Thread: How Many Razors Do Newbies have?

I started out with 4: 2 new and 2 pre-owned-Dovo Best Quality and Blackstar in 5/8, Boker King Cutter and Torrey Razor Co in 5/8. In truth, I've only used both Dovo's twice as I wanted to maintain their edge and more importantly to serve as benchmark for honing.

I'm glad I found out sooner that anything beyond 6/8 won't work for me or at least would be cumbersome. Thank God for auctions. Give me a Japanese or a any western straight that isn't 7/8 or more and I'm good to go.

As I see it, the new user starts with what is recommended or available, the generic 5/8ths, usually hollow ground. One or two will do, after all, experimentation is just around the corner.

Then begins a quest to discover what is "right", or for the personal best razor. This may lead the newer user through a number of razor grinds and widths, normally with the conclusion that a heavy grind (quarter or half hollow) performs the best.

As time passes and technique improves the benefits of a heavy grind begin to fade and around the 18 to 24 month mark the new user discovers that those hollow ground razors actually shave much better now, and that 7/8ths razors are not so difficult as thought.

Now if razors have not been sold along the way one can accumulate quite a large number of razors. If some have been sold, regret may enter the picture as what once didn't work well is now preferred.

I'm to the point where I still keep around 20 razors. I have some favorites that are quarter or half hollow. The majority, however, are 6/8ths to 7/8ths full hollow Solingen blades from makers such as Puma (3), Weltmeister (2), and DD (2). Add two Fillys, and a sampling from Sweden, England, France, and the US and it becomes very easy to have 20 razors.

Originally Posted by Blackstangal

If they are anything like me,when I was a newbie, they should have as many as they can get!!!

Big + 1 .... I've always had the collecting disease. Sometimes I think I have too many but I keep getting them so it seems there are never enough. Keeps life interesting. I stopped counting at something over one hundred. Like Satchel Paige said," Don't look back, something may be gaining on you."

i have two a dovo black star which is ok & a filly 6/8 which is the business, i have a spartacus 6/8 thiers on the way

I started out with only one, but then that one was just too warped to get a decent edge on once it needed a touch-up so I got one more.
Now I only have one usable one and the warped one plus a restoration project

I only have one - Dovo 6/8 Best Quality. Maybe I'll have 2 (or more) on the 25th.

I'm waiting until after the holidays to buy anything. I've got my eye on a whole bunch of razors with all different sizes, points, etc. so I can experiment and find what suits me best. I'm thinking about going a bit smaller for my next razor to see if I like that. Strazors.com has a Clauss and a German square point that look tempting...

Um...I have about 12...yeah...don't ask...

Started four months ago with a DOVO Best Quality 6/8. Then bought the only 5/8 that I own a Boker Edelweisse in bone scales. At this point I knew that I liked the wider blades sooooo.....I acquired two 7/8, a Waker Jungmeister spanish point and a Henckels INOX. Lastly, about two weeks ago, I bought the liplopper, a beatiful Dorko 8/8 round point. Add to this a Ern Ator 6/8 round point restored by Max. Total of six shavers.

My neighbor is a barber. He brought over 10 razors when he heard I was interested and told me to pick out some I liked. I took 4, all of different size blades. Found I liked them all. Have not looked back since.

I started with a Bengal I bought on the classifieds here. I had a little RAD episode recently though. I ended up with 9 more from a well known auction site and I am ordering at least one new blade from SRD while they are offering lifetime honing. I'm leaning towards a Bergisher Lowe. I think that shape is exactly what I'm looking for. My Bengal is a square point (I don't think it's a spike since the corner seems slightly rounded). I like being able to use the very end of the blade, so I don't think I will like the other Dovos.

So by the end of the week I should be up to 11 or 12