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Thread: I dove right in! Thoughts on this lot of razors?

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    Default I dove right in! Thoughts on this lot of razors?

    Well, I'm very, very new here and to the idea of shaving with a straight razor. I've tried using a Paker straight w/ replaceable blade, but it just doesnt seem sharp enough. So, I saw a guy with a lot of 6 razors for sale locally on craigslist. So, are any of these decent razors? The more I'm learning and reading, the more I'm concerned I just bought a bunch of junk.
    Lots of pics here:

    Flickr: dazedforever's Photostream

    List of what I got (what is stamped on the Tang)

    Woodpecker.
    G.G. Thomas OTTUMWA, IA, Made in Germany
    -notes - scales are broke. Might clean up pretty well-



    Barbers Choice Hollow Ground
    N. SHURE CO Germany
    -notes-scale broke on this one too. Not sure how this one will clean up.

    KROPP
    Made and Ground in Sheffield, Eng.
    -notes- This is a pretty big and hefty blade. Some staining, but not much major pitting. Hopeful this one can be restored to a good razor-


    Uncle Sam
    Germania Cutl Works
    Germany
    -notes- Rust will probably clean up fairly well. The edge has some pitting and will need to be redone.


    Fox Cutlery
    Fox Trademark Logo on one side
    66EH, Fox Cutlery on the other
    notes-alignment with the scales is a little 'off'. touches when closed. Seems like it'll clean up.


    North Star?
    It has 'North' and a pic of a star one side.
    Made in Germany for Alfred J. Krank, St. Paul Minn
    Seems pretty clean, not much rust to clean up on this one.

    Are there any that you'd definitely keep and restore? Any that are total junk and shouldn't waste any time?

    I really appreciate it!
    Last edited by zach5150; 01-12-2012 at 05:14 PM.

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    learning something new every day Deerhunter1995's Avatar
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    havent heard alot about most of these but the wade and butcher is one of the best and most sought after razors i know of i have one and it is the best razor anyone could ask for my scales are cracked but the old razor is great. so id say that razor makes the lot worth while as long as it dosent cost 2 arms and a leg because then you cant shave lol.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Deerhunter1995 View Post
    havent heard alot about most of these but the wade and butcher is one of the best and most sought after razors i know of i have one and it is the best razor anyone could ask for my scales are cracked but the old razor is great. so id say that razor makes the lot worth while as long as it dosent cost 2 arms and a leg because then you cant shave lol.
    Thanks Deerhunter! Which one is the wade and butcher?

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    Senior Member rodb's Avatar
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    I've had a few North Stars and a Fox that honed up really well. They all look pretty good, the Kropp has some pretty bad hone wear, but should be ok.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rodb View Post
    I've had a few North Stars and a Fox that honed up really well. They all look pretty good, the Kropp has some pretty bad hone wear, but should be ok.
    Thanks Rob. What are the tell tale signs of the hone wear? I'm trying to learn how to 'read' these blades and figure out if they've been abused or have any life left in them. Thanks for the comments on the Fox and North Star. I figure if I get 1 or 2 good razors out of this lot, it will be worth what I paid in terms of actual 'value' as well as just the learning experience.

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    learning something new every day Deerhunter1995's Avatar
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    sorry i looked at the pics again and none of them are w&bs but looking at the pics all of those razors are vintage stuff so it is all good but there not gonna be pretty without some work. i thought the barbers choice was the w&b. id say get them pretty dosent cut whiskers. again sorry i mis took that one razor. none of them look any worse than what i have and mine does good.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Deerhunter1995 View Post
    sorry i looked at the pics again and none of them are w&bs but looking at the pics all of those razors are vintage stuff so it is all good but there not gonna be pretty without some work. i thought the barbers choice was the w&b. id say get them pretty dosent cut whiskers. again sorry i mis took that one razor. none of them look any worse than what i have and mine does good.
    Cool. Thanks Deerhunter. Yeah, I'm more interested in performance than making it pretty. I will definitely be cleaning them up w/ some Naval Jelly and such to help get them looking better, but basically I just want them sanitary and sharp!

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    Senior Member rodb's Avatar
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    This one the spine is worn and flattened

    Kropp_before4 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

    This one is very thin and has lots of life left
    North Star_before6 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

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    I think you did ok. I would send a few of them out to get professionally honed so you can get a feel for what a shave ready razor is. Then you can start trying to hone them yourself. Thats the best part to me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bloodhoundman View Post
    I think you did ok. I would send a few of them out to get professionally honed so you can get a feel for what a shave ready razor is. Then you can start trying to hone them yourself. Thats the best part to me.
    Cool. Thanks. And, that's precisely the direction I was thinking myself. So, now the next big question....how do I figure out who to take them to for honing? We have a couple of knife shops in the Austin area, but they don't really specialize in straight razors. One shop had a grand total of 1 razor in his case and in talking to them, I wasn't convinced they knew much about straight razors. If I needed my hunting knife fixed up...they seem like the place to go. So, how do I find a 'honemeister' who knows how to treat these razors?

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