What is the razor of choice without mortgaging one's home?
Any one have a favorite?:tu
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What is the razor of choice without mortgaging one's home?
Any one have a favorite?:tu
Vintage razors are a good option check the classifieds
Classifieds or whipped dog.
You can also get a new dovo for about 75 bucks.
it's amazing how many great deals are on the classifieds.. i often spot incredible nice razors for under $50.. and they often come shave ready and honed by some truly talented people..
infact.. there's a nice dovo special honed by lynn for a nice price up right now.. i'm grateful for my devotion to the artist club.. otherwise i'd have RAD real bad.
+1 on the classifieds if you want to spend less than $50. I wish I would have found this place prior to committing to buy a straight and I would have went that route.
If not, I recommend the 5/8 Boker Edelweiss from Straight Razor Designs. It is usually available on their site for around $100 and I think it is a step up from the Dovo Best for only slightly more money.
I've been looking for a clean 6/8 razor 1/2 or 1/4 hollow for $100-$200. They show up once in a while but they sell before I can buy :) grrrr
--Shoki
$100 or even $200 seems like a lot for a razor, but you need to figure that the razor will last you the rest of your life. How many disposables is that? Or how many electrics and new blade heads???
A wise investment to me.
I got lucky early on and bought an HMC Cutlery for cheap on the Bay. It is still one of my favorite, maybe because it was my first razor and my first self honed.
Inexpensive is relative. What is your budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffegg2
I guess inexpensive tended to lean towards cheap. Now I figure that maybe I was too. So I'll pay a bit more and get a bit more. Thanks for the feedback!!
In a vintage razor, inexpensive and cheap do not equate, IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbcountry
For example, I have two $40 or so razors in full hollow I bought from Pinklather, and they are both EXCELLENT shavers.
I use Pinklather's razors as an example of some inexpensive razors that work, and work well (!!!) for a "you can't beat this" price.
That, IMO, is typical of what you'll find on the classifieds, and you can spend a little, or a lot, depending on the depth of you wallet, and personal taste.
I bought a Wade and Butcher near wedge from HNSB for $40 that is excellent as well.
Virtually anything done by Sham that fits your price range will blow your mind. I have two 1/4 hollows I just received a week or two ago for an average price of $55 (a total cost of $110). I know Sham has a lot of nice hones, but I swear they guy has magical fingers and hands as his edges are the best I've ever used.
The list goes on and on.
Just because you don't dump a lot of cash on a vintage razors doesn't mean it's "cheap"! My experience has been just the opposite. I won't go back to new manufacture razors unless they are custom made. (Well, I did buy out John Crowley's entire inventory of new 1/4 hollow Wackers about 2 weeks ago--I'd probably make an exception on buying new if they are Wacker razors which I consider to be "semi-custom" because he's a one man shop).
Kent
The most tempting razors I've seen this week were one on the Classifieds (which I bought for ~$50) and a new Dovo Best Quality 1/2 hollow, professionally honed, for $70, at a Florida vendor called The Superior Shave. The half hollow is more forgiving than the full hollow, so they say, and a little less common, so I observe. Most of the vintage blades I've seen are full hollows. I'm currently in a grind-exploring stage (full hollow vs. half hollow vs. wedge and so on, vs. my wallet).
If you find a vintage blade you wonder about, you can do two things: 1) search the Razors thread for any mentions of it and see what folks say, and 2) post pictures of it in the Razors thread and ask if people think its worth the asking price. I've only seen good, honest advice here.
Straight Razor Designs has a nice deal now, that any razor you buy during the Holiday Season comes with a certificate for lifetime honing of that razor. If you never buy your first hone, then you'll never buy your second hone, and so on. I only see full hollows at their entry level prices, though.
From what I've read, a 6/8 blade is also easier to learn with than a 5/8 blade... though again, 5/8 seems to be the commonest size in lower-price and vintage blades. I learned on a 5/8 full hollow, as most of us probably have, because they are so common.
Hmm. I hope this brings more clarity than dizziness. Best wishes.
+1 on the classifieds--just bought another one from Stimpy52 (Frank) tonight.
+1 on Jarrod (owner of The Superior Shave) is a great guy, and gives great customer service (I think his delivery is the fastest of anyone I've ordered anything from). He also puts a really nice edge on a razor.
Kent
If you're willing to learn how to sharpen your own razor from scratch, then hunting flea-markets and antiques stores are a great way to get cheap, good-quality vintage razors. You can often get them from between 20-30 dollars.
I have several razors in my rotation that I paid less than $15 for, including shipping.....I restored them and honed them myself.