Thread: Great shave off a cheap razor I honed from ebay

My current fav's are two Fredrick Reynolds I got for about the same price. I have heard they are hard to hone but I have not had any problems and they are my best shavers right now. This one is close though.

Nice, nice, nice.

Are the scales horn? That's what they look like. There are several threads around about refurbing horn. Neatsfoot oil then buffing if I remember correctly. I'll bet they'll really come alive with just a little hand buffing.

Good score! That blade has enough steel to last a lifetime if you take care of it!

I don't think they are horn. I think they are celluloid or even cheap plastic. They are straight but flimsy. Doesn't matter though, the blade is what I am interested in.

Never got one, I'll be looking though.

What kind of things would one need to look for when purchasing a cheap SR.

Originally Posted by Cbohn7885

What kind of things would one need to look for when purchasing a cheap SR.

luck

my second straight i bought of ebay and its very good.

3rd was from a member at tsr and is not as good.


try to look for one that is not warped and no black spots/pitting

Originally Posted by Cbohn7885

What kind of things would one need to look for when purchasing a cheap SR.

Look at the pics. Beware of sellers that have only one or two pics and no close up of the blade. You are looking for blades with little to no rust, none on the actual edge. For cheap you aren't always going to find a mirror shiny blade but thats ok just no rust.Make sure you don't see any chips or visible dings. I don't worry too much about a few black spots as long as its not near the edge. Most of that comes out with 00 steel wool and compound. Ask the seller questions about the scales and look hard to see if there are any cracks. Personally I would stay away from very well known brands. Don't bid any more money that you think is worth a gamble. My limit is $25 bucks. You can pretty much forget about weather or not they are shave ready as one sellers shave ready may differ from anthers. A little spotting and discoloration on the blade and tang is fine. There are great razors to be had there but you gotta know what to look for. I have over 10 I got from there and all are great shavers and most under 20.

Originally Posted by ccase39

Look at the pics. Beware of sellers that have only one or two pics and no close up of the blade. You are looking for blades with little to no rust, none on the actual edge. For cheap you aren't always going to find a mirror shiny blade but thats ok just no rust.Make sure you don't see any chips or visible dings. I don't worry too much about a few black spots as long as its not near the edge. Most of that comes out with 00 steel wool and compound. Ask the seller questions about the scales and look hard to see if there are any cracks. Personally I would stay away from very well known brands. Don't bid any more money that you think is worth a gamble. My limit is $25 bucks. You can pretty much forget about weather or not they are shave ready as one sellers shave ready may differ from anthers. A little spotting and discoloration on the blade and tang is fine. There are great razors to be had there but you gotta know what to look for. I have over 10 I got from there and all are great shavers and most under 20.

A couple of thing you need to make sure is hone wear and make sure there is not a frown on the blade

Originally Posted by Tylerbrycen

A couple of thing you need to make sure is hone wear and make sure there is not a frown on the blade

Definitely. Those are probably the two most important things to look for. If theres even a slight frown run away.