Message from SRP: Is it worth it?

Hello, Vee1!

We've noticed that you've not been active on Straight Razor Place Forums for quite some time now, and we miss you!
Could we not tempt you back?

Really tempted to try again; BUT.
I have paid for 4 Straight razors (another forum) and only received 2; 1 had broken scales (due to poor packaging; scales arrived in about 10 pieces), and the other is very dull. :boohoo:

What does it take to get started, and who is a really honest seller of a shave ready straight? I will be traveling the next week and OOP, but will check in for suggestions after that; just a little discouraged right now.

Thanks,
V1

Sorry about your bad experience. SRP is not similar place which you have been. In here every seller has responsibility . In case if you get in any trouble you will be helped. i do think at the moment we do have some people offer's free honing too. Welcome and enjoy.

I think that by being more active you will get the "insight" on who is reputable and who is not. It is very important to get to know the people with whom you share this passion with. You will get lots of advice from many people and you will find that most of it is spot on and very useful. If you feel the need , you could always PM someone you come close to , or a MOD if it makes you feel better, and ask for help on making a purchase or anything else. Become familiar with the people here and you will become more confidant. There are always "bad apples" in any group , I can only speak for this site, but there are very few that are able to stick around on this one. They are usually ousted from our community. Don't give up on us, we are here to help you. Give the people here a chance and they will prove me right. Good luck.

At the risk of seeming flippant or restating the obvious, I don't think what happened somewhere else should be an indictment of SRP. If nothing else, you will find the membership here to be willing to extend whatever help necessary to get a new guy up and running. As a group we are enthusiastic about the use and enjoyment of straight razors and helping helping others to do the same. When you are back online, post again with some specifics about what is holding you back. I know you will get the help you need.

Give it another chance. It's definitely worth it. Welcome back!

In four years I have not only had great experiences here, but been repeatedly impressed by the responsible action shown by SRP members and vendors. It has raised the bar for me and I work to be just as helpful and supportive for others as many members have been for me. I doubt you will find any difference here. I'm sorry you had some bad experiences elsewhere, but I'll lay money that this place can turn you around.

X

Those sites are good for if you want to buy expensive stuff. If you are into that, classicshaving.com also is a great site. HOWEVER, there is a sense of responsibility and community here that every member should be proud of. We have members offering free services to others, offering deals and freebies, and just being a general help. Do not expect free and cheap stuff though, but if you hang out and talk and be honest and what not, I promise you there will come a time when you have a big problem or something and an "older member" will help you out in a big way. I am making an oboe reed knife for my girlfriend. As I was asking for advice from a member who teaches oboe and makes these knives for students, Kenrup (who also offers beginner start up kits quite cheap) actually sent me an amazing, fully restored blade to work with for much less than I would have expected to pay. He's an amazing dude. Or take Utopian or any other member who is offering free honing. I can say this forum has helped me endlessly. Just the other day I bought some strop pastes from Gratewhitehuntr, they came literally 5 days after I sent him payment, and keep in mind the post takes 4-5 days, and that spanned a Sunday. I think you're safe here. Welcome

I forgot to add hi_bud_gl to my list! If anyone helped me as a newb it was him. He always answers questions, always helped me out, and always has sound advice. I bought a crap razor off of ebay to begin with, and he told me to send it to him, and he sharpened it up for me. There are tons of great members here who are more than willing to help, anyway they can, just remember not to expect anything- thats just rude. But if you are truly in trouble, someone will help you out, somehow.

As I'm sure you're well aware, you should never abort above V1; you were well past V1 after you bought your first razor! :) (and you thought the meaning of your user name would go un-noticed... ;) )

I'm certainly no Honemeister, but I'd be happy to hone up your blades for you.

I'm sure after buying four razors the last thing you want to do is spend more money, but a strop would definitely help get ya going, and spending 17 bucks on a mug/soap combination of Tabac would really help you get the most out of your straights. The Tabac would even serve you well should you decide that straight razors aren't for you; it's a fine shaving soap that most guys would use over any canned creams around. Although that would also require buying a brush... :D

Seriously, though, you'll find a ton of guys around here that'll do whatever we can to get you going.

I have also had a really great experience when I was buying a barber's hone from Jordan Nichols (I can't recall his user name). I placed an ad for "WTB a barber's hone" in the SRP classifieds. He sent me a message and offered me a nice barber's hone for a very fair price. I agreed to purchase it. While he was cleaning it up for me before he sent me the hone, he told me that the previous owner had used oil on the hone. He then told me because of the oil and for other reasons the hone would not be the best barber's hone to start with. The thing that I was really impressed with was the honesty of the transaction and how nicely I was treated.

Additionally, other members here have given me nothing but great advice and another member, Utopian has treated me with nothing but kindness while dealing with him while I was inquiring about his free honing offer.

You will not be disappointed here at SRP! Best wishes!

You will be safe here, feel free to buy from any vendor or member, everyone here has a reputation to protect. Welcome!

As a very new member, I have to state here that I have been well pleased with ALL the business transactions I have had here at SRP. Items purchased from members arrived in good time, well packaged, and were exactly as described +. Services purchased from members have been as anticipated and all came with answers to silly newbie questions, instructions, and helpful advice. I just don't think anyone is here to take advantage of, or outright cheat anyone. We all have reputations to protect and a genuine interest in a good experience for all involved.

Just to point out, I have not only bought things from people here, I have sent things out to people for things like free honing. Sounds like a scam right? Me sending them something so they can perform a free service? HMMM. WRONG. Not a scam. In all cases it has NOT been a scam. The stuff always comes back, and the free honing is to establish a good reputation so they can draw business in the future. Everyone here has a reputation to protect, and the mods ban people who are disrespoectful or dishonest.

Thanks everyone,

I will try to read and learn a little from the posts on this site. Again, I want to stress there were no bad transactions on this site; and in fairness, I was shopping for a "good price" when I made my previous buys (did not want to spend a lot in case a straight razor was not for me; I could have probably bought 1 new, honed razor had I been a little smarter :(). Thanks for the generous honing offers; I will read up a little, and perhaps can do it myself. I have a hone that was my grandfathers, but not sure if it was meant for razors (My grandmother tell me he always shaved with a straight)

Can anyone tell me about the 2 razor's I have. The one with intact scales is a "Henckel's hollow ground". It has a small # 9 high on the handle.

The one with the broken scales is a "BOKER" ? (hard to read). The blade appears much thinner (more hollow ground I guess) than the Henkels.

Thanks,
V1

and for Floorpizza, OK you just called "GO", now the rest is up to me!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vee1

Can anyone tell me about the 2 razor's I have. The one with intact scales is a "Henckel's hollow ground". It has a small # 9 high on the handle.

The one with the broken scales is a "BOKER" ? (hard to read). The blade appears much thinner (more hollow ground I guess) than the Henkels.

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As far as I'm aware, those are both first class razors. I have a henckels #41 and it's one of my favorites. I've yet to try a boker, but I've never heard a bad word about them.

As far as the broken scales, making new scales is MUCH easier than you might think. Read up, and you may want to try it. Alternatively, you can send that one to me, and I'll make some new scales for it. No charge. Nothing super fancy, just figured mahogany finished with beeswax, but it will get the job done. Send me a PM if you're interested.

Seriously, there are certain brands that you can trust. I have never encountered a Boker or Henckels razor that was not a very good shaver.

I'll reiterate what Khaos mentioned, if you need a free honing, you're welcome to PM me for information.

Hi Vee,
I can also assure you that no one here selling stuff will rip you off. The moderator team here watches out for the new members.

As for the free honing offers, Utopian and I are both offering free honing. If you haven't been able to get that dull razor sharp, feel free to send it to me.

Another voice to laud the razors you already have. Their better can hardly be found. Take someone up on the honing offer and see what a sharp straight should shave like.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...tr/plusone.gif

Boker and Henckel are both EXCELLENT razors and either should last you the rest of your life.

My Boker 1056 shaves slicker than http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...tehuntr/ky.jpg


(look at the size of that chin!)