Quote Originally Posted by Rome View Post
...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.
You can find diamonds in the rough at an antique store, but until you have an idea of what you're looking for you're more likely to just find something rough. Even if you find a good razor in an antique store it will likely need to be honed before it will give a decent shave.

Quote Originally Posted by Rome View Post
Now these classifieds, is each ad put up by a different member? or is it some sort of centrally run shop?
The classifieds are posted by the members. It is not a centrally run shop. SRP is kind enough to give us a place to list the items that we want to buy sell or trade.

Quote Originally Posted by Rome View Post
...the upgraded strop you refer to... that 3'' speaks to its width, i hope...?
Indeed. The strop is three inches wide.

Quote Originally Posted by Rome View Post
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.
To some extent you get what you pay for when it comes to razors, especially when you buy new. It also applies to some extent with soaps or creams, strops, brushes, and everything else involved in this hobby. The idea that one needs to break the bank to get a good shave is wrong though. A person could get a perfectly good shave with as little as about $50 or $60 worth of equipment, assuming they buy the right equipment.

Quote Originally Posted by Rome View Post
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.
There are some very good current production razors that will shave every bit as well as the razors of old. In my opinion, dollar for dollar it is hard to beat a good antique razor. You can find a lot of great antiques that are in shave ready condition for less money than it would cost for a brand new shave ready razor.