Thread: Function vs. Aesthetics (poll for newbies)

i guess ill throw my two cents in here when i first started i was looking for a thats a beautiful razor but now i am starting to collect some old rough looking american made blades and i find myself drifting to the rough looking great shavers i find that old razors with some character are beautiful in there own way a couple months ago i would have voted 75 looks 25 shave but now its exact opposite

I don't keep anything that is not an amazing shaver, but as more and more razors come through my hands I go for those that are good looking, add some diversity to my collection, and feel good in my hands.

In short, I really don't think I could attach percentages to it.

straight razors look Bad A$% nomatter what. so i voted 100% function
that beign said i nice wood finish handle makes a beautiful razor

I have to say 75% functionality and 25% looks. I like ornamented blades, I'm not too fond of plain ones.

Originally Posted by Alraz

Point taken but it may cost more than just $10 to make that change, especially if the wood is "exotic" don't you think?

Al raz.

You just need some oak or mesquite. These aren't large run items, the amount of wood used is really small. The difference in price isn't going to be very much. Especially when you factor in the instability in the price of oil. Which is what most plastics are made from.

When I voted 50% function 50% aesthetics, I meant that I want it to look GREAT and shave GREAT. Being sub-par in either regard is not something I'm interested in at all. Just my opinion.

Crap. Sorry Ivan, I didn't read before voting that you wanted newbs opinions on this post. Well, I'm no expert, so maybe my vote would still count?

75% function 25% form.

An insanely beautiful custom, even if it shaved well but didn't allow for an effortless stropping motion would end up gathering dust for me. Stropping is a huge part of performance for me and a razor has to flip flip flip easily during stropping.

Chris L

I went for 75-25, it doesn't have to be all that pretty as long as it works well.

it's got to at least peak my interest for me to want to buy it. then i (courtesy of being schooled here) i make sure it's worth my funds

I spent a lot of time hunting for the right first razor. Picked up a Dovo 5/8 Silver Steel with ebony handles. Bought Dovo, because I knew it would shave well, but I really wanted a good looking one, assuming that I won't have mountains of money to throw around on more razors for a while and I have plenty of other equipment to upgrade before I look at new razors. I can already see how this is addicting, but I've got to pace myself
That Dovo is pretty sharp looking for a non-antique (which I would greatly prefer once my honing skills are deemed non-destructive).