Monitarily Confused

When I first started looking into this straight razor thing (begining of the week?) I found a good vid that talked about str8 shaving and the guys said he never pays more than a couple bucks for his blades bc he gets them at junk stores etc.

Well I have called: Antique shops, flea markets, barbers, and barber suppliers and I can't find anything but disposables. When I looked online I have found a lot of str8s, but they are all pretty pricey.
Now, I don't mind paying good money for a good str8, but I have never used one before and I don't want to sink that kind of green into something that I may not like in the first place.

Was the guy in the video just lucky, or have you all found deals on straights around your neck of the woods.

I am in Raleigh, NC btw.

Personally I have never found any junk stores what so ever nor have I ever found anything at any antique stores and have been forced to buy what I need either from members of these forums or other internet shops. So I tend to think the person that you indicated has no idea what he is talking about.

Finding a razor in good condition at antique stores, etc. can be really hit or miss. I've never had much luck. You're more likely to find a blade that needs some TLC before it can be used, and you kind of have to know (or learn) what you're doing to make them work.

Your best bet is to purchase a vintage "shave ready" blade from the classifieds here. It will cost more than a couple bucks, but you can be reasonably sure that its been properly restored and honed. Also, keep your expectations realistic. You have to learn how to shave with a straight, and your first few shaves probably won't be great. Just enjoy the experience.

Best of luck. :D

Yeah, I think I will probably come out with a couple "battle scars" but it is something that I want to try.
I also would not mind mudleing through a moderate restore as long as the blade isn't nicked or something.

It's like shopping for a car. You can get one at a junkyard for $50 but it might take some time and some tools to get it running, no matter the name brand. Or you can buy a brand new one or get a used one in any condition you like. But you generally get what you pay for, or so has been my experience

Like OS said, if you don't like it just resell.

Good advice also ebay can be an option but as a gneral rule I advise never to pay more than $80 for either a carbon or stainless steel razor. Classic Shaving will sell for that. On ebay you get a lot of idiots that have inherited this thing from pop or gandpa, have been conned into using one of those terrible things that pass for shavers these days and have no idea what they are holding in their hands or the actual value of what they have. They typically want to get rid of it ASAP and as a consequence often will part with their inheritance for far less than its worth now that you know what the item is worth.

well, the answer to your initial questions is to find out how old is that video and where is the author located. if you go back in time to that place you may be able to also buy them for few dollars.
i've seen two razors a person bought in a local antique shop for few dollars each - guess what he just lost his money, the razors were a trash can material and i absolutely refused to hone them for him. eventually he took me to another antique shop where he had reserved 10 razors and there were 3 out of them that i approved and i honed one of them. he managed to pay $10 each (he's spending few thousands dollars a year at that place) and the rest are back on the display at the original asking price $20 per razor.
if you're looking to save money this is not the way to do it, unless you want to stay in it for quite some time. the most cost effective solution is a razor from the classifieds.

the big thing to consider is that if you cheap out and get a crap razor you simply won't enjoy yourself. i have read many threads from people saying that they can't get the hang of it or the shave was crap and it turns out they bought a cheap razor that won't hold an edge or a razor that isn't shave ready.

the best thing you could do is get a shave ready razor from the classifieds here and a strop and see how things go, if it isn't for you then resell it in the classifieds. the nice thing about a straight razor is that it is an investment really, as long as you take care of it it will out last you.

hopefully you give it a try as it a very enjoyable hobby and more rewarding then one would think.

good luck!!

I have seen way to many new guys do the "I am going to get an E-bay razor/antique store razor and fix it up routine" to even count...

Restoring a razor to even a shave ready condition, let alone mint condition, is an art... and the tools required to do it right cost $$$$$....

Take these guys advice, and start with a shave ready razor from the Classifieds from a reputable member here, and enjoy your first outing with a straight razor... Then decide which direction you want to take this hobby...
Just so you know RRD (razor restoration disorder) is one of the worst to catch ;)

Welcome to SRP !!!!!

+ 1 there Glen.

Hopefully some good soul will create a Razor Restoraholics Anonymous :D

An antique dealer is the absolute last place you should ever look for something old at a good price. If you want a straight razor you should go to every "Estate" sale you ever see and visit every barbershop with any barbers that are over 60 years old. Another good option is to visit "flea markets", but they are long shots.

Another good option is to go out on Ebay and do searches like "staight razor" instead of "straight razor", leaving the r out is the "Einstienian" moment in Ebay searching. Also, don't look for a nice razor, look for nice blades and nice scales separated. You can put them together yourself.

+1 on getting one pre-sharpened from the classifieds.

I got lucky once and bought 2 nice straights from an older barber. The ones with old straights are getting harder to find. Both needed to be sharpened.

learning how to shave witha straight razor is hard enough without adding the crappy razor factor into it. Get a nice shave ready that is set up and learn to shave with it. Then you can start to hone your razor and the restore a razor. I'd bet dollars to donoughts that most new straight shavers couldnt really appraise a antique store razor. I started by buying a nice Dbl Duck on ebay, when i go t, i sent it off to be honed, and the honer told me i bought a razor that was beyone repair. he was cool and sold me a very good razor (a martin if i recall) that was shave ready. One pass with that and i was sold. night and day vs, the one pass i tried with the junky one.

i'm thinking getting a straight shave at a barber shop is a good idea so you will know what it feels like.. you can also ask one to show what they use to maintain the razor. i lucked out and have the hone stones that i need to sharpen one with.. :shrug:

Yes the few dollars these days does seem to now mean $10.00 from an antique shop at least. Open them up and look at them I've had pretty good luck personally with almost 1/3rd of my finds I'd consider worthwhile but their going to be a lot of work and unless you want to learn restoration honing before you learn shaving pay the little extra for one from the classifieds. (That being said I got all mine from antique store hunting and got my grandfather to sharpen my first one up for me)

I can see both sides of the argument, if youre just starting out and not sure what you want/need then cheap razors can be a bad bet but I also think there are plenty of good deals to be had if you look hard enough. Im into collecting all sorts of stuff from old watches to old camp stoves and lately razors, I regularly get lucky and find sought after items for a few dollars equivalent but you have to put some leg work in

I picked this one up (my first straight) just before Christmas at a Car boot sale for £2 mint condition never been honed

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...7/palomine.jpg

The car boot season is over until late Spring and I needed more cheap razors to satisfy my urge so Ive been gambling on ebay, not a favourite source of mine but Im doing ok and and scoring razors to shave with and work on

This one was from ebay, about 18USD I guess, again it had never been honed but it needed a little cleanup after poor storage and I made new scales

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...007/razcoc.jpg

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...07/razcoc2.jpg

These 3 came from ebay for about 30USD, or 10 each and Im very pleased with them

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z..._2007/buck.jpg

They look a bit rough and indeed they need quite a bit of work but I enjoy fixing things up and the edges are clean and straight, I already posted them elsewhere but to recap the two on the right are circa 1850 (research ongoing) ivory scales and I suspect they will make superb shavers, I have already refinished the one in the middle, just needs the scales refitting and honing, one on the left is very rusty Geneva Cutlery USA early 20th C but will also make a good shaver when Ive finished with it.

Im up to about 6 razors so far and one more that I wrecked (oops), I havent spent $80USD on my razor collection and personally I prefer them to a new razor of any make. Ok I have no dubl ducks are whatever the latest greatest brand might be but Im happy with what Ive got and its early days, now I have a few for a rotation theres plenty of time to look out for more bargains as and when they pop up and Im 100% sure they will but as always YMMV.

Heres that middle blade after a days worth of hand rubbing, not a great pic Im afraid. Its not that hard to make a rough blade usable if youre prepared to put a bit of time into it and read up on it first.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...07/georgeb.jpg

Like you say, you '"got lucky". What Glen said. Lovely scores though.

It seems vintage blades can be hit or miss. I've been very lucky to get two pristine ones (like brand new) from an antique store, but those seem to be rare occurances. For instance; I went to a flea market earlier today. I spotted several blades, but none of them were anywhere near the condition of the two I already own. One was slaughtered - apparently by someone trying to sharpen it on a knife sharpener. A few of them might have been nice restoration objects, but I just don't have the time to put into it.

srp classifieds you wont be dissapointed

I've been able to find some usable ones at antique shops nearby- my favorite razor is a Torrey I found for about $12. I also bought a $5 W&B chopper with a nick in it. The nick honed out okay, but the crack behind the nick was covered by tarnish. I think it's trash.

With such a good supply in my area, I'm half tempted to start buying all the ones I come across that are in decent shape and throw them up on the classifieds here, but my restoration and honing skills are sub-par and selling them "as-is" will make it difficult to cover my expenses.
J.

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Originally Posted by jfreaksho

I've been able to find some usable ones at antique shops nearby- my favorite razor is a Torrey I found for about $12. I also bought a $5 W&B chopper with a nick in it. The nick honed out okay, but the crack behind the nick was covered by tarnish. I think it's trash.

With such a good supply in my area, I'm half tempted to start buying all the ones I come across that are in decent shape and throw them up on the classifieds here, but my restoration and honing skills are sub-par and selling them "as-is" will make it difficult to cover my expenses.
J.

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Thats a real shame on the W&B Id love to find one of those, I get the feeling there are more of them on your side of the pond than in the UK though, they must have exported them all!