What's a good starter straight razor around 200$.
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What's a good starter straight razor around 200$.
There are also some good choices in the classifieds here on SRP now.
+1 for the classifieds here or SRD. Just make sure it is truly shave ready.(Will be if ordered from SRD) Get ready for a truly great experience!
My personal view is that for $200, I'd be looking for at least 2 shave ready razors, if you don't have one already.
Two is one, and one is none. If you have two razors, one will keep you going while the other one is being honed. If you only have one blade and something happens, like you chipped the edge on the bathroom faucet, rolled the edge on the strop or it's just plain time to hone it back up, you are going to have to wait for it to get honed, or, if you are like me... you have to wait until you find the time to hone it yourself.:aargh:
It's not that it takes a long time to hone a razor, if it's in good shape and you are comfortable doing it, it just takes that extra time I never seem to have, thus I have a 'pile' of dull razors......
One of my best shaving razors cost me $14 and some elbow grease, my $350 Custom hardly gets used.... and when I do, it's mostly out of guilt, not because I WANT TO. Have a look at the Classifieds for one or two vintage razors that are shave ready and you'll be all set. In fact, I just bought a very nice vintage razor off the Classifieds for $90 and I can't wait to get it. It's in my favorite size and shape and should give me great shaves for as long as I live.
Then again, I've got three more coming from Gssixgun, these were repair/full restores of Ebay razors I picked up about 10 years ago + that affore mentioned $14 razor that needed new scales to make it close without having the blade cut into one side. Sure, I've used it like that for about 10 years, but it was my first razor that I honed myself, it's my test bed for new hones, and it's my most reliable shaver so I thought I'd treat it to a new set of scales.
I tend to ramble on... if you're still with me, just get at least 2 razors for that kind of money and you'll be happy.
Regards
Christian
Where are you. If outside the US there are other reliable sources we could recommend
I'm in North Carolina. I've got brushes and soaps. I was given two GD. So I've done been shaving with a straight for around 6 weeks. It's something I thank I'm going to stick with. I just thank I might have better luck and shaves with a little better razor.
Y anything that's shave ready will be better, not saying the GD,s won't shave it's just they probably haven't been pro honed to be right. So get you a fair priced one in the classifieds that is shave ready ,and then your ready to try this out for real, tc
Is a strop included in that budget or separate? If included you will have to research what good strops cost and factor that in before you spend on a razor.
If you have everything but a nice razor, I would still highly recommend the Ralf Aust 5/8 round point and if you don't have a good quality strop you might still look at the strop and razor set and as chriswilson10 said upgrade it to a 3", very nice package deal.
Anybody know anything about a Kama kind of pale yellow scales.
Chaddy, the free advice here is second to none, I bought an Gold Dollar razor and got lucky that the man wrote out his progression of stones used to make it shave ready, his razor skills are excellent, in fact I shaved with it and an Engles this morning, now I can give you the mans ebay handle or you can buy from the classifieds here or elsewhere.
An old Judge told me that folks do not heed free law advice, but always follow it if charged for the advice, It Is True. Have a good day all.
Can anything be done to put a edge on that razor?
As long as that chip does not lead into a crack it looks repairable.
Hopefully this is not the $200 razor you asked about :p
No sir I paid 18$ For it at antique store.
From memory others have found the kama razors to be good quality and flit looks like it hasn't had much use. A good clean and pro honing and you will be set. Good luckQuote:
Originally Posted by Chaddy
For $18, provided that the chip does not lead to a crack as someone else mentioned, you got a good deal. Without the chip in the edge would have been better, but it looks like it's fixable by a veteran honer.
It's a lot like the Clauss I picked up, cheap, tarnished and not that well taken care of, but not beat up or badly worn on the hones either. I taught myself how to hone with that razor, and I started out with some glass plate and some PSA backed abrasives. It did lead to a Norton 4k/8k which lead to an 8" x 3" coticule and then a BBW, and then some barber hones and Shapton glass hones..... my first Naniwa and the list will continue on.... I do have more hones kicking around, I just can't remember them.
I think my biggest leap in sharpness came with the Coticule.... I could shave well off that hone, but these days I look for more from my Shapton 16K and my Naniwa 12K. CrOx and 0.5 diamond paste on strops are my finisher finishers. But as you get better, you start to like sharper... Well, at least I seem too.
Knowing what I know now, I'd send that razor out to someone whos work you like the looks of. Have them hone it and clean it up a bit, and for that extra, say $50 or so, you'll have a fine shaving razor you can be proud of and that will shave every bit as good as any new $200 razor made today. You've still got a fair bit left of that $200 mentioned earlier, enough to order a basic strop from SRD, for example and you'll still have enough left over to buy another old razor like the one you just did, only this time you will be even smarter and not jump the gun, buying something with chips in the edge. After all, you have one razor already.... you can afford to wait a while before getting the next one.
After that, if you get hooked.... it's all downhill from there.
Regards
Christian