Thread: Razors To Avoid

I am a beginner, and I recently purchased a zeepk razor, only to find out why it is on the list of "razors to avoid". It was such a shaving nightmare that I almost decided to give up on straight razors. I didn’t, but I would have wished that I had seen the list before I bought the razor. If it had been easily viewable here n the beginners section, It would have saved me both money and grief (not to mention blood and skin). I know this list is published elsewhere, but as a beginner, the beginner section would be the first place I would expect to find this invaluable information. So for all you beginners out there I am reposting the list here. Hopefully, you can avoid the headache I went through.

Adam Song

"Promise me son not to do the things I've done..." Kenny Rogers


Brands of Straight Razors to avoid

The following information is based upon years of experience by highly experienced members and straight shaving professionals. The aim of this article is not to slander the razor manufacturers named therein, but to protect our members from paying good money for what we consider vastly inferior products.
There is a multitude of straight razors which we believe should be avoided at all costs. They are made of inferior/poorly tempered steel and even if they take a sharp enough edge, they cannot hold it.
The following razor brands have shown to be, we feel, of consistently inferior quality:

• "Best Quality"[1]
• "Good Quality"
• "High Quality"
• "Special Quality"
• "Two Man"
• Cyrill R Salter[2]
• Kriegar
• Master
• MasterUSA
• Pakistani (any razor made in pakistan)
• Razors "designed by Jim Frost"
• Sanguine
• Selective Professional
• Simco
• Steel Warrior
• Timber Rattler
• Timber Wolf
• Tomahawk
• Venus[3]
• Zeepk

There are some "no brand" razors on eBay at extremely cheap prices. Experience shows that they are best avoided. Also some manufacturers have taken to painting "SOLINGEN" on mid-price razors. The blades of these razors are usually forged in Pakistan, and their scales are then put on in Germany so they are using a legal loop hole to claim these are manufactured (or, rather, assembled) in Solingen. These razors tend to cause as many problems as the razors listed above, for apparent reasons. It is common consensus among the SRP regulars that they had also be best avoided.
Notes

1. ↑ Not to be confused with Dovo brand razors bearing the legend, Best Quality.
2. ↑ http://straightrazorpalace.com/razors/23626-cyril-salter-razor-impossible-get-sharp.html
3. ↑ http://straightrazorpalace.com/razors/26340-venus-titanium.html

In the end learning costs money. Be glad you didn'y pay much this time to learn the lesson and in the end you have a good letter opener.

All rookies should spend the time to read the wiki here and our reviews. That may prevent you from making a costly mistake.

Welcome to SRP!

Sorry for your frustration but at least you finally found the help you needed.

You are correct that the Beginners area is one of the first places to look for guidance. That's why we made the threads covering the most basic info "stickies" at the top of the Forum. In fact, Robins (BeBerlin) thread (third from the top) includes links to the Wiki section containing the infamous list of shame.

The next step is to choose and acquire a suitable razor. You will find lots of advice and opinions here regarding how to do that. Whichever hardware you pick be sure to either have it honed or purchase it "shave ready" from one of the reputable Vendors.

As mentioned, the list is linked to in a sticky post in the Beginner's section. And of course, the reason the Wiki exists is because if we posted all of it as stickies in the forums, you wouldn't see new posts until about 2 pages into the archives!

Unfortunately no matter what you do, someone is going to miss it. They might not see the Wiki, might skip over the stickies, might not bother to post in the beginner's section for suggestions, etc etc etc.

It's plenty easy to find information here. It's just that there's so much that you're never going to get everyone.

This is why people should take their time before they buy. It's easy to get really excited when you come here, and just go buy any old razor. But at the end of the day, you have to stop an do some research so you don't wind up wasting money.

Anyway, I hope your next purchase is more successful!

See, you think that a post titled 'Razors to avoid' is somehow more likely to be read than 'Welcome' or 'A shopping list for beginners'.

When I posted that 'Welcome' and made it sticky I really tried to make it as short as possible while still giving some basic guidance and directions where to look next for more detailed info.
Had you read any 10% of the 200 words in it, you'd have known better than running to ebay to buy that junk.

There are two issues with your current attempt at solving this:
- The posts on the forums are static, the wiki can be updated all the time by anyone (I've personally added several razors to that list as we learn they are junk, in fact, jut added one more making your list already outdated compared to the wiki)
- Getting a good razor is important but absolutely insufficient, for a success with shaving you need the full comprehensive run down on the rest of the process. That's why there's that beginner's guide in the wiki that is being linked in at least two of the sticky posts (first link out of four in my welcome post).

There are already more sticky threads in this section than you cared to read, somehow this makes me think that another one with a list with razors to avoid would have been just one more on your skip list.

Sorry about your situation. Maybe the manufacturer turned things around since they got on the SRP avoid list.

Pabster

hello, I too am a beginer
I have recently been given an Artamis razor which i can't seem to get a decent edge on, though as far as i can tell im doing everything as instructed to by a veriety of guides. I have recently found that places offering honing services will not do so for this brand of razor, is this a brand that should also be avoided?

thanks for any help

Originally Posted by thewidgetmachine

hello, I too am a beginer
I have recently been given an Artamis razor which i can't seem to get a decent edge on, though as far as i can tell im doing everything as instructed to by a veriety of guides. I have recently found that places offering honing services will not do so for this brand of razor, is this a brand that should also be avoided?

thanks for any help

I don't know anything about the Artemis razor apart from what a quick google search told me:

- they are very cheap (generally a red flag)
- I was unable to locate any information regarding where they were made or by whom (a very big red flag)

So I suspect (but do not know) that the Artemis is one of any number of cheap - note cheap vs. inexpensive! - blades made possibly in China or Pakistan, stamped with 'Artemis' and sold to an unsuspecting public. I will certainly stand to be corrected if that is false, but that's the impression I got from my quick search.

Cheap blades should be avoided. However, inexpensive ones can be ok. For example, keep an eye on the classifieds here at SRP. You'll find plenty of good, shave-ready blades, often at very good prices. Straight Razors - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Personally though, I would not waste any more time trying to get the Artemis to a shave-ready state.

Which raises another point: have you ever used a truly shave-ready razor? If not, how will you know when you do get a good edge on one? The best advice when starting out is to send *at least* your first razor to a pro to be honed, or to make sure you buy it in a shave-ready state. That way you'll get a feel for what you're aiming for when you are honing it yourself.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

I don't know anything about the Artemis razor apart from what a quick google search told me:

- they are very cheap (generally a red flag)
- I was unable to locate any information regarding where they were made or by whom (a very big red flag)

So I suspect (but do not know) that the Artemis is one of any number of cheap - note cheap vs. inexpensive! - blades made possibly in China or Pakistan, stamped with 'Artemis' and sold to an unsuspecting public. I will certainly stand to be corrected if that is false, but that's the impression I got from my quick search.

Cheap blades should be avoided. However, inexpensive ones can be ok. For example, keep an eye on the classifieds here at SRP. You'll find plenty of good, shave-ready blades, often at very good prices. Straight Razors - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Personally though, I would not waste any more time trying to get the Artemis to a shave-ready state.

Which raises another point: have you ever used a truly shave-ready razor? If not, how will you know when you do get a good edge on one? The best advice when starting out is to send *at least* your first razor to a pro to be honed, or to make sure you buy it in a shave-ready state. That way you'll get a feel for what you're aiming for when you are honing it yourself.

Thanks for the advice,
to answer your question i'm guessing the edge is poor due to the tear inducing nature of shaving with it, my only experience of a quality edge is having a shave at the barbers, which didnt drag at all.

I think a new razor is in order but i think i'll have to play this one carefully as the first was a gift from a girlfriend who is increasingly miffed that i dont use it very often. I dont have the heart to ask her how much she paid for it.

thanks again for the help