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I have had my first straight razor for a few months now and it has been serving me very well! Its a hamburg ring i got from the classifieds here. I am wondering if i should purchase a new one and by new i mean brand new. Im looking for your opinions on why have more than one razor and also good razor options preferably under 200$. Thanks.
The only logical reason to have more than razor is to have one to use while one is out being honed.
Then again - no-one ever said we are logical here.
Why not PM the seller that you got your original one from and see if they have any more - particularly if you are happy with it.
wether you want to buy a new one or not they'll just start showing up i guarantee it
anyway go with whatever stands out something you really like how it looks at that price range any razor is going to be a great shaver if its been professionally honed go to vintagebladesllc.com great variety most or all come honed by lynn
Yea, the only logical reason to buy another razor is to have a spare in case you have to send one out to be honed or you drop one and wreck the blade. There is no real reason to buy new either except for the joy of owning something nobody else has used, same as cars. OTH there is no real reason not to either. In your price range you should be able to find quite a few good quality razors from reliable makers and retailers. Just make sure the new razor you buy is professionally honed to be "shave ready". If you want to purchase new shave ready in Canada there are at least a couple of places you can do so. Find one you like the look of in the size and grind that you like and go for it. Have fun.
Bob
A good friend brought by an apple pie, freshly baked. I had a slice after dinner, it was so good. I was full, but I went ahead and had another slice, a big one, and enjoyed the heck out of it. Is it wrong to have two slices of pie? No, not at all, so long as the rest of my family was taken care of, and they were, because there was enough pie for all of us. (I am not making this up). Same is true with the notion of getting a second razor. Do you need it? No, you can have one razor for the rest of your life and you will do fine. It will cause you to learn to hone and maintain it yourself, including fixing any nicks from hitting the tap or whatever. Is it wrong to get a second razor? No, so long as your family is taken care of and you have the disposable income to purchase a second, go for it. You will enjoy it and be glad about it. Check out the Dovo Bismark. One of many options for you within your price range. Good luck.
If you shave every day it's not a bad idea to have two razors in a rotation so that the blades get more time to rest between uses.
I must say I'm impressed by your willpower....you and I have been shaving with a Straight for about the same time and I have a drawer full of them already. I've started to let go the ones that don't work for me but I'm glad that I've had a chance to discover what works and what does not.
As the others have stated, in that price range you have plenty of options. If what you have is working well for you I'd suggest looking for something similar but with some small change. The same point but 1/8 larger for instance. You seem to have the patience (evident by your ability to resist the pull of RAD..) to choose well. IMHO I would start with the vendors at SRP first. I've had nothing but excellent service, advice and support from the "family".
if you are working with one razor and shaving daily it may be time for you to have a second just to give you a reference point for "shave ready".
Good luck, but I know you will do well.
One day you might start shaving and realize you had meant to touch up the razor and forgot and now with only one razor you have to endure an uncomfortable shave or maybe you pick up your razor and it just doesn't shave well. If you have a spare all that is no problem.
Im definitely going to get a new one but the question is which one lol.
Dovo probably has the widest selection for the price range you are talking about. My second razor I bought a few years ago was a DOVO Bismark 6/8 from SRD and I love it. What made me settle on it is my first razor was a 5/8 and I wanted to try a wider blade. However, that was many razors ago and now my most difficult decision every day is deciding which one to shave with. LOL! For me, it's become a favorite hobby and I got into re-storing old razors. Not to mention what great conversational pieces they make. Currently, I'm making a case with a glass door to hang on the wall in the bathroom to display my razors in. If you get into honing your own razors, you will really get the fever for more than one razor.
I really like straight razors and i can see it becoming a long time hobby/ collectible for me. I have narrowed it down to a few razors from dovo that are both under my budget.
Dovo Pearlex 5/8 Straight Razor
Dovo Black Star 5/8 Straight Razor w/Pakkawood Scales
Dovo Astrale 5/8 Straight Razor
which one do you guys like the most?
Isn't the bathroom a bad place to store them because of the higher humidity?Quote:
Originally Posted by kcarlisle
Can someone tell me how quickly the gold finish on razors like the bismark and pearlex wears off? assuming shaving and stropping every other day.
Well you've already got some experience straight shaving and plenty of practice. For a $200 budget you will find some very nice, high quality razors and plenty to choose from. Just go for whatever one appeals to you the most! Don't worry about grinds and blade sizes, as you already have plenty of practice. Shop around and buy the one you most admire and want to see in your own hands. Enjoy!
I did not read any other responses. I just wanted to post up and tell you what *I* did not so long ago when I faced the same question.
I bought a wonderful new razor. It gave me perspective on what a modern steel that is masterfully ground and honed can do. Not to say that a vintage is not also masterfully ground and honed, but many of them come with variations instilled from previous users (perhaps a muted square point, or a slightly greater smile, or something else)...and that is not to say that there are any hard fast rules on how much smile a razor ought to have...but I wanted to try something new and "more perfect".
It was a WONDERFUL experience that I am very glad I tried.
However, I have since de-volved back to my vintage razors that I am honing myself to learn that aspect of the hobby...and my very expensive new razor sits in the drawer...but I will always have it to enjoy.
My advice is to take your time and decide exactly what calls to you and buy it. You will enjoy it daily...and it is very nice to have other razors to rotate through in order to stretch the time between honing even further.
there is no wrong answer here....just the right answer for you!
Have fun!
Hey, Nuns.
You ask about the longevity of goldwash. The short answer is that it disappears faster than a $20 on a date. If there are waterspots or worse on it, removal is unlikely. Stropping will start wearing shankwash away within a few days. I should acknowledge I strop alot, so the minimal stropper might take 1-2 wks to see the fade.
A possible alternative - and far more cost effective approach might be to look up user that are nearby or not too far away and see if they're willing to let you try a few different blades. 'Just Sunday I had the pleasure of meeting a newer member for just such a session. We wound up spending all the time in restoration of a few of his edges and then honing, so no time was left for testing. That'll happen in another session. He went away w/ 3 blades honed to a dramatically higher level than he was used to, and an invite to return to try a bunch of blades. If you have a similar member around - it would let you try different sizes, grinds, steels without spending a wad to discover your favorite kinds of blades.
KenWeir,Quote:
Originally Posted by KenWeir
I've kept my razors in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom for the last 3 years and haven't had any problems with them rusting. However, I'm very particular how I dry off a razor before I put it up. Also, my bathroom is air conditioned and that helps. The reason I say that is I lived in an older house where the bathroom was not connected to the air conditioned part of the house and it had a window unit that was turned on only when the bathroom was in use.
For me, it would be between the Pearlex or the Astrale. I can't make up my mind which one I like better. I like the blade on the Pearlex and the scale on the Astrale.Quote:
Originally Posted by nunsbythebundle
As far as your quesiton about the gold wearing off the blades, I think the gold in the hollow of the blade will stay fine for years to come because it never comes in contact with your strop, but I could see the gold on the spine and tang of the Pearlex wearing off from stropping and handling. I have a few razors with gold on the blades that I'll look at when I get home and I'll let you know how well they have stood up. I've had both razors for about 3 years.
I just checked both of my razors with gold on the hollow of the blades, the tangs & spines and they are fine. The only gold I can see worn off is on the side of the spine from coming in contact with hones. One of them is the DOVO Bismark which has gold all the way down the spine. I've probably shaved with it about 50 times. As you can tell, the majority of my shaves come from the vintage razors.Quote:
Originally Posted by nunsbythebundle