Thread: Beginner looking for cheapest usable SR

Originally Posted by Alltracturbo

I am only looking for a razor now and have read the razor section of both of those, but they don't say what company makes a good razor or where to buy them other than the classifieds here. I can't afford the ones in the classifieds and don't know where else to look if cheap ones on ebay are no good. All the websites I find are really expensive and I have no idea what would be good if I did find cheap ones in my price range.

So do you think these ebay razors would be junk compared the the Gold Dollar razor?

http://cgi.ebay.com/STRAIGHT-RAZOR-SHAVING-REMOVAL-BARBER-QUALITY-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ270518704292QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item3efc2bd8a4

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Red-Straight-Razor-Carbon-Steel_W0QQitemZ160381945821QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item25578247dd

Does anyone know of anything else that would be as good or better than the Gold Dollar for around the same price?

Frankly, there isn't much that can be done with a $20 budget. What first comes to mind is those "disposable straights", which are essentially a straight-like holder a DE-blade. No, they're not quite like straights, but can provide quite excellent shaves. You can get those around $20 mark I think. Some people have started with those. Many firms make those, for example Dovo, Fromm, Moniseur Charles, Sanguine. I use the latter myself. I think check amazon and ebay for these and buy a packet of proper blades, or a blade sampler.

I haven't seen any real straights at classifieds at $20, $40 perhaps.

To put in bluntly, anything else at the budget is generosity or amazing stroke of luck: Ask your family if they have any straights lying around and get it honed. Just to put things in perspective, pro honer can charge about $20+postage for his/her services. You'll still need to a strop still, but it's possible to improvise these. Or sign up to the SRP giveaway and hope you get lucky.

Sorry. In all probability, those Ebay-razors are textbook examples why newbies should stay away from ebay.

Do understand that you need to get the gold dollar honed to shave-ready state if it isn't already

Good luck on your hunt.

Alltracturbo,

IMHO twenty bucks is an impossibly tight budget for a str8 razor that can meet all of your requirements.

As suggested in several previous posts, read the SRP wiki very closely before buying any str8 razor. Don't be penny-wise and pound foolish. Remember that cost is only one of several considerations when buying a str8 razor. Consider the quality of the steel that the blade is made of and its ability to acquire and hold an edge. That will determine your true ability to shave with it. Anything less is a waste of money.

Just my 2 cents...