Thread: Opinion on Straight Razors Purchased on Ebay

Greetings folks. I am new to Straight Razor Place and straight razor shaving ,and I just purchased these two razors off ebay, which I would like to use to get started. Just wanted to know your opinions on each razor and which one has the most potential for me to send off to be honed/restored. I know I will want to do this before putting them to work. The Geneva looks to be in better condition, but the other razor for the price I paid seemed to be a good deal as well. Thanks for the help.

Sius Brothers Straight Razor Made in Germany - eBay (item 160267736358 end time Aug-09-08 16:15:00 PDT)

VINTAGE STRAIGHT RAZOR/GENCO/GENEVA CUTLERY/OLD RAZOR - eBay (item 180274851232 end time Aug-10-08 14:15:30 PDT)

DirtyDog

Go with the Genco

Thanks Navaja for the tip. I imagine you are from the Miami area based on your country flag. Any idea of a shop in Miami where one could purchase good quality straight razors? My father lives in Miami and I am thinking on sending him to scout some out for me if there is such a place. Again, thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by DirtyDog

Greetings folks. I am new to Straight Razor Place and straight razor shaving ,and I just purchased these two razors off ebay, which I would like to use to get started. Just wanted to know your opinions on each razor and which one has the most potential for me to send off to be honed/restored. I know I will want to do this before putting them to work. The Geneva looks to be in better condition, but the other razor for the price I paid seemed to be a good deal as well. Thanks for the help.

Sius Brothers Straight Razor Made in Germany - eBay (item 160267736358 end time Aug-09-08 16:15:00 PDT)

VINTAGE STRAIGHT RAZOR/GENCO/GENEVA CUTLERY/OLD RAZOR - eBay (item 180274851232 end time Aug-10-08 14:15:30 PDT)

DirtyDog

Yes, the Geneva looks better, but you could've done a whole lot better in the Classifieds...

DirtyDog:
I don't live in Miami, but go there to visit with some friends ocassionally.

For shaving products in Miami try The Art of Shaving. You can see their products online and they have a store at the Aventura Mal.
l

Almost any razor can be restored and used. The Genco is the more popular razor but that may not mean anything at all, the only way to tell how a razor is going to shave is to shave with it.

I say have them both honed up, then decide to restore one/both when you find out if they're worth restoring.

Originally Posted by gugi

Yes, the Geneva looks better, but you could've done a whole lot better in the Classifieds...

Which blade currently being sold in the classifieds would you recommend? I looked around but did not find any of the "recommended" blades in the classified for the 25-30 dollar range.

You can't go wrong with any of the <$50 razors listed in the classifieds. While they may not be on the "recommended" list, you can be assured that you won't be purchasing a junk razor (i.e. one on the 'run-don't walk away from' list) from the members who have listed them.

Cheers,

Rick

Originally Posted by DirtyDog

Which blade currently being sold in the classifieds would you recommend? I looked around but did not find any of the "recommended" blades in the classified for the 25-30 dollar range.

You paid $17 for the genco including shipping, Sending it out for honing will cost you at least $20-25 so that is at least $37. And if you want it restored you'll either have to spend some hours with sandpaper or pay more. At the end you will still have a razor with significant and uneven hone wear.
This or this are priced at $25, they are not cosmetically great, but they are listed as shave-ready. Don't know about the brands, but I trust that most sellers here test the razors before sending out (and you can always ask).

Then this particular one is priced at $37 and looks in great cosmetic condition, going by brand names should be as good as Genco, but of course you can ask the seller.
The additional advantage of buying in the classifieds is that you can start using them in 3 days, as opposed to 2-3 weeks (coming to you, going to the person to hone it and then coming back to you). And there are many other great values there - if in doubt ask some of the senior members for recommendation, most will gladly help.

There isn't anything wrong purchasing on ebay, but over and over I see new members buy razors there that have serious issues or need a lot of work, when they could've picked a whole lot better razors, ready to shave. Of course there is every now and then the occasional excellent buy, but that's extremely rare. You must realize that a lot of the experienced members also go on ebay and unless something flies under the radar you will pay more than what they are willing to pay. If it's cost effective for you to restore a razor and hone it up yourself, it may make sense to shop on ebay, but if you are planning to hire somebody else to do it it's almost always better to just go for the finished product directly.

Originally Posted by gugi

You paid $17 for the genco including shipping, Sending it out for honing will cost you at least $20-25 so that is at least $37. And if you want it restored you'll either have to spend some hours with sandpaper or pay more. At the end you will still have a razor with significant and uneven hone wear.
This or this are priced at $25, they are not cosmetically great, but they are listed as shave-ready. Don't know about the brands, but I trust that most sellers here test the razors before sending out (and you can always ask).

Then this particular one is priced at $37 and looks in great cosmetic condition, going by brand names should be as good as Genco, but of course you can ask the seller.
The additional advantage of buying in the classifieds is that you can start using them in 3 days, as opposed to 2-3 weeks (coming to you, going to the person to hone it and then coming back to you). And there are many other great values there - if in doubt ask some of the senior members for recommendation, most will gladly help.

There isn't anything wrong purchasing on ebay, but over and over I see new members buy razors there that have serious issues or need a lot of work, when they could've picked a whole lot better razors, ready to shave. Of course there is every now and then the occasional excellent buy, but that's extremely rare. You must realize that a lot of the experienced members also go on ebay and unless something flies under the radar you will pay more than what they are willing to pay. If it's cost effective for you to restore a razor and hone it up yourself, it may make sense to shop on ebay, but if you are planning to hire somebody else to do it it's almost always better to just go for the finished product directly.

Thanks for the input Gugi. I went to check on the razors selling in the classified for $25, but now see that the user is banned. I hope this wasn't anything related to sale of these razors. The one selling in the classified for $37 looked like a good quality razor; however, the seller mentioned that there was some pitting and that sometimes needs to be directed when closing. These are the issues I took into account before opting to purchase on ebay.