Thread: Newbie seeking help with tough decision.

Originally Posted by gugi

i'd get the herder, it'll most likely shave much better than the others and doesn't look bad either.

Gugi,

In my quest of str8 razor knowledge, would you mind telling me what about the herder you feel will give a superior shave. And being a meticulous carpenter. I also think it looks great. The soft appeal of the wood with the satin indusrial look of the blade really compliment each other.

Thanks for your input!

Originally Posted by JoeTheCarpenter

Rick,

Just out of curiosity, why would you choose the razor from the clasifides?

Thanks for the post!

Well, several reasons. Not to take anything away from what you're already looking at. The places you'd be getting those from have great reputations. Outstanding as a matter of fact. Maybe my reasons are more personal. I am a bit of an environmentalist. I like to keep old things new. I like the thought of someone taking a once junker razor and making a beauty out of it. That takes a lot of work and dedication and heart. Even though the folks selling these new ones can do that vintage razors.

Some people under no circumstances want a used razor.

And, usually, you can get a restored vintage a lot cheaper than you can a brand new one.

No real reason.

I can definitely relate to what your saying. We live in a disposable society. It's nice to see something that was once made with pride restored!

As you note, there is a tendency to acquire more razors after your first - either a collection, or at least one or two that are better quality and meet your personal preferences, after you have developed some. You can pretty much expect to do so after a certain time.

With that in mind, I would certainly not argue against the consensus above that all the razors you name are good, but I might suggest starting with the Gold Dollar, especially one of Ken Rup's package deals. The reasons?

• It's a decent middle-of-the-road type: 6/8 size (mid-size, and the most popular, or nearly so), round point (popular again), half-hollow (not too keen, not too heavy), fairly basic tang and handle.
• It's not super quality but takes a more than usable edge - and Ken sends it to you shave-ready, which takes away any worries over having to tune up a low-quality blade.
• It's not fancy; you don't have to baby it (though you must be careful of the edge, like always).
• It's cheap enough that you aren't losing an investment if you either damage it by mistake or decide you soon want to move on to a better one.

The same could be said of the Filly strop that Ken packages with the razor - good quality, excellent price, no frills, you don't have to weep over the inevitable newbie scrapes or cuts; later you can move on and keep that one as a backup. Together the razor and strop make an excellent value combo - and the free second honing is a good offer.

Assuming you are soon going to pay a decent price for a good-quality second razor, I think it makes sense to start by paying a low price for a decent-quality first razor and use it to learn on without stressing over either the value of the blade or the price you paid for it.

I can back that up with experience: I started with the KenRup razor/strop package and found it to be excellent value, and well above my newbie abilities as far as quality goes. It was well worth the money to let me develop the familiarity to move upward later, whereas a better, pricier razor or strop would have been too much value in the hands of too little skill. I'm still learning on those first tools, and looking forward to eventually moving on when I'm ready. When I do, I won't have wasted my first investment, and I'll know better just what I want for long-term use.

Originally Posted by JoeTheCarpenter

Gugi,

In my quest of str8 razor knowledge, would you mind telling me what about the herder you feel will give a superior shave. And being a meticulous carpenter. I also think it looks great. The soft appeal of the wood with the satin indusrial look of the blade really compliment each other.

Thanks for your input!

It is a vintage razor and the brand while not one of the most talked about ones (I think because it's not widely available in US) has an excellent reputation. But more importantly I trust the seller.