Filarmonica Straights

Hi, I'm new to the forums, so first of all hello from the UK. I've only been wet shaving for a couple of months now so I haven't worked up the courage to go for a straight yet (I do have a shavette to practice with though.) Anway, my first question concerns Filarmonica straights, as these razors are being discontinued do you think they warrant a purchase now? I don't really know anything about straights at the moment, but how highly are these razors regarded amongst the staight shaving community?
Warm regards,
A_S

IMO, Filarmonica straights are as good as anything ever made.

Welcome to our forum, I own the 7/8ths Filarmonica and I concider it one of my best razors. It's almost maintenance free and its sheer size and weight will power through the heaviest beards. I would recommend it anytime. I believe you can still order them new at classicshaving.com :)

I have a 7/8 Doble Temple and it's a nice, heavy, no-frills razor. According to ClassicShaving's website Filarmonica is discontinuing its production of straight razors. I would say this fact alone warrants a purchase as the price will only go up.

Filarmonica's are excellent razors. You can't go wrong there. Of course with any new razor or one off of eBay, it's likely not in shave ready condition and will need to be honed before use. If you get it from ClassicShaving, they offer honing service through Lynn for $20 at checkout and they handle the shipping to and from Lynn so that's a great deal in my opinion. It would make a great first razor for you.

Welcome to the forum.

The last Filarmonica I saw on the the UK ebay site went for more then £50 which is as much as one from Classic Shaving, with the current exchange rate.

So be careful not every thing on ebay is a bargain.

Thats said I do like the look of the filli, let me know if you decide to get one. Also take a look at www.shavingshop.com you can get a henkels 8/8 ready to go, and this works out to £55 + tax +shipping for a basic one, I can't find the shipping cost on the site I'm sure it is there somewhere.

Peter

Thankyou for the replies everyone. I was looking at getting the Filarmonica from Classic Shaving, but I was told on B&B that paying anything over $40 for a Fili wasn't a good deal so I am not sure what to do. The general consensus seems to be that they are excellent razors, but does anyone else think that $99 + approx $13 shipping to the UK is a bad deal. If you all think that the Filarmonica is worth that i don't mind paying that for it, but if there are better deals to be had...
Phopwood, I have been on the shavingshop site and I was considering buying a Henkels as well, I have those famous wetshaving acquisition disorders pretty badly, just when I thought I had got over my need to get every shaving cream ever made I decide to start taking an interest in straights, oh well.
Warm regards,
Alex

Quote:

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Originally Posted by A_S

Thankyou for the replies everyone. I was looking at getting the Filarmonica from Classic Shaving, but I was told on B&B that paying anything over $40 for a Fili wasn't a good deal so I am not sure what to do. The general consensus seems to be that they are excellent razors, but does anyone else think that $99 + approx $13 shipping to the UK is a bad deal. If you all think that the Filarmonica is worth that i don't mind paying that for it, but if there are better deals to be had...
Phopwood, I have been on the shavingshop site and I was considering buying a Henkels as well, I have those famous wetshaving acquisition disorders pretty badly, just when I thought I had got over my need to get every shaving cream ever made I decide to start taking an interest in straights, oh well.
Warm regards,
Alex

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Bottom line is that I don't believe you are going to find a better new razor for the money. I have a TI, and have owned Dovos and Timors...none of them are better than the Filly, IMO (Please understand this is my opinion only). But yes, it's worth the money if you aren't buying vintage.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by A_S

... I was told on B&B that paying anything over $40 for a Fili wasn't a good deal so I am not sure what to do. The general consensus seems to be that they are excellent razors, but does anyone else think that $99 + approx $13 shipping to the UK is a bad deal. If you all think that the Filarmonica is worth that i don't mind paying that for it, but if there are better deals to be had...

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They're almost certainly referring to a smaller blade. Larger blades always command a higher price, especially if they are good ones. They (among others) have been called "The Best Razor". Getting a quality 7/8 for a 'C' note can never be considered a bad deal.

X

I have never used a Filli but it looks like a good deal to me, considering the current exchange rate. I would probably go for the Henkels because I prefer stainless. But that is just my opinion.

The biggest razor I have is a 6/8 and it is great to shave with but I prefer to use my 4/8 it is much easier to maneuver.

Peter

Alex, first welcome to the forum. As you can see, this forum is called Straight Razor place, and is dedicated to straight razors only. So you can expect it's members to be more knowledgeable about the straight razors than the BB guys. You'r question was about Fillarmonica brand, which is as good as it gets in the straight razor world. Now, bigger razors are more expencive. Im my opinion, they don't need to be, but that's the way it is. Second, the Filarmonica is out of business, and the CS is having all their stock. Other thing, 7/8 is not smart start for a begginer. 40$ for a Filly on e-bay is not bad deal, given you can recognize a good razor with no damage. The only new razor I see at the moment at that price is the Plane Jane that is on http://shavingshop.com/ website, and that is razor with no markings, in the Timor range. I would suggest to you to stick around, ask questions, and maybe purchase one of Tony's kits, or Bill's salvaged razors... That way you'll get your razor in the $40's range, and it will be ready for use. Besides the razor, you will need a strop and hone.

have fun,
Nenad

Superfly makes several good points. I did not buy my Filli till I became accustom to shaving and honing with a smaller razor. My first straight was a carbon steel hand-me-down 6/8ths that if I did any damage to it during the learning experience it was no big deal. Only when I felt confident enough did I go ahead and buy the larger blade. If you do decide to buy one from classic shaving have it sharpened by Lynn through the sharpening service. You can also buy pasted paddled strops from Tony Miller to help maintain the edge. You make no mention in your post if you own a Norton 4/8k hone but that might be something nice to shoot for down the road eventually. :)

A_S,

I can see that this thread is going round in circles. Have you ever shaved with a straight if not, I may have a suitable razor that I could loan you for a short time, it is one of these http://www.giltsharp.com/giltsharpsi...e/Tondeo/T1112 . PM me if you are interested..

Peter

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phopwood

A_S,

I can see that this thread is going round in circles. Have you ever shaved with a straight if not, I may have a suitable razor that I could loan you for a short time, it is one of these http://www.giltsharp.com/giltsharpsi...e/Tondeo/T1112 . PM me if you are interested..

Peter

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Thet's not a strite. THIS is a strite.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/image...size/IMG_b.jpg
*This straight razor not for loan. :p

Could not agree more... But you are not likely to see this on ebay for £5. :D

Peter

I puchased the 7/8 Doble Temple from ClassicShaving then spent the 20 dollars to have Lynn hone that blade. This razor with a professional hone is a worthwhile investment. I have had zero problems shaving with this blade and the blade stays sharp!

On a side note, I recently purchased a 3" single sided strop from Tony Millers site. Tony is a sheer gentleman who is a pleasure to do business with; he takes pride in his craftsmanship and offers only the finest for his customers.

Thanks CS, I do my best to please.

I have an older 6/8 Filarmonica also honed by Lynn and it has to be one of my best razors.

Tony