Looking to buy a cheap starter razor

Hi every one...

Been eyeing up the idea of a straight razor for over a year now, finally decided to go ahead and buy one. I have a vintage one, bought 15yrs ago but sadly lost soon after my last move and still yet to resurface.

That being said, I was all set to buy a Kriegar, when I decided to google some reviews and discovered this site about 20min ago, which seems to warn against that brand.

Basically, a newbie, will need to buy the blade, strop, etc... but same time not looking to spend $120 on a new razor. I'm trying to get the bare minimum to see it's something I like or not first. So, maybe a Kriegar will suffice for a few months?

I see a list here about which razors to avoid, but had hoped to find a decent short list of brands for newbies and approximate prices. Been basically searching eBay, but, the nicely priced $15-$25 ones are either on the 'bad' list, or old/vintage and the beginners guide said "Newbies are discouraged from purchasing vintage razors on eBay because they do not have the experience to evaluate the condition of the razor"...

So... was hoping someone might have some pointers what cheap/good brands are on eBay. Thanks

well I would say that your best bet would be to look on the classifides on srp. Avoid a kreigar if its on the avoid list its because it dosent preform well enough to be a good razor. If you go on the members list would will find something thats affordable im sure plus when you buy it on here you know that its not cheesy razor , Members on here know what are good razors and what are bad, If you have any questions pm some of the sellers in the classfieds with any questions you have everyone on here is more than willing to help you in any way they can

welcome to srp

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Originally Posted by THRobinson

Been basically searching eBay, but, the nicely priced $15-$25 ones are either on the 'bad' list, or old/vintage and the beginners guide said "Newbies are discouraged from purchasing vintage razors on eBay because they do not have the experience to evaluate the condition of the razor"...

So... was hoping someone might have some pointers what cheap/good brands are on eBay. Thanks

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That sounds like something that i've written, so how about I make it stronger and say 'don't buy your razor on ebay' :)
If you are tempted to go by with kriegar for now, why not save your money and just use your favorite steak/pocket knife. You'll probably get comparable, if not better edge than the kriegar.

It seems that you want to buy a shiny razor and shiny razors cost money, especially when they're good. The cheapest is probably the entry level dovo which is about 2/3 of the $120 you don't want to spend. You can shave with Gold Dollar razors which are much cheaper (about $2 from the factory in china), but correcting the usually messed up shoulder and honing them to shave adds quite a bit of overhead so you're probably looking at about $50.

That's basically it. If you want better shaver or to spend less money you have to compromise on newness and shininess. That's more or less how it goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too, where you want to cut corners is really up to you.

If you're still not convinced, look up the Dovo factory video and you'll see how these razors are made start to finish.

THRobinson,

+1 for a razor from the Classifieds.

If you want a new build razor, I recommend the Dovo Best in 5/8 or 6/8.

I have found the Best to be a super razor, and they shave well above their price point; very easy to maintainto boot :)

They are available from StraightRazorDesigns (SRD) for ca 80 - 85 USD, and at the moment SRD has a great 'honing for life' offer !

SRD also offers razor/strop packages.

Good luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Google whipped dog razors and go on his site. You can get a shave ready razor for $30 and decide if it's your thing. If it's not then send it to me. You'll need strop so go to Rup Razor to get it for 20.

That's all ya need....give it a shot and see what happens.

+ 1 on whippeddog.com they also sell a strop starter kit for 19 dollars which is a nice set of a strop and pasted strop.

+1 on whipped dog. He also has a robeson up for $33 right now. He also sells small chunks of Mitchell's wool fat shaving soap, which many (including me) swear by.

If you want to buy a new razor, you can certainly get a good one for under 120. Straight Razor Designs has Dovos for as little as $75, and they have an invaluable deal going on right now where if you buy during this holiday season, you will get free honing for the life of the razor (ie, the rest of your life). Even if you want to start sharpening your own razors later on, having one sharpened by the best in the business to compare you own work to is a great help.

I think that the vintage razors are the best value for money by far. When I started I bought some professionally honed new razors and was disappointed with all of them. I have been shaving for a while now and have no desire to use them. The problem with buying a vintage on Ebay is that you don't know what you are getting, you don't know the seller, you don't know how to restore or hone. You need to find a professional seller (with a good reputation) of reasonably priced vintages who will sell you a real shave ready quality vintage that you can take out of the mail and shave with. I suggest you speak to Bob Keyes Straight Razor Buying Guide - Our Online Shop=
I also suggest you try and invest a bit more (it is worth it). A decent starter vintage will cost USD 70 - 100.
Good luck and welcome to the pleasures of straight shaving!

I just got into SR shaving and I think my initial investment was just a little over $100. Picked up a very nice 5/8 Joseph Rodgers from lz6 through the Classifieds here for $50. Spent another $50 or so on a strop, alum block, and jar of Proraso from ClassicShaving.com. You might check and see if ClassicShaving is still giving you a discount code if you "like" them on FB. The 10% discount basically paid for my alum block.

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Originally Posted by markevens

+1 on whipped dog. He also has a robeson up for $33 right now. He also sells small chunks of Mitchell's wool fat shaving soap, which many (including me) swear by.

If you want to buy a new razor, you can certainly get a good one for under 120. Straight Razor Designs has Dovos for as little as $75, and they have an invaluable deal going on right now where if you buy during this holiday season, you will get free honing for the life of the razor (ie, the rest of your life). Even if you want to start sharpening your own razors later on, having one sharpened by the best in the business to compare you own work to is a great help.

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+1

Whippeddog will get you the cheapest razors, but Straight razor designs has that nifty free honing for life deal going on. Personally, I think that the free honing thing is too good to pass up.

Thanks for all the info/links, I'll have to go check them out... additionally, find what happened to the razor I had (it's here but, gotta search some boxes in storage). Ideally it'll be a good one, then I guess ship to someone to sharpen out of fear of screwing it up myself. :D

Side note... is a Kriegar "really" that bad?

Saying it's as good as a steak knife from my kitchen, tells me that some exaggeration 'might' be in use. :D

I'm not trying to start any hostility, just curious, but, I know that when 'fanboys' talk about stuff they have a passion for, things get blown out of proportion a bit. So, not sure exactly how bad a Kriegar is or why. Is it a very poor shave out of the box? or is it a good shave for a few months then the edge is shot? I read about the metal being inferior for sharpening, but, even a disposable Gillette does a decent job for a while before discarded.

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Originally Posted by THRobinson

Side note... is a Kriegar "really" that bad?

Saying it's as good as a steak knife from my kitchen, tells me that some exaggeration 'might' be in use. :D

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Well, it seems the only way to convince yourself is to buy one and find out from your own experience, they're not that expensive after all.

hey where are you all seeing "honing for life" on SRD, i just see the "one free hone," on the Dovo page. I would love to get my dad a Dovo for xmas.

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Originally Posted by gugi

Well, it seems the only way to convince yourself is to buy one and find out from your own experience, they're not that expensive after all.

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Convince myself of what? I'm a newbie, I have no basis of comparison. unless you're actually suggesting I try shaving with both a Kriegar and a steak knife.

If I do and the Kriegar is better than my steak knife... are you going to rescind your statement? :)

Just trying to figure out how 'bad' is bad. I understand it won't be as good as a $150 razor... but then again, my car isn't as good as a $60,000 BMW, but it still runs great and does the job, I wouldn't compare it to a hay wagon.

A better comparison is the $60,000 BMW and prop car. The prop car may look like a real car, but it is pretty much useless for anything other than display.

This has nothing do with fanboys. It is about making your entry in to straight shaving as simple and painless as possible.

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Originally Posted by THRobinson

Convince myself of what? I'm a newbie, I have no basis of comparison. unless you're actually suggesting I try shaving with both a Kriegar and a steak knife.

If I do and the Kriegar is better than my steak knife... are you going to rescind your statement? :)

Just trying to figure out how 'bad' is bad. I understand it won't be as good as a $150 razor... but then again, my car isn't as good as a $60,000 BMW, but it still runs great and does the job, I wouldn't compare it to a hay wagon.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by THRobinson

Side note... is a Kriegar "really" that bad?

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Although I have no experience with a Kriegar, it is on the "do not buy" list along with Zeepk which I do have experience with. The issue comes down to the quality of the metal. I purchased my Zeepk prior to doing my research and finding this wonderful forum. After I did my research, I purchased a vintage razor, a Boker Red Injun No. 101 from the classifieds here. It came fantastically sharp (thanks Gugi!). I mean WAY sharper than the Zeepk.

So I'm like you - can it really be that bad? ...and I figured I'd have a go at sharpening the Zeepk to see what the big deal is.

It is very difficult to even put a serviceable edge on a blade made from inferior materials, and then it dulls before you can even finish a shave. When a blade dulls, it pulls and scrapes. This makes for a very uncomfortable experience.

The reason these guys are steering you clear of the brands on the "do not buy" list is that there are very clear differences that will affect your learning curve. (in other words will make it impossible to properly shave) You may luck out and find a Kriegar that works great, but the general consensus right now points to the contrary.

Also, there are videos of guys shaving with quality knives, so you might actually have better luck trying to sharpen a quality kitchen knife as opposed to a low quality straight razor.

Here is a recent thread on the Kreiger

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...er-razors.html

The main issue is that the quality of steel is so poor that you cannot get a good edge on one, and even if you are able to, it won't last longer than the first pass or two.
It doesn't cost much to get a quality vintage razor, and even a new dovo can be had for $75. If you insist on paying $15 for a razor, you will get what you pay for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by THRobinson

Convince myself of what? I'm a newbie, I have no basis of comparison. unless you're actually suggesting I try shaving with both a Kriegar and a steak knife.

If I do and the Kriegar is better than my steak knife... are you going to rescind your statement? :)

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Absolutely - catch it on video for us and I'll not only retract my statement, but put it in the wiki too with a link to your video and description.

Yes, you don't have a basis for comparison, but I do and when I make a comparison you think it's an exaggeration and are looking for somebody else to tell you it's not as bad and it'll actually work (your car comparison vs. slartibarfast's car comparison).
So, a good option is to just try it yourself and see what happens. If you are reluctant to learn from the experience of others, you have to learn from your own.

My 2 cents:

I would pick up a razor on the classifieds or get a new one from SRD, that lifetime honing is an outstanding benefit to have when your starting out.

I also would suggest Bob Keyes, I have purchased razors from him and have had restorations done by him. He is an honest and knowledgeable person to talk with and will guide you in the right direction. He may also have other razors that are not up on his site for sale.

My catalog - Items - Our Online Shop

Good luck and Welcome to SRP

Well, after 2+ days of going through old bins/boxes in storage... I found my old razor. Bought about 15-20yrs ago at a garage sale for $5...

Not sure if any good though

(on the box... which given what's on the razor, I assume the box if from something else)
H. Boker and Co.
"King Cutter"

(on the razor)
Joseph Elliot
Best silver Steel
Shefield, Eng
"Just Right"


Worth while having it shipped to someone to cleanup and sharpen?

it depends entirely on the condition - contact the person you are considering sending to and they'll be able to tell you and give you a quote.

Sounds good... actually found someone in the classifieds up here in Canada so just contacted him. Figured be easier for shipping and quicker to keep in the same Country. :D

If the edge is fine, then that razor should do you just fine. Send it off to a pro for honing and you should get many great shaves out of it.

I'd add a caution about combining the ideas of "cheap" with "starter." As I learned teaching guitar many years ago, a cheap item is cruel on the beginner. The beginner needs everything to be just right. A poor instrument will never work right in a beginner's hands. By contrast, an expert can often get decent results from an inferior tool.

That said, you can certainly do better than a new razor price $100+, but don't compromise on the quality of the steel or the first honing.

Couldn't agree more Lawson, a bad start could put you off for life especially if it is likely to cause perminent injury:boohoo:at least a razor with a pedigree is likely to set you off in the right direction.
I started with a new dovo and although it wasn't shave ready out of the tin it was a reasonable example of what I could expect from SR shaving.
After a few weeks RAD started and I moved on to a shave ready vintage razor :)