Thread: complete novice

hia eddy79 not got brand name on was from ebay tried it first and just doesn't shave think its the wrong steel only paid £10 so wasn't expecting much

You'll soon learn what to look for in a razor. £10 isn't going to get you very far, unless you're in to restoring razors. There's a list somewhere in the wiki of reputable (and disreputable) razor brands and it's generally advised to stick to something on that list.

A lot of people don't recommend buying from eBay for the very reason that you've just discovered—there's a lot of rubbish out there. However, I would recommend buying from Tony Holmes's eBay store, Taylors1000. He's a member here and a very friendly chap; sells restored vintage razors in top quality condition and going by his sale history, you'd expect to pay somewhere between £30 and £40. Most of the blades are sold unhoned, though you might find a few shave ready, but you could either ask him to hone it for you (for a little bit extra), or send it to somebody else for honing.

You can't really go wrong with Tony, but if you want something new, there are a few UK based sites out there that stock good razors—I've used Executive Shaving before and they were alright.

Tony has 2 ebay site's. Taylors 1000 and UK merchant. Have brought from him and is quite good. The reason I asked about the razor is it looked like a ebay junker. That is how many of us end up here.