Thread: 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

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

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.

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.

+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.