Thread: Sight unseen straight razor

During my search for a straight razor I read a lot of recommendations for whippeddog sight unseen razor. I did end up buying one from him, but I also saw another seller offering sight unseen razors.

On etsy, a seller by the name Sylversteel offers a sight unseen for $35 plus shipping. He also has a sight unseen with a cowhide latigo strop for $65 and shipping. Being new to straights and strops, what would your opinion be of trying it out? Would the strop be worth getting the package deal? Shipped to my place, I'd save $8.50 getting the package deal vs buying seperate.

A quick google search here on the forums doesnt show his name popping up. Anyone ever order from Sylversteel? His representative pics look pretty good and I know I saw the latigo leather recommended somewhere. . .

Not familiar with him...but I know Larry at WD and he will take care of you!

It seems to me that by the time you buy several sight unseen razors and strops you would spend more money than simply buying something you can see and like.

Originally Posted by Ernie1980

Not familiar with him...but I know Larry at WD and he will take care of you!

+1 to what Ernie1980 said. I have not heard of that etsy seller before and so cannot vouch for him or his products or services. That's not to say that the etsy seller isn't good, just that I haven't heard of him before. It can be tough for a new vendor to get started, regardless of quality, so I'm curious to see if anyone has bought from that vendor.

But as has been said, Larry is well known. Your razor may not be pretty, but it will be shave-ready.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Your razor may not be pretty, but it will be shave-ready.

That pretty much sums up the razor I got from Larry. Ended up with a tonsorial gem. I bought the $43 sight unseen but noticed last night the scale is cracked on one side. Not saying it came that way, just something I noticed.

Still have to I'd the scale material. I assume celluloid but it almost looks like veins making me wonder if it might be bone.

The scales are made of bone.
That rust spot at the tip on the backside is troublesome - put some wd40 or 3-in-1 and see if it'll turn black. It really should be sanded to metal though, or at the very least converted to black using vinegar or something - too late as it's already honed.

If you look in the Classifieds of this forum, you will find much better deals on much better razors. You not only will find them, you also will see them.

Here are my thoughts. I'd rather buy a 10-15$ razor on Craigslist or eBay or from a antique store and use the money I save to buy a combo hone like a Norton. Just be very careful to inspect the razor closely for problems. I've now found several great deals on my own. Then keep looking for straights on the cheap that need little to no work. You can learn to hone and add to your Arsenal. Of course I'm a newbie too, and some of the more seasoned members may not agree...

I've never experienced a truly shave ready straight. But using a Norton, watching tons of honing vids, and searching frequently for used straights, I'm happy with how much I've learned and how far I've come. I'm getting comfortable shaves.

That said, give the etsy option a try. You might just get a good razor with a nice shave ready edge and understand from the get go what a nice straight razor shave is like. Then again, everyone says to just save yourself the time, and buy from the classifieds. Ultimately it's up to you. It's a joirney, and we all go different directions.

Has anyone actually been to the classified lately? 1 razor for $30 and rest are $50+ Spending $35 on a sight unseen doesnt seem so bad right now.

I bought a whippeddog razor. Personally I would have considered it a flawed even though I ordered the regular sight unseen. But that's just my opinion and probably just my high expectations.

I was hoping someone else had bought from sylversteel but no hits so far. Looking at his representative pics and the couple pics in his buyer reviews they all look like great looking razors.

So far every shave just has my face feeling like I poured alcohol on it and set it on fire. Whether its a dull razor or just bad technique, I honestly can't say for sure.

I'm going to try and put some quality, shave ready razors, under $50 in the classifieds this week. I have a bunch of blades in my restore bin, but I figure I can just hone them up to shave ready and sell them as is. I know that there are lots of guys looking for cheap razors, but it's not easy to go cheap and get decent quality.