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Hey guys,
I'm looking to get a Straight Razor and was browsing Ebay and came across this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-ROCKWELL-X...QQcmdZViewItem
Will this be absolutely terrible due to the low price?
I'm thinking of getting a shave ready razor from someone. Though that may be a long wait seeing as I live in good old Blighty.
Would this kit be any good to start with? And does anyone send Shave ready razors to England?
Cheers
Martin
I'm pretty sure that those Rockwell razors are Pakistani and are only good for things like buttering your toast. If you're looking for a nice used razor that is shave ready (and most on eBay are not), give Bill Ellis or John Crowley a try. I believe they both ship to the UK.
http://www.billysblades.com/Straights.htm
http://www.shavingshop.com/
For strops and the like, you can't beat Tony Miller's products.
http://www.thewellshavedgentleman.com/
Also, there's some UK members on this site that can also help you out.
I can't say from experiencing one directly, but I can share that when I first started looking I was warned repeatedly to stay away from Rockwell razors as they are utter rubbish.
-- Gary F.
Glad you asked. We've had a few guys come around here asking what can be done to get a shave out of such razors. The concensus on those Rockwell's ... well, as Neil Young might say, "it's a piece of crap"!
The Well Shaved Gentleman has everything you need in his starter kits. If you want to build it yourself, Bill's razors should definitely be looked at. Tony's got some strops going rock bottom right now but they won't last long.
X
In addition to the above suggestions, the ebay seller Altima55 is a member here, and you can see from his profile that he has positive feedback.
I check in sometimes on his shaving stuff (warning: long URL):
http://collectibles.search.ebay.com/...QsassZaltima55
My mom always told me to say nice things, so in light of it being a junk razor, it certainly LOOKS nice.
RT
My Dad always told me to tell the truth.
IT'S CRAP
I can second the idea of dealing with altima55. I bought a nice razor from him at a good price - it was exactly as advertised, shipped right away and came shave ready.
I've bought a few razors from altima55. He is Bob Keyes, and he is a member here. A first class guy!
RT
I'll give you one more great seller who sells real steal bargains from time to time. Tony Holmes -- portal5. He scours the antique markets and I got my fav shaver from him for $15CA shipped. Read his descriptions as they are EXTREMELY accurate. The nicks he mentioned on my blade were BARELY visible with naked eye and X had them polished out on the rough hone in seconds. The blade in question is Taylor's Eye Witness full hollow 6/8 and yes Nenad, I love it :D
Edit: His shipping is also ultra-cheap. It cost me like $3 to have it shipped to Canada from the UK and it's a bit cheaper when he ships to the US.
Edit2: Right now he's only offering one blade and I don't know if I'd be buying it. He bought a large batch recently, so I expect he'll be putting more up for sale and I'd wait until he does.
Having purchased one before I new any better
I wouldn`t recommend you buy one
Kind regards Peter
That is why I recommended a reliable seller who offers detailed descriptions. If he says that the edge is in good condition, you will be able to get it shave ready. If it's unevenly honed or so pitted that you can't get a good edge on it, he will also mention it in the listing. He as a member here (albeit an inactive one) so he realizes the importance of his descriptions.
I bought a razor from Altima55 also. Great razor and a nice guy.:)
Oh in case enough people didn't tell you stay away from the Rockwell.:D