How many razors do you have, and why so many?

Okay, Y'all have been helpful so far with my n00b questions. How about this one, how many razors do you own, and why do you have so many razors? From a Newb perspective I can see having 2 good razors, one in use and one to switch to when the other needs rehoned or other work done, rotate when stropping isn't cutting it on the one in use. I am seeing and hearing about people with dozens of razors. I can see it from the perspective of there are some neat looking razors out there so maybe collecting them is the point but is there a need to have a dozen razors except for the this one's purty factor?

My starting set is a low end straight and a replaceable blade straight. Eventually i want to get a really nice straight or two but can't imagine having more than 2 and maybe a replaceable blade. They last a really long time with some care and are pretty darned expensive.

Can't have too much money , too many women , too much luck , or too many razors. But to answer your question , two razors may be enough but R.A.D (razor acquisition disorder) is a common malady around here. I have about fifty in my rotation. Some have many more.

Is it just for the collection factor? Like this one is really cool or I have heard great things about this one, or that one belonged to my favorite author, or I just really like the scales on this beauty. That kind of thing or is it more like the way I am with notebooks. I can't walk through the notebooks section without picking one up but the last time I actually put pen to paper was about 3 years ago. There is just a crack somewhere in my brain that feels like if I just had that one.

My ex-wife had R.A.D but the R stood for Rats. We had a house full.

I have 4 so far with number 5 at my local barbers ready to be bought. I use 2 so far in rotation cause they are already honed and shave ready and only need a little stropping before using. No. 4 was bought 2 days ago from an Antique shop and needs some honing, it is a Krusius Brothers 6/8th KB Extra #62 with a barbers notch. I bought it for $25.00. I am going to buy a Norton 4000/8000 grit water stone tomorrow and hone it up. Check out Antique shops in your area for good deals on straight razors, some will be in very good shape some won't. 3 of my razors have come from Antique shops. The most I have paid for one is $40.00 at a Gun Show, Its a H.C. Wentworth&Sons (1902 to 1916) and is my best razor.

I have around 40 of them. The thing is, some of us just have no restraint for pretty shiny sharp objects. The other thing is, I wanted to try different styles and sizes of blades to see what I preferred the most. Soooooo, I've got the standard straights from 5/8 thru 7/8, and a couple kamisoris, couple western kamisoris, smiling blades and non smiling blades, french points, spikes, barbers and so forth. As you can see, I do have a problem, sort of! Depends if you ask my wife or not. Not saying anything about my soaps either. :angel: Good luck with your shaving.


Mike

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Originally Posted by Wirm

Can't have too much money , too many women , too much luck , or too many razors.

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Unless you have the first item, I beg to differ with you on the second item.

Back to the original question, I have about 50. None get a pass from the shaving rotation. If I tire of them, they go on to a new owner. My storage cases determine the maximum number.

I have many. Some I plan on being the long term custodian of. Others I have fixed up and honed. Some of those are getting ready to find their way to their next custodian. Some have required extensive repair while other only needed a good cleaning. Most of the ones I buy are either because they're unusual or need new life breathed into them. I enjoy the restoration aspect a lot. I need to get better at getting some off to their next custodian.

Okay that makes sense. Also the 20 to 50 dollar Vintages make a little more sense. I was just looking at prices and thinking 50 razors would cost like 3000 to 5000 dollars or even more in some cases. I work in IT so I do okay but still that would be hard to get budgeted. What I am getting is my Christmas present. When I upgrade it will likely be next year's christmas or maybe my birthday.

Now I really can see trying different styles and types to see what you like or more likely what works best for your habits and needs. I could see it being more of a thing for me if a) I got into honing and restoring blades b) I saw them in shops or other places I found myself on occasions c) I had more money d) I had more time in the morning and didn't keep a beard.

Is there a place where the plusses and minuses of different blade types are discussed? So far looking through forums I see a lot of assumed knowledge that I don't have. With any new research topic I come across there is always some time involved in learning the lingo.

RezDog if you just need to get rid of some...........

I like the idea of restoration. I feel I need to research that a little bit.

I have bought most of my razors incredibly cheap, so your figure is waaaaay high.

As to pluses and minuses of various blade grinds and shapes, it will really boil down to your own personal tastes and experiences. I find mine still changing as time goes on.

For me it is like collecting anything else. Knives, Guns, Stamps, Coins, ect.. Out of my collection I only use 5 or 6 on a regular basis. I started with a shavette long ago and then had one straight razor with the same question as you. Now I understand it is a hobby with many aspects to it. Honing, restoring, accumulating history of them, displaying them, and using them. This also applies to soaps, brushes, bowls, mugs, scuttles, strops, DE razors, DE blades, scents, sets, display boxes, and more! I appreciate that this hobby can be as extensive and as challenging as you like. Whenever I feel I am getting bored there is always something else to get involved in.

Too many simply because I can and want to.

Bob

If a little of good is good, a lot of good is better.

I have 35 razors.
Why so many?
Simple...
I love shaving with them.
I love restoring them.
I love honing them.
I love collecting them and studying their history.
And...
It's a great retirement hobby.

Pete <:-}

3 because 2 were gifts from friends and one is a custom.

There is a pretty good thread about one persons experimenting with different sizes and grinds of razors. I believe it is called the great experiment. It's a decent read and should be interesting for those just starting. Meets are a great place to experience and see many different razors. They are also a good place to learn all the aspects of our hobby. I highly recommend them

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Originally Posted by Fezzik77

I can see having 2 good razors, one in use and one to switch to when the other needs rehoned or other work done, rotate when stropping isn't cutting it on the one in use.

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See, you call yourself a 'noob' and you've got more sense than most of the guys on this forum ....... especially more than me ! ......... :rofl2:

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

See, you call yourself a 'noob' and you've got more sense than most of the guys on this forum ....... especially more than me ! ......... :rofl2:

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L0L. Well. I get my first one on Friday and the blades for the Weck tomorrow (I think). Talk to me again in a few months. That is just my viewpoint from where I sit right now. Though, probably heavily influenced by my finances and general lack of shaving for the last several months, errr years.

Getting my first straight for Xmas and I own two DE razors.

The number of razors I have is apparently "not quite enough". I may need one more. But the last time I thought I needed one more and got one more it turned out I really needed 2 more so I still needed one more. I think I'm into the low 30's.

Damn I have got to catch up....I only have 9!

A big part of the fun is the search, I love antique stores and am always looking for thing to re-sell (not usually straights though). I have only paid more than $20 for a few (and never more than $50 ) and some as low as $5. some need some restoration (part of the fun) or just a good cleaning and honing.(had to get enough razors to make the hones pay for themselves). good deals can be found!

I have 3, and will likely acquire more.

The first I bought was a Dovo to get into wet shaving.

The second was a Gold Dollar. This I bought because I had a few shiny new water hones that needed testing, and I didn't want to screw up the expensive Dovo trying to learn to hone a straight razor. I was also curious why the 'good razors' cost 4x what the 'bad razors' do. Suffice to say that I understand, and do not regret the purchase as some of my best shaves have comes from this and my other cheap razor.

The third is a pre WWII straight I bought off ebay made by Germany Cutlery Works. Again this was curiosity. The razor has a curved blade. I wanted to know how the different profile would shave, and how a vintage steel is compared to modern blades. It was also a fun and easy restoration project, because the blade wasn't that badly aged and the scales were in good condition.

I will likely obtain and restore more from Ebay and antique shops for grins, and possibly an easy flip. Time will tell though. I rather enjoy the art of honing objects be it knives, razors, or anything else really.

I am down to 20 or so, as I have been selling off my full sized razors, and soon, some of my shorties as well.

Why so many? As I was leaning, I wanted to try out different grinds, different lengths, different types of steel (German, English, etc..), different widths, etc... So my RAD went wild.

Now I am down to 3 or 4 favourites, so I feel like I can let the rest go.

Hi, my name is Rick. My last razor purchase was more than a week ago! But then my last two straights were from family members passing stuff my way. I'm trying to not go buy those half dozen Gillette DE's I saw {only $12 each}. My new purchasing has slowed so I can get into replacing scales on straights. I got brass rod, washers, an anvil. Still need a 4oz. hammer. Oh, scales? Band saw I saw at the pawn shop...I'll get back with ya later.

how many - 80 in various conditions
why - cos I love variety & I can only have 1 wife

I've got around 55 straights at the moment. I've really reduced the number in the last couple of years. I was at one point over 150.
I love finding diamonds in the rough, restoring them, honing them and then shaving with them. Some of them I keep and they get added to the collection and others I sell on and that allows me to buy more razors.

At one time 20 , during giveaways and like PIF I am down to 10 , with one more being made, then it will be 11 I use everyone of them but I think this is as far as I will go , tc

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Originally Posted by Marshal

The second was a Gold Dollar. This I bought because I had a few shiny new water hones that needed testing, and I didn't want to screw up the expensive Dovo trying to learn to hone a straight razor. I was also curious why the 'good razors' cost 4x what the 'bad razors' do. Suffice to say that I understand, and do not regret the purchase as some of my best shaves have comes from this and my other cheap razor.

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This is the reason I chose the Gold Dollar despite seeing somewhat mixed reviews. If I understand you correctly you now know why the cheap ones are cheap and the more expensive are considered worth it, but you still got a decent shave with it.

I knew I didn't want a 66 just from everything I had seen and read the mix was way more negative. However, the 208 I kept reading about how it wasn't going to win any contests but it gets the job done. I may have spent 5 dollars on razors in the last 3 years, so looking at a 70 - 200 dollar razor made me shake. I considered vintage but for the rest of this year if I was going to get it, I had to get it cheap and from Amazon. L0L. Also I am just getting it because I liked the new barber I went to who used one to clean up my cheeks and for now I am just scraping my cheeks so I don't need a ferrari to shave 3 square inches, a Kia will work while I learn to drive a stick. I won't sweat the mistakes as much with it like I would a ferrari.

This statement if I understand it made me feel better about my choice of first ride. Getting one that had been worked on by a pro, with lifetime honing means I can concentrate on learning to wave it around for now and get into honing this summer maybe or next year when i can afford a nice set of stones.

Although, I asked about it on Facebook and a friend of mine on the other side of the country has a couple of nice looking ones he has never used. There is a small part of me that wouldn't mind finding out what he would take for them. L0L

To many. Why I can't seem to bring myself to get rid of them

I have many, but not as many as other members. I just purchased an iwasaki tamahagane, so it looks like I'll be selling many of them...

Four: One to start out. Two for when one needs honing. Three because I honed it from "zero" at a meet-up and bought it since I felt invested in it. Four because I wanted to see what a 4/8 is like.

Why three DEs? One for an aggressive wide gap. One for a super-non-aggressive narrow gap. One because it's vintage and pretty.

Why four brushes? One crazy-expensive silver-handled badger as a gift. One CVS cheapie by Kent. One Omega and one Semogue because people love them.

Why seven soaps? Variety of scent and of substance (glycerin and tallow).

As has been said, "Way too many." At one time, if a razor caught my eye, I bought, so I have several that I've shaved with once or twice and then just didn't use again. I really need to sell some of them, but I can't decide which to put up for sale.

Lots, because they're like women...each has their own special something.

lot lot lot.. I rally don't know how many....i know only that are lot!!!
Why so many?
Passion? noooo....i think an illness :D I got up one morning and they were all at my house ... I did not remember what I did the previous days :D :D

Don't confuse need and want!

I have never counted and don't care to. ;)

I have 47 in rotation at this point with others waiting to join them. Why... Because I love to restore, hone, and shave with them. Never sold any, but have given some away . all shave well, some better than others.

Have you ever seen the original movie Conan the barbarian with Schwarzenneger, when his father told him the riddle of steel..... Well there you have it. [emoji6]

A lot, not enough.
I get them to restore and sell but most times they turn out so nice I can't bring myself to get rid of them. Lol