Thread: cheap good quality str8 razor

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....

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.

+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 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.