Thread: Anybody have experience with Selective straights?

Before I joined this forum I was looking for a cheap strop. I found one on Ebay that came bundled with 3 new straights. The brand name on the strops and razors was "Selective". Within a couple of weeks I replaced the strop with a nice TM, but the razors were not shave ready and I had not as yet acquired any honing tools so to this day they remain unused. I just ordered the Norton kit and a Nanawa 12000, so I thought I would see if I could get these 3 $5 razors shave ready. Does anyone have any experience wih this brand? I would think that as long as the steel was good, they could be sharpened just fine. But if they use junk steel like the Zeepks, they might best be used as stage props for my Sweeny Todd Halloween costume. Any comments?

The 'selective professional' brand is on the list of brands to avoid. If they were brand new and that cheap, the general concencus would be it will make a great letter opener, or sweeny todd props!

I don't have personal experience with that brand, but if it is junk then I wouldn't bother trying to hone one, as the results will not really reflect if you're doing anything right or wrong.

Those straights will lead to many hours of tears, blood, and futility.


Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Seems like you spent money on a nice honeing setup and a TM strop.
Why not add a nice ST8 to it?
Seliective brand IMHO are junk and should do nice to your sweeny todd costume.
In the Classifieds you can find a great ST8 for sometimes less then 50 dollers.
I have herd stories of even the best honemister not being able to get a shave ready edge on these razors (Selective,Zeepk,ETC).

What they said. The steel's wrong. There's a list to avoid in the wiki. It's too late for many, as they find the forum after they've bought the razor.
Look here next time though. Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Vintage blades are good steel. They had to be, or the company would go bust!

Thanks everybody for the input. From your responses, it looks like nobody who responded actually knows about these cheap blades from personal experience, but everybody (including me, now) has read the "list". My hones arrived yesterday, so after I touch up my vintage straight, I think I'll see if I can get one of these cheap blades to take an edge. If I'm successful, I'll see how long it will keep its edge. I'll let everyone know what I discover. Hey, you never know....

Originally Posted by Moonhowl

Hey, you never know....

True! Sometimes it is best to let experience be the teacher Maybe selective has improved its quality!

Yes, I have a selective razor that I also got from eBay. The name of the shipper was definetely middle eastern (not trying to stereotype here, simply stating that I suspect the blade is pakistani pot metal). That being said, the edge on it was obviously not shave ready, and I don't have hones to touch it up with. I did try to strop it --quite a bit actually, 300+ laps, alternating sides of the strop it came with.

It made a marginal difference in the sharpness of the edge.

I think mine will be a great letter opener, and I'll chalk up the purchase price to the "well now ya know better" category.

Originally Posted by Moonhowl

... My hones arrived yesterday, so after I touch up my vintage straight, I think I'll see if I can get one of these cheap blades to take an edge. If I'm successful, I'll see how long it will keep its edge. I'll let everyone know what I discover. Hey, you never know....

hehehehehe

same thought passed my mind last weekend when I saw brand new ( white scales) $5 str8 razor
even the seller ( he was selling all kinds of knives and other "sharp tools" ) have said that razor does not shave very well
the only thing which i regret
is that I did not bargain for three bucks