Thread: Worth buying?

Firstly, hello!

I have decided to venture into the world of straight shaving and am currently in the process of looking for a suitable starter razor. I don't want to outlay a whole lot of cash as i am a student, and i want to be sure i will enjoy straight shaving before committing to an expensive razor.

I have found a razor for sale on a local auction site that looks ok, but i am certainly no expert. The razor is a 'Kropp' and is made of sheffield steel, but it has certainly seen some wear. The blade edge doesn't appear completely flat and has a slight smile toward the end. Is that ok?

The razor is listed here- CUT THROAT RAZOR BEGINNER'S SET for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

Here is a pic of the blade




Worth buying?

Thanks!

Well, the pitting is there to stay, unless you want to spend a bunch of time or money fixing it but the edge looks clean.
The seller says it's honed and it's shave ready, so if they know what they're doing it should be a good razor.
If it's not very well honed you'll have to figure out this part.

The smiling blade wouldn't concern me. After all, we need all the smiles we can get. You mention, though, that the edge isn't flat. If you mean that the blade won't look straight when laid on a flat surface, I would be concerned about that. If the blade is warped, even slightly, it will be difficult to hone well.

Thanks for the info.

What sort of hone would you recommend to a beginner? Something just to keep the razor sharp.

I bought a DOVO Bismark to get started with which was rather expensive.

Can I advise you to have a look in the classified section on this forum. I just received a fantastic razor I purchased from a member which was honed to shave readiness and the seller was awesome!

Only cost me about $60 and is fantastic.

I will certainly be using the classifieds in the future.

The members on this forum are extremely helpful and those with more knowledge than me will be able to steer you in the right direction!

Just my cents worth... good luck!!

Baldie

Originally Posted by lapp

Thanks for the info.

What sort of hone would you recommend to a beginner? Something just to keep the razor sharp.

If your razor is in fact shave ready you will not need a hone for a while. There are several stones you could chose from. If all you are wanting one for now is touching up your blade then just about any finishing hone will do. Like a coticule, escher, 12K or 16K shapton, Naniwa 12k, CHK 12k, or just an old barbers hone will get the job done.

I personally love coti's. A coti with a slurry stone can do several things and I love the edge I get off them. Now this stone is not for everyone, but if I had to recommend one the Coticule would be it.

In addition to the classifieds here on the forums, you may also check out WhippedDog.com. My buddy (and many others) got a shave-ready razor from there and they're affordably priced.

check out whippeddog.com for really inexpensive razors that are shave ready.
Just used mine for the first time yesterday.
I got 2 razors for $30 each.
One is a Torrey which I shaved with yesterday and the other is a Frederick Reynolds that im having restored and custom scales created.
Larry is a good guy and he has a decent poor mans strop kit ($30).
Really inexpensive way to get started.