Thread: What type of Blade?

hey guys, im a newb at this. Looking for a straight razor to buy, but am a little confused. im looking on ebay and other straight razor sites, and alot of the blades either say: 440 Stainless steel or Carbon Steel.

My question is what type of blade is better? longevity, sharpness, likeliness of rusting... etc etc

here are a couple of the razors im looking at:

Very Best Straight Razor knife Pearl engraved New - eBay (item 110419641823 end time Aug-06-09 20:40:03 PDT)

Master Cutlery Stainless Handle Straight Barber Razor - eBay (item 150363403204 end time Aug-07-09 18:13:12 PDT)

thanks for any help...
HP

The razors you linked to are junk. Don't buy either of them. You'd be better off picking up a vintage razor from the classifieds here. If you really want a new razor then get a Dovo Best Quality from Straight Razor Designs, but I suggest before you do that you go read the wiki on this site.

Take a look at the classifieds here as suggested by danny. Do not buy from ebay initiall - you will get burnt (those razors are junk as stated).

You should be able to get a decent shave ready razor here for $30 - $50 depending on your budget.

Others might disagree, but I suggest you do NOT strop it initially. The first few times I stropped a razor I dulled the blade because I didnt know what I was doing. If you do that prior to your first shave, neither you nor the razor will be happy.

Suggest you ask the seller to prepare it so that you can just clean the oil off it, and shave with it - that way you get to feel what an almost sharp blade is like. I only say almost sharp because stropping does make a reasonable difference in my opinion, but others only strop every second shave or even longer.

Once you know what a properly sharpened razor should feel like, you can then strop it and know whether you did a good job or not. Make sure you read the stropping instructions in the wiki as they are spot on and showed my what I was doing wrong when I started learning.

DO NOT BUY THE MASTER CUTLERY!! I made that mistake....

I didn't get that exact one, but one with a different handle. It is garbage as stated. I can, unfortunately, speak personally on this one.

Follow the recommendations already given. You'll save yourself a lot of heart ache....and face ache.....and wallet ache.

OK first those are junk as danny said

What i recommend for you is NOT !!!! to buy any razor from ebay.

I once did the thing of buying one on ebay belive me u will be SSSSSOOOOOOOOO disapointed


Go to wiki read up a bit try to get familiar with what you are looking for and what u really want ........ once you have done all your research on razor brands you can go to ebay and see what u can buy ...... but even then its still to risky buying from ebay


But untill then go to the classifieds and see what u can buy. belive anything you will buy here will be 100 times better then anything on ebay

Gera

Welcome to SRP.

Glad you asked before you bought. May I suggest that you take a look at our Beginners Guide (also available as a PDF, see signature), especially Lynn's articles therein? Here is a relevant bit:

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Choosing a razor
Choosing a razor is a matter of personal preference. If you must have a brand new razor the quality choices are limited to the three main major current manufacturers: Dovo, Thiers-Issard, and Böker; to the NOS Double Arrow and Wapienica; and to the custom razor makers. A brand new razor will still have to be honed.
Fortunately there are many vintage razors which would often be of equal or even better quality than the current production and they will generally cost significantly less. The best place to find one is the Classifieds section of SRP. Most often the razors there are honed and shave-tested by the seller, and this is noted in the ad, but when in doubt you can always ask them.
Newbies are discouraged from purchasing vintage razors on eBay because they do not have the experience to evaluate the condition of the razor - in most cases the pictures on eBay do not provide enough details, and even when they do, a newbie generally doesn't know what is important and what isn't.
Nevertheless there are some razors that should be avoided, and even though every purchase is a risk there are few popular vintage brands that are generally good.
You can find detailed descriptions of hundreds of new and vintage razors in our Straight Razor Database (SRDB).

This article is work in progress at the moment, but you may also find it useful: Buying a beginner's set on a budget - Straight Razor Place Wiki.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your progress,
Robin

All excellent information above, however I would like to add one item to the discussion: stainless vs carbon steel. The difference is that stainless steel resists rust but is harder to sharpen. So take your choice - easier to sharpen or doesn't rust as easliy. Personally I have chosen stainless, I have two Dovo Inox and let me tell you they are great.

Whatever you choose welcome to SRP and the wonderful world of straight razor shaving.

Originally Posted by gera55

OK first those are junk as danny said

What i recommend for you is NOT !!!! to buy any razor from ebay.

I once did the thing of buying one on ebay belive me u will be SSSSSOOOOOOOOO disapointed


Go to wiki read up a bit try to get familiar with what you are looking for and what u really want ........ once you have done all your research on razor brands you can go to ebay and see what u can buy ...... but even then its still to risky buying from ebay


But untill then go to the classifieds and see what u can buy. belive anything you will buy here will be 100 times better then anything on ebay

Gera

Beg to differ about buying off of ebay. While the razors linked are indeed junk, I bought all of my razors from ebay:

Keen Kutter
Case Red Imp
Dubl Duck Satin Edge
Dubl Duck Wonder Edge
Genco Seneca Chief
Bocker Red Injun 101

And I never paind more that $30 for any of these.

To answer the original question about steels: Either carbon steel or 440C stainless can be used to make a good blade. Carbon steel is a little harder and thus will tend to hold an edge better. 440C will not rust or discolor as quickly. All stainless steels tend to gall under abrasion, which makes stainless steel blades a little more difficult to sharpen.

Originally Posted by fccexpert

Beg to differ about buying off of ebay. While the razors linked are indeed junk, I bought all of my razors from ebay: [...]And I never paind more that $30 for any of these.

Again, this is the reason, and I find it more than valid. Yes, it is entirely possible to buy good razors from eBay, but:

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Choosing a razor
Newbies are discouraged from purchasing vintage razors on eBay because they do not have the experience to evaluate the condition of the razor - in most cases the pictures on eBay do not provide enough details, and even when they do, a newbie generally doesn't know what is important and what isn't.

Regards,
Robin