I know right now you're not planning on doing that kind of stuff, but I'm telling you, you will powerless to not do it. Everything else I would advise has been said already. If you're posting here, it's probably already to late for you, so welcome to the club! Enjoy the ride.

Hi and welcome. Many of us get caught on the cheap ebay razor and end up here. If you are unsure if you are going to continue with straight shaving then maybe a razor from the classifieds and if you decide it isn't for you then you can sell it again for basically what you paid. It may take you a bit to find one you want but you will know what you are getting and you know it will be shave ready. Good luck