hey guys
i was looking at whipped dog and saw aSight Unseen Razor for not to much just wanting to know if it's a good razor?
and also if there are any cheap razors out there that are of good quality for beginners on a tight budget?
Printable View
hey guys
i was looking at whipped dog and saw aSight Unseen Razor for not to much just wanting to know if it's a good razor?
and also if there are any cheap razors out there that are of good quality for beginners on a tight budget?
It depends what your definition of a good cheap razor is. I guess the wipped dog pieces shave but they wouldn't win any beauty contests and you may have to look away when you use them.
You get what you pay for usually. If you dabble in cheap stuff and your shave experience isn't too good you might decide to quit based on cheap. You are getting an instrument that will last you a lifetime plus. Save to buy something decent. In time you will be glad you did.
What is your budget?
You can find good pieces in the classifieds, especially if you are patient.
If I were to make a first time purchase I'd get a clean nice looking blade with little to no hone wear, my first one was a brand new Dovo. If I do not like it then I can sell it with little to no loss on the investment. If you get a salvaged piece with a bunch of hone wear, you can't move it if you decide that SR shaving is not for you.
LES CROIX 4/8" half hollow razor shave ready free shipping - Straight Razor Place Classifieds
This one is a appears to be a good deal, but the size and design of the razor may not be optimal for a begginer....
You get what you pay for. True bargains and great deals are few and far between. I bought a cheap razor as my first. Wasted cash. It was useless. Save a little extra and get a good one. Doesn't have to be new, just in good condition. Would you buy a car or anything else unseen?
A new Ralf Aust can be had from SRD for $103. You are not going to find a better razor for that price ANYWHERE....
+1 on RA great razor for the money... there is a reason those are site unseen trust others on this they are shave ready.. that is all no beauty queens for certain
I got a new Ralf Aust from SRP for Christmas for about $100, then promptly rolled the edge trying to strop before I knew how to strop. I bought a Norton 4K/8K hone to try to fix my mistake and limped along not knowing if it was my technique or the blade. So, without much $$$, I bought a sight-unseen from Whipped Dog and it was exactly what I needed. It was a vintage straight with a lot of hone wear and some pitting from previous corrosion, but the blade is professionally honed and the scales are there. It suited me perfectly as a comparison to my self-honed razor, that turned out I did a pretty fair job. Now, since my new Whipped Dog straight is a little different, I'm learning to get a good shave with it in spite of its less than beautiful outward appearance. However, I love the really old and the really new. It's fun to think about how many faces this thing might have shaved since it was created, and now here it is shaving mine. Whipped Dog rocks, plain and simple - and his customer service is great too.
If I was thinking a good and cheap razor I would be thinking between 40 and 50 dollars in the classifieds here. It would be shave ready and although not perfect clean, well looked after and a piece that would still last a lifetime. JMO but the sight unseen is basically a disposable razor just to test the waters and see what you think and if you find you like it you buy a decent razor. That said buy a decent razor and you are more likely to like it.
Pm me your address. I will send you an ugly but very shave ready straight.
You can't beat a deal like this! Well done, Sir!Quote:
Originally Posted by JTmke
+1 to you JTmke. A true gent. I love this forum!Quote:
Originally Posted by JTmke
I looked all over the classifieds and ebay for about a month while I was reading the forums, watching youtube and basically learning the ins and outs of SRS. I focused on the blades stamped Solingen and did get one on ebay for $46 - it is in excellent condition. There was an almost new Dovo there a week or so ago that went in the $40's also.
There are deals if you are patient.
If you want to eliminate the risk of a getting junk, Straightrazordesigns has some starter kits, Lynn will send it Shave Ready.
You can usually find some nice genco's for around 20 bucks. They won't be shave ready and they are very plain jane usually. All of my Gencos have cost no more than 20 dollars not including shipping of course. I even got one for 15 dollars off of the bay and it had never been used, not NOS, but never used. All it will need is a honing which you can get done for 15-20 dollars and your good. Also they are a top notch razor and actually my personal favorite brand.
Is this a trick question . Seeing the unseen razor sounds very zen to me. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by usakiwi
In any case I couldn't say if it's any good unless I could see it.
I think if you follow the advice thus far given you'll find something serviceable.
Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. razors don't sell for a whole lot of money (usually) but take a fine edge. Check out local antique stores too, there are often times better deals than what you can find on ebay.
I'd imagine if you put up a wanted ad for a shave ready vintage razor for 40-50 in the classifieds you will be surprised what kind of offers come your way.
Any of the Solingen born razors sold by various hardware stores are usually very good razors that take a very good edge. You may be able to find them as low as twenty dollars or so. Many of these stores were a stickler for quality, so chances are if they stocked an item, they trusted it to deliver. Some of there hardware stores are not household names, but local/regional stores.
A razor lasts a lifetime. A wife lasts a lifetime. Would you marry a women you had never seen before?
Sometimes we wish they didn't last a lifetime. :beer2:Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
Well, no one said whose lifetime, did they?Quote:
Originally Posted by cosperryan
I believe there's a show on cable now following that very premise!Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
I have also heard positive feedback on WSP Gold Dollar 66's, not an owner but many people seem content with them, usually can find them inexpensively and therefore won't set you back too bad, made in China I believe, so I certainly wouldn't expect it to be on the same level as a Dovo or comparable manufacture, happy hunting!
I am curious, very curious. My curiosity has to to with the Gold Dollar and Titan (re-branded GD's) and all the excessive praising and touting of these so called miraculous razors that seem to defy the experts as to their use-ability. My curiosity is wondering where are the comments from all those lovers of the cheap (and useless) GD's after they realize what junk they brought? Are they red faced and ashamed that they did over believe the hype about those RSO's and feel their manhood would be in question if they admitted fallibility? Hey! We all make mistakes. As is said, "To err is human...". Confession is good for the soul. You have no idea how much trust you can engender with showing your humanity
As I previously stated, I do not own one, but the OP was looking for a cheap and quality razor, I have heard some people are quite satisfied with them and they certainly don't make a razor that retails for less, just tossing my two cents out there as a possible option, I am certainly not an end all be all authority on the subject.
If he was looking for a cheap razor, that's what he would get.. Not a quality one. Even after hours of modifying and fixing the geometry on mine it still was sub par. It shaved but only okay. If the OP had never had another razor it may seem great to him. Mine did for me when I started but then after having a taste of the good life so to speak I never really wanted to use one again. My advice is wait it out until you have enough cash for a vintage or even a DOVO Best Quality. The classifieds on here most of the time have ones that aren't expensive. They would give you a better shave at only $20-$40 more. Is your face not worth the little and I mean little extra?Quote:
Originally Posted by 18WheelsOfSteel
A GD in my mind is like buying things from the dollar store. Sure they work and are cheap but they are not something the word quality is associated with. Think mass produced in China for 45 cents a piece.
Gentlemen newbies,
Starting your straight razor experience on the cheap will result in a cheap experience. Any new venture has an initial cost. This is true in the straight razor world. It is the price you pay for one of life's pleasures.
You need two things to start you off: a quality, and shave ready, straight razor, and a quality strop. No, no one says you need a Filarmonica razor and a Kanayama strop for starters; rather, quality abounds for a much lower price. Don't waste your money on so-called cheap stuff, or sight unseen razor packages. I don't know about you, but I prefer to see what I buy.
In all likelihood, the Gold Dollar razor will give you cheap experience. Perhaps it is my perception, but almost all the Gold Dollar praise I have read seems to come from those who have little experience in straight razors. How do I know this? Well, there is such a thing as reading between the lines: the wording used, the descriptions of these "incredible" razors, and so on. I have also experienced the Gold Dollar. OY!
If you don't have the funds right now, wait a while and then buy a reasonably priced quality razor and strop. Down the line, you will thank yourself. If you notice, many of us at SRP try to help newbies by giving them the soundest advice we can. It comes from experience. Yet if you are sold on that cheap razor, that sight unseen cheap razor, or that Gold Dollar wonder, then there isn't much else I can say.
What great information! I'm new to the forum and I love the honesty and knowledge of members on this forum. As a person who has never used a straight razor and limited in funds, I find the posts on straight razor place provide many ways to find what's best for our individual needs and wants.
I've gone both routes in my shaving journey -- my first razor was a Ralf Aust from SRD. It's a great, no-frills, solid shaver. I also bought a few sight-unseen razors from Whipped Dog. I was able to 'test drive' different types of razors for a relatively small outlay of cash. The thing I liked about Whipped Dog is I knew I was getting a truly shave ready razor for a low cost. The same could be said of the classifieds here as the sellers are putting their reputations on the line. Anything on eBay is buyer beware and most newbies don't have the experience to know what to avoid.
To me i can't afford a new straight so buget wise whipped dog is to my opinion a good alternative. They are not beauty but they are shave ready. As for the after sale service it's more then perfect Larry is great to deal whit.
It's quite common, actually. :gthQuote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449