Thread: The Art of Shaving

The one near me sell straights, but they are way overpriced and not shave ready! I went in there, like you, hoping to strike gold but left disappointed.

When I visit the local AoS store, they said they can order a razor if I was interested. They did not have one in stock.
Their store basically is empty every time I pass by it in the mall. The pricing AoS offers are just no competitive at all and the average Joe has no clue about shaving gear other than the canned goo and the n-blade lawn mowers Gillette makes now, to stop in and take a look.

I also have nothing but great things to say about Larry at whipped dog. His razors and especially his service are exceptional. I bought my first razor from him and when the scales cracked he replaced him for me at no charge even though it had been over a year since i bought the razor. If you purchase your razor from him im guessing you will very happy with your purchase. larry's razors are not the prettiest out there but they are sharp and in my opinion the best value for your money for a beginner deciding if he really wants to get into wet shaving.

Greg

Originally Posted by quidditchfan073

I also have nothing but great things to say about Larry at whipped dog. His razors and especially his service are exceptional. I bought my first razor from him and when the scales cracked he replaced him for me at no charge even though it had been over a year since i bought the razor. If you purchase your razor from him im guessing you will very happy with your purchase. larry's razors are not the prettiest out there but they are sharp and in my opinion the best value for your money for a beginner deciding if he really wants to get into wet shaving.

Greg

The problem is a newbie would have no clue what is a good or even passable razor as far as condition, and even more so what shave ready means.

My local Aos did have plenty of straights they sold either re branded Dovos or Thiers Issard. Well not make a long story I bought one it was a Thiers Issard plain black scales because anything in horn or wood was at the time an astronomical investment. being relatively new to straight razors at the time I took the damn thing home and couldn't get it to shave it really pulled and I was disheartened. So this opened up a can of worms so to speak and led me to figuring out how to hone and strop and all that fun stuff before I could even really shave with the beast. All that effort eventually led me to this forum where I learned about getting shave ready razors and how to start the right and less painless way. I learned about SRD and bought a shave ready razor and I was off to the races it was that easy and would of saved me months of struggling. It was smooth sailing ever since.

Originally Posted by mainaman

The problem is a newbie would have no clue what is a good or even passable razor as far as condition, and even more so what shave ready means.

And yes, that is a huge problem.
Caveat Emptor

I think you can get a good razor on the classifieds here if you just watch them. I missed a deal on a Swedish straight back a few months ago, about $50. A week later I got an older Dovo in 4/8 for $35, it is a fabulous shaver. Rodb was the seller I think. You might message him and see what he has in the works.

The larger AOS stores stock straight razors, all stores will order razors for you, none of the razors they sell are shave ready, unless you request and pay for it.

You must remember the cost of honing a razor is about $20-25, so you are looking for a $20-25 razor… but they are out there, I find them all the time.

Really you should raise your price point to $100 in the classified and get a nice razor or do the Whipped Dog thing won’t be a looker, but will shave.

Straight Razor shaving on the super cheap, usually does not work out too well.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

The larger AOS stores stock straight razors, all stores will order razors for you, none of the razors they sell are shave ready, unless you request and pay for it.

You must remember the cost of honing a razor is about $20-25, so you are looking for a $20-25 razor… but they are out there, I find them all the time.

Really you should raise your price point to $100 in the classified and get a nice razor or do the Whipped Dog thing won’t be a looker, but will shave.

Straight Razor shaving on the super cheap, usually does not work out too well.

Agreed with you and Utopian.

Something about silk purses and pig ears.

I got my first SR on etsy.ca. It's nothing amazing by any means, but it is good steel (sometimes with the cheaper ones you can't really hone them without power grinders). I paid $40 and it came with a strop. I went the route of learning to hone it myself right away, but I would strongly recommend getting a pro honing service. That being said you can find some nicer restored ones on there that are truly shave ready. The important thing is to look at the reviews. People will tell you if they come truly shave ready or if it is just a nice piece to look at.
The one I got came from the UK and there was no additional charge for shipping which helped keep the cost down.