I thought it would be cool to have a section where people could ask or talk about razors they are interested in on ebay or if someone got a good deal that they would like to share to help others learn what to look for. What do you guys think? Lynn
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I thought it would be cool to have a section where people could ask or talk about razors they are interested in on ebay or if someone got a good deal that they would like to share to help others learn what to look for. What do you guys think? Lynn
I've gotten a lot of really great shavers on Ebay and some really interesting razors, too. The best deals I've found were always oddball stuff, bad pictures or no pictures with poor descriptions - a pig in a poke. Sometimes they're all junk, though. You pay your money and take your chances on those kind of deals.
Some of my favorites are the Wade and Butcher Specials, Robeson Sure-Edge razors, M Jung (usually ivory or bone) and the three I've had were all excellent steel.
More goodies: Black Diamond, Manhattan Cuttlery, Challenge Cuttlery, Bridgeport.
I've had nothing but good results with any razor that was blue steel. They're usually not too fancy but damn, they take a sweet edge.
Since browsing Ebay is a popular pastime for many of us it would probably be an active forum.
On the Yahoo SRP I remember frequent questions about a particular razor that new members were thinking of purchasing.
That sounds like a good idea.
I check the ads very carefully that have no pictures. I was able to pick up a Bergischer Lowe at a very good price, because it was that kind of an ad and there wasn't a lot of bidding.
Quote:
Originally Posted by adjustme69
After the sale banter would be jovial, entertaining, and educational. :)
Before-the-auction-ends talk would also create quite a stir. Especially if someone said they had their heart set on a particular razor, talked about it, pumped it up, and then had another member snipe it out from under him. Oh Lordy Lordy Lordy
https://home.comcast.net/~cherylelli...ll/madduck.gifHey! I told you how much I wanted that razor, you #@**^&*. How come you bid on it too?
I've only got 3 or 4 razors from ebay, only one is shavable, working on the other two. My favorite is my Wade and Butcher I got from a member here, urleebird. I still consider myself lucky no one else out bid me on this razor, It's one of my favorite shavers.
That's why all this discussion should be of past experience. The Ebay auctions need to be played like a poker game. I don't like to get that kind of information from another member because then I do feel a need not to spoil their plans.
I occasionally see other members bidding on something, but it won't change my strategy. We can each follow our own and the guy who's luckier that day will get it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by urleebird
What do you guys think of those Puma High Class Str8's??
They're being sold for prices going sky high; the last one on Ebay went for $326,-
Peter
I now have 7 razors 6 were from ebay. I have some I really like and a few that are absolutely terrific. I got a Wade & Butcher 7/8 Bow razor and a 4/8 Puma that are just fabulous razors.
I like the idea of asking other members but if someone sniped a razors I was questioning I might be a bit pissed off. The problem with this is how do you prove it? If someone was watching a razor and planned to bid near the end, the fact that someone mentioned it here would be irrelevant. Interesting problem.... :twisted:
Don Walters once told me that when Puma's went up to $180, he started selling Henckels. He thought very highly of both brands. So do I. I have about 6 Puma's and they are really super nice shavers. Up in my top 10 for sure. Lynn
Yes, but are they worth so much more than other similar razors?
Quote:
Originally Posted by adjustme69
I actully just picked up a Henckels #50 from ebay. It looks very nice and everybody knows about their quality knife blades, so I figured it would be a good second to my Dubl Duck for now at least. My worry now is that I've grabbed a stainless steel blade and will have trouble producing an edge. I also imagine that the tensile response of the stainless blade will not be as pleasant to shave with as the carbon.
Does anybody have any information about which blades Henckels makes as stainless and which are carbon? email me please.
I picked up a few Friordors on Ebay and they were terrific shavers. They hold an extremely sharp edge a long time, and they're not especially difficult to work with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xman
Speaking only in generalities, the better razors were made with 3 pins. I see a lot of those go by without bids. Many times you can snag one for less than $10. Clean it up a little and you have yourself a $75 razor. Just look for damage in the photos or the description. Ask the seller if you are not sure. Don't mess with damaged razors unless you are already pretty good at restoring them.
Do not get in a bidding war. Our testosterone gets us into trouble every time. Put in what you are willing to pay right from the get go. If it goes past that, find another one.
I only snipe for my razors. That way, there is never a pissing contest. I just snagged a beautiful Case. Check it out...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...%3AIT&rd=1
You can see that all 399h did was drive up the price. He kept trying to just barely get past the previous high bidder. These people usually just wind up giving up, but only after causing damage. Wrong mentality. Don't pussyfoot. You want something, take it.
The previous high bid was around $76 which belonged to 413larryj. He had put up to $84 for a bid. Enter 399j again. Finally, he gets a pair and bids $88.77, which put the high at $85. Now we get twayneb with a snipe bid of $89.77 and that takes care of ole 399j... again. twayneb did ok, he just didn't put enough money on it. For about 6 seconds, he thought he made the score of the week.
I was the spoiler, but three days ago I put in my snipe bid of $236 and change because that is how much I was willing to pay for it. Had I put that bid right from the beginning, both 399j and 413 larryj would have bumped the price up a couple bucks at a time until they both gave up around $140... maybe. The point is I would have paid a lot more than the $90.77 I did pay because of the bidding war.
Give it a shot once or twice... it's addicting
That is good advice. I learned that a while back when I got beat for a razor I wanted. Now I figure out what I can afford and snipe that at the end. I got a beautiful Puma 4/8 a few weeks ago by doing that. :twisted:
After reading this site which is great...I realize how dumb I am. I got three razors. One is stainless and the other two are from Pakistan. Will I ever learn.
ebay can be a difficult experience for a newbie, but it doesn't have to be. It's all in the attitude. I learned long ago that it's ok not to win all the time, you can usually find another item later on and try again. I used to get upset if I got sniped at the end of an auction, but now I pretty much expect it and bid accordingly.
A couple of things I wish I knew then that I know now...
1. look at the spine in the picture to assess honing wear,
2. some pitting is OK as long as it's not near the edge
3. look in other categories for straights, do a broader search than just in the straight razor category
4. an ugly duckling sometimes turns into a swan...
This is a new one on me, Item number: 6550000689 I have seen knives with a titanium coting but a razor? Tell me has amyone come up with a titanium that will hold an eadge?
mason
All of the other razors this person is selling are pakistani junk. This one probably is also.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruckeriii
I would not pay $1 for that razor.
A differnet one......?
I bought one on eBay a while back... it was a "Dixie Blue Steel", if that means anything (LOL)
It was listed as "shorty blade with regular sized handle".
I was curious so I put a $5 bid in and got it.
When it arrived IO laughed to myself... it was a "shorty" blade alright. There was a very old note inside the original box that said, "put out back. dropped on floor in shop.... chipp.... ade" (some couldn't be read)
The toe had obviously been chipped out at some point, but you can see a mark (like gun-blue) where someone marked the razor to where they wanted it cut.
It has been made a 'semi-round' point (most of these I think were square points, but I am no expert)... kind of crude looking....
BUT... a little time on the Norton and my old barber hone and it is a very nice shaver! It's a 4/8ths blade and being short, very manoeverable!
I am happy with it for $5.
- Gramps
I was looking at some razors on ebay. How are plastic handles on razors?
Most razors have some sort of plastic, celluloid, rubber or other synthetic scales. This does not keep them from being a great razor at all. Celluloid handles can vary greatly in condition from quite good and usable to suffering from celluloid rot (bad for that razor and any you keep with it) and so brittle it breaks from looking at it.
Most of my favorite shavers have some sort of synthetic handle material. Bone is the most likely to be solid, in my opinion. Horn handles get "eaten" by everything from mice to bugs so it's not unusual at all for them to have holes partially in them or completley ruined. Ivory, as mentioned is almost always cracked at one pin or another. Celluloid... hard to tell until you get it exactly how it has made out through the years. Bakelite is usually solid. Bone is often stained, but can usually reconditioned to look very nice and all the bone handles I have purchased were structurally very sound.
p.s. For great shavers, concern yourself with the blades more than the handles. You can always rehandle a nice blade but you can't turn a poor blade into a good shaver no matter how great a handle it has.
Truer words have never been spoken
hey guys, newbie here...i posted in another thread about what i had purchased...i got a new razor for 90 bucks, and i can't wait for it to get here. i am new to str8 shaving, but i already know its for me. now i do not want to screw up the 90 dollar razor i purchased with honing it or anything...would it be good to purchase a "lot" of like 6 razors and "play" with them stropping and honing? it seems like one could get a good "lot" for minimal $ on ebay...and there could be gems in those lots?
i am contemplating putting in for some...and after reading all over this forum i have already realized i am becoming addicted, even before my first shave...haha
That sounds like a good plan to me. The first razor I got from ebay was $8 and I practiced honing on it. I am glad I did.
Bruce:
I've been playing the same game and it'll keep you, like me, from ruining a great razor. I'd caution against just grabbing a lot, and honing away. After all the only true test is to shave with it. Look carefully for something that looks like all it needs is a little polish, a clean cloth through the scales and some time on the hone. you should be able to catch these blades for $10 or so. If somebody runs you up on the bidding it's likely because there's a 'collectible' value to the razor and it looks to me like you've got a nice one comming.
Hey! Is anybody conversant with that 'Nickel" steel, and how does it compare to the standard 'Carbon'?
On another note. I just picked up a Greaf & Schmidt JA Henckel #15 for 99¢ !!!! because the scales were ruined and I think it's going to be a good shaver with new scales. A few more passes on the Norton should tell me if I'm right or not. Did you hear that Bill? This one may be comming your way soon.
X
ok gang, after getting over 300 +(most good to great, some not so great, and some..oh cr-p, i can't belive i bought this..) razors from Ebay, here are a few things i have learned...
1. ask questions before bidding, if you don't get an answer, be careful, then look at their feedback to get a feel for the seller, just read the negatives to see what is up and even check the person who left the negative as you would be surpised at the 'get even feedbacks' that happen, i have still bid on and won razors that i got no response back, but beware...and take it into account...
2. make a first bid, if it is at the beginning...but keep it only the next higher bid, goal is not to win with this bid, this is the tie breaker bid, what happens is if at the end of the auction, you and someone else bid the same, you will win based on this early bid, i have won many a razor this way.
3. if you don't have a simple Photo program on your computer that you can blow up and lighten/darken photos with, get one, you would be amazed at what you see when you play with the bad photos that are posted sometimes...gotten many a sleeper this way.
4. Learn what to look for in the photos, like spine wear, fine cracks, edge chips, etc. if you don't like what you see or can not see enough, ask for more photos, if you don't get some, don't tell yourself what you want to hear, assume it is what it is and bid with that in mind, then if it is better, good, but if not...oh well...
5. this is a proxy type bidding auction, highest bid wins, i don't care about the whiners, this is a type of auction that the last highest bid wins...that is the only rule, so i snipe...keeps me out of many a bidding war...and keep in mind that a snipe will only work if i bid enough to win, so if someone does not bid enough and i win with a snipe, it is their fault for not bidding enough..
6. if i know someone from the group is looking at a razor, i will sometimes contact them and see what is up, if this Razor is important to them, i will many times not bid...
7. one small favor, keep this in the group, this will help us all, and still keep it useful, if everyone does this, it will not really work as well, ok? ... :shock:
8. don't cah love my runon sentences... :roll:
I've probably bought about 20 or so razors on Eboy and one of the things I have learned is that if you are looking for something specific and are patient it will eventually turn up and if you are especially patient you can get it at a good price. Many times I've seen a razor in high demand with many bids go for big bucks and many times I've seen the identical razor have little interest go for a song. Sometimes its a matter of the time of year, type of description and how many of that item are up at the same time. Personally, with razors I'm pretty careful about condition and I ask questions so I've never been burned so far. Maybe I'm lucky.
A while back I bid on a DD Horseshell Strop with a poor photo and described as typical wear. There were like 3 bidders and I got the thing for like $15.00. When it arrived it was in mint condition and one of the best finds I ever got.
As far as auction discussions go I've found that on most sites no matter the type of item its a strict rule that current auctions are not to be discussed and I think thats a good policy. If you found your dream razor the day after xmas when everyones broke and its way undervalued and your the only bidder and its discussed here you might find the situation changed very rapidly.
Yep, that has been a big deal with me, many times i have found a sleeper and someone on the list starts spouting off about it and next thing ya know it is no longer a sleeper, at times i felt like saying something not very nice :evil: ...but i get over it... :lol:
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
I think we all get burned from time to time. Here's my latest catastophe.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...%3AIT&rd=1
In truth, I was only paying attention to the one with the eagle handle. It is a good collectible. I saw the rust on the blade but figured me and Burr King could fix it. Ha!
I basically went by the sellers description. I knew that the superlatives were a little generous, but figured that they would be some decent razors. Ha!
Bottom two were re pinned... badly. No big deal. I'm still ok with the price because of the eagle. I go to open the blade on the eagle and it's barely wider than what you see in the photo. :shock:
The last razor had bone handles. The blade on that one was also less than a half inch. The keen kutter was about 3/8 and also an inch short. Boy, am I happy now :(
So I write to the guy to see what he wants to do. Because I challenged his description, I instantly turned into a whole lot of things. Here's one of the emails he sent.
Well... isn't that special :wink:Quote:
DEAR BILL BULL CRAPP I HAVE KNOW PROBLEM REFUNDING YOUR MONEY ASLONG AS I GET THE RAZOR THAT I SENT YOU BACK THE HANDLES WERENT BROKE I EXSPECT THEM TO BE SAME WAY PLEASE DONT MESS WITH THE BLADES EITHER I AM NOT A RAZOR EXPERT LIKE YOU I COLLECT CRIPPLE CREEK KNIVES MADE BY FAMOUSE KNIFE MAKER BOB CARGILL NOT A WANT TO BE LIKE YOU SO HOW MANY OF YOUR PRETTY PERFECT RAZORS ON YOUR WEB SITE ARE REAL AND HOW MANY ARE MADE BY YOU PS GET NEW GLASSES AND ASK QUESTIONS IM NEW TO EBAY SELLING BUT I HAVE BOUGHT OFF EBAY BEFORE AND YOU BIGGEST JERK MEET YET CRY CRY CRY CRY CRY WERE I COME FROM 100% IS MINT
CHECK YOUR MATH READ MY ADD AGAIN IT DOES NOT SAY 100% IT SAYS 75-85% CRY
Wow! What a nice guy! :shock: I was looking at that one also because of the eagle. Can you put the scales on a better blade? I am warry of sellers who do not have clear pictures or at least pictures with the blade open. I had a surprise with a puma I got on ebay I thought it was 5/8 or 6/8 but when it arrived it was 4/8. However it has turned into one of my favorite razors. Well as they say let the buyer beware.
I hear ya, yep never get a razor that does not show the blade unless you are buying the handle only....and when you buy many razors from ebay(like i have) you will get some bad ones, but you learn what to look for as you go along, but even i have been hosed a few times :shock: , once i got taken in on a nice looking handle(in the pic) and turned out to be a total Junk Paki razor, this was before they started putting different handles on them to make them look better in the pic, this thing was so bad i tossed it in the trash :evil: , the only Razor i have done that too(other than ones i screwed up on fixing, but lets not go there :oops: ...ok)
Quote:
Originally Posted by urleebird
As I mentioned yesterday, I just recieved a Graef & Schmidt JA Henckel #15 for 99¢ because the scales are broken and badly repinned. I have to watch carefully while opening and closing in order not to scrape the edge against the sides.
I honed and stropped it yesterday and today and it passed the ''X-Man Leg Hair Trim" test (for some reason I CAN'T get a razor to cut a hanging hair from my head (yet? (maybe my hair is too fine or too oily or something), but it'll still give a nice shave). I'm gonna give it a go in the morning, but all this is preamble.
While stroping on the pasted leather I noticed that the blade is about 6/8 and only 2 1/2" long !!! I can't tell if this blade has been cut down or if the blade is meant to be this short. Seems strange for a 6/8 to be so short, but what do I know. If it is cut it's a beautiful job, imperceptible. And the blade has quite a nice "smile" too.
Does anyone have the skinny on these?
And where can I get good information on old blades in general?
Is that book I see on ebay about razors gonna give me the details I'm looking for or is it all about "collectibility" and "value"?
X
What a prick! I think what angers me the most about these little turds, is that they lip you down with such horrible grammar. Down right insulting. The other thing is that they act pretty tuff when they aren't face to face with you. I'll bet it makes you want to put the "Crossbar Hotel Headlock" on him.Quote:
Originally Posted by urleebird
Hey Bill,
about The last razor in the pics from your ebay disaster, the seller states the name Garantie. Is that a 5 year garantie, and the other side Solingen? If so, that is my razor from junk-to-funk post i have posted (and you helped restoring). Can you please tell me if the handles are bone or ivory?
Nenad
I already sent them back to the guy. But the Guarantie had bone scales. Elephant ivory was not that common for razor handles in the total scheme of things. Once the difference between bone and ivory is pointed out to you, it is easy to tell the difference. I'm not sure I can do it with words. I'll give it a shot...
A couple of tips for ivory. The "veins" are pretty close together in the side view. The consistant telltale sign is to look at the end grain. Either end of the razor. Look for tight crosshatching patterns in the material. As good as celluloid is at fooling a person into believing it is ivory, this is also the dead giveaway. Look at the end grain.
Razor #13 on my web site is ivory. Don't know if the pics are good enough to help you out. Razor #24 and #25 are bone. Bone was usually taken from the legs of cattle. #28 is fake ivory in celluloid and the pattern will remain the same all the way through the end of the razor.
http://www.billysblades.com/Straighr%20Razors.htm
trails... Bill
I'm sorry, but I was LMAO at this one.Quote:
DEAR BILL BULL CRAPP I HAVE KNOW PROBLEM REFUNDING YOUR MONEY ASLONG AS I GET THE RAZOR THAT I SENT YOU BACK THE HANDLES WERENT BROKE I EXSPECT THEM TO BE SAME WAY PLEASE DONT MESS WITH THE BLADES EITHER I AM NOT A RAZOR EXPERT LIKE YOU I COLLECT CRIPPLE CREEK KNIVES MADE BY FAMOUSE KNIFE MAKER BOB CARGILL NOT A WANT TO BE LIKE YOU SO HOW MANY OF YOUR PRETTY PERFECT RAZORS ON YOUR WEB SITE ARE REAL AND HOW MANY ARE MADE BY YOU PS GET NEW GLASSES AND ASK QUESTIONS IM NEW TO EBAY SELLING BUT I HAVE BOUGHT OFF EBAY BEFORE AND YOU BIGGEST JERK MEET YET CRY CRY CRY CRY CRY WERE I COME FROM 100% IS MINT
CHECK YOUR MATH READ MY ADD AGAIN IT DOES NOT SAY 100% IT SAYS 75-85% CRY
This guy is a piss poor version of the French Taunter--Did he pehaps tell you that your mother smelt of elderberries? I'd expect cows to come flying across the parapets next! :lol:
Man what a rude ebay'er indeed. I have never had any issues with fellow ebay sellers. I have bought tons on ebay until I recently started buying Straights. Got one heck of a nice Bismark model, very nice razor and sharp indeed. Nice Boker and a Henckels model which is fine shape as well. There all polished, stropped and coated with Camillia oil and set in my display case for now. Really a great hobby to collect them. My local barber is going to give me a new Shumate and a few others that he has and doesnt want to even see anymore lol. Hes retiring from the buisness and now uses Shavettes.
Number #28 looks like whalebone, but maybe a bit thick, Bill. I've got several razors of whalebone but they seem very hard to find. The scales look a lot like ivory without any of the pitting that is ubiquitous to bone scales, but they're always very, very thin and quite flexible. Pretty cool stuff!