Great to see so many responses so quickly.

So as i suspected, my 'dream scenario' of finding a diamond in the rough at an antique store is more a pipe dream than reality. I suppose i'll have to come down to earth, and look at online ordering.

Now these classifieds, is each ad put up by a different member? or is it some sort of centrally run shop?

Alembic, thanks for the link. I've looked through that site, and that was definitely in my top picks for any order i'm bound to place.
Now to clarify, the upgraded strop you refer to... that 3'' speaks to its width, i hope...?

The Whipped Dog looks like a great place as well, but I'm willing to invest a little more. I know in some things, you get what you pay for, and i dont want my first experience to (potentially) be sullied by thriftyness.


One of the reasons i was primarily leaning towards an antique store find is... well from all the background reading i've done this far, there seems to be a general concensus that the quality of older razors is hardly even matched by todays offerings. And again, while i'm not willing to drop several hundred dollars on my beginner experience, I am looking for quality. I havent felt a proper shave since my last trip to Europe, and thats been far too long.