FOR BEGINNERS: Some Thoughts on Buying Razors.
Quite often, beginners like myself, want assurance that we are making the right decision both in selecting a razor and paying the right price for that razor. This LONG POST is an attempt to help understand why there is no "right" answer to the frequently asked, "Did I do OK on this purchase?" I probably gained the most knowledge from some of my stupid mistakes. I will say that I also learned a lot about myself since starting to collect razors six months ago.
When it comes to deciding what a razor is worth, it is a highly individualistic area. 8/8 Filarmonicas are going as high as $800 on eBay. To someone, it is worth that. To me, I wouldn't spend more than $150, so I will probably not have one in the near future. When a razor becomes the latest rage, the price may jump significantly. However, the price only holds true for that moment. Tomorrow, you might not be able to give it away. I really wanted a Filarmonica to round out my collection. It took me six months of searching but I finally found a NOS 4/8 Filarmonica Inox from a dealer in England and a NOS 5/8 Filarmonica Doble Temple from a dealer in France, both costing far less than current eBay prices. However, the 7/8s and 8/8s still elude me because I am not willing to pay the prevailing market price.
It seems to me that the vast majority of the members on SRP collect razors out of love for their beauty and usefulness rather than for their financial value. That is why you will see some pretty outstanding razors offered in the SRP Classifieds for very reasonable prices. They would rather a razor be used and enjoyed by a SRP member than to sell it for a big profit on eBay.
There are collectors who buy strictly for the profit potential of the razor and there are also collectors who buy razors just for their beautiful scales. These collectors would not think of using a NOS razor because it would diminish the value. There is nothing wrong with this but it does tend to drive up the price for the rest of us. In my case, any NOS razor I purchase is usually going to be a "used" razor within 48 hours after the postman drops it at my door. I use every razor I buy. Even SRP has an impact. If a particular razor is given a good review or even casually mentioned by Lynn or Glen as an especially good razor, then there is a rush by SRP members to obtain that razor. You can imagine what happens to the price when that happens.
Ultimately, I take the view that if I have the available discretionary income and find a razor that I want, I set the value that I am willing to pay. This is the way I bid on eBay. I set my highest price and then wait till the auction is over. I try not to get in an emotionally involved bidding war. There will always be another razor. If I win the auction at my highest bid price, I am happy because that was what the razor was worth to me. Someone else might think I was crazy to bid so much and someone else might think I got a real bargain. BUT ULTIMATELY, what they think doesn't matter. If I win the razor for much less than my highest bid, I am ecstatic. Emotional bidders can lose sight of reality. Yesterday, on eBay, with the bid price and shipping added together, a Dovo "Master" razor sold for virtually the same price as a brand new Dovo "Master" sold by SRD (and honed by Lynn).
It does help to make a list of razors that interest you and then keep track of what people are spending for those razors. That will help you become an educated buyer and not get taken advantage of by an unscrupulous seller. For instance, right now on eBay, one seller is listing a selection of new Dovo razors with a 30-40% markup from what you would pay to get the same new razors from SRD (and honed by Lynn).
I have also discovered that the value I place on a razor can even change. For instance, if I am buying my first J. R. Torrey to have an example of a good American razor, I might have a rather low ceiling as to how much I would spend. However, if I only lacked one final J. R. Torrey to have a complete 7-day set of Torreys, I might be willing to spend four or five times as much money to get that last Torrey. It is all relative.
A long time ago, I discovered that if I wanted to be happy and fulfilled, it was important to be internally motivated. If you are externally motivated, life can be pretty brutal. There will always be a person who has more or better quality than what you have and there will always be a person who has less or poorer quality than what you have. It is difficult for an externally motivated person to feel fulfilled or at peace with himself. It is the old, "Keeping up with the Jones" Syndrome. Not only are you not fulfilled, but you find yourself owning things you never really wanted in the first place. Ultimately, you need to decide for yourself what is meaningful for you in life and not worry about others. If buying a new "Revisor" or a NOS "Filarmonica" is a reasoned decision on your part, you don't need anyone else's approval.
Thinking, especially, of my own SRAD, my final suggestions:
1. Determine what will fulfill you; one good razor, a 7-day set of matched razors, a collection of a variety of razors, etc.
2. Know the limits of your discretionary income.
3. Determine what a razor is ultimately worth to you and hold firm with that price.
4. If you get a razor for or below your set price, be happy.
5. If you lose a razor because your ultimate price is too low, be happy because you didn't over-bid what the razor was worth to you AND you know there will always be another razor.
6. Never worry about what others think about your razor purchases. Satisfying your own goals are all that matters.
7. Finally, remember that, while buying and using razors is a great and rewarding hobby and may bring a little joy into your life, it is highly unlikely that "things like razors" are going to give you ultimate or lasting fulfillment. I find my greatest fulfillments from this hobby to be (1) sharing the comradeship of the wonderful members of SRP and (2) having the ability to get a BBS shave.
I hope this makes the newer members a little more secure in their razor purchases.
Happy Shaving!
