Thread: Does cost of straights make for a better shave?

Interesting question, and I like the way it is phrased.

"Does cost of straights make for a better shave?" For me, no.

The razor is the star of the show and gets most of the attention. However if you were to ask if the cost of shaving creams make for a better shave I think you would find our attention, and money, is often misdirected if "a better shave" is the objective.

My best shaver only cost me $20. If I were to sell it on ebay it would probably sell for about $20 since it is a plain, unknown-brand type razor with no frills. I have a few that were ten times more expensive but they don't shave any better.

Originally Posted by 59caddy

this is the type of comments i was looking for, thanks jimmy.
newer members will know they do not have to spend big bucks to get started and it also makes it fun for others to experiment with some unknown or little known blades. of course DO NOT ignore the list in the wiki of known terrible straights

I can not seem to find the list of "terrible straights" in the wiki section. Can you link it for me.

I am somewhat mentally ill

Originally Posted by Toplin

I can not seem to find the list of "terrible straights" in the wiki section. Can you link it for me.

I am somewhat mentally ill

this should help
Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I've got nothing high end. I have a Boker Red-Injun and a pretty "boring" blade that simply says Trenton.

The Boker holds it's edge better. The Trenton is a breeeze to sharpen and will keep it's edge long enough.



Which one shaves best?

The Trenton, by a small margin I attribute to the difference in grind.

I know it's not a fair comparison, but the point is the one with a higher monetary value does NOT give a better shave.

Originally Posted by Toplin

this might be a good time for some senior member to explain to us newbies about Gold Dollar razors. Who makes them? They are so cheap because....?,
are they any good?

That is a chinese brand of currently produced razors. They're so cheap because they are made in china and from what I've seen they have rather unpolished looks.

I have not used one to tell you how good they are, but those who have used them say they are at least worth the $10 or so they cost.

There are too many variables to take into account when answering this question. Overall, there really ISN'T an answer.

On one hand, if one were to stick to a single, shave-ready, decent quality straight and keep all the other variables (soaps, creams, pastes/hones, aftershaves, etc) to a minimum, then yes, shaving with a straight is unquestionably the most economical route. In time, with experience, a shave straight is notably superior to DE, cartridge, electric, et al.

On the other hand, cartridge razors work extremely well for a lot of guys. Why do you think they sell so well? If they didn't shave worth a damn, people wouldn't buy them. Guys all over the globe are getting a great shave every morning, and it isn't because they all shave with a straight razor.

All in all, a quality straight razor can be had for very little money. Just take a look at the classifieds. It's up to the individual how much they want to spend on anything after that.

Quality, shave-ready razor: $20-30 if you shop around
Strop: A $20 Filly will keep most anyone for quite a while
Brush: Anywhere from $6-several hundred
Cream/Soap: Anywhere from $1-$50
Aftershave: $1 - whatever

For me, a straight shave beats anything I ever got with a cartridge or DE.

Is it worth it to me? Absolutely. Is it worth it to every other guy on the planet? Who knows?

For the everyday, give-it-to-me-passable-and-simple kinda guy; there's cartridges. For everything else; there's straight razors.

YMMV.

so, when it comes to razors to avoid, what the heck is Pakistan's problem? Why is it that every Pakistani blade is no good? Do they not want a good product themselves?

I think i need add a little more to this post.
There are straight razor's out there no one knows about them. You could buy them for 5.00 and have 1 of the best shaver.
Now why for some razor's people pays more then other's.?
Example Puma Gold always will sell more expensive then rest of the Puma's.
REgular puma will cost approximately 100.00 but Puma Gold more then 300.00
In the other hand There is a razor by name Jaguar . you can buy it less then 10.00 but will shave as good as Puma Gold or better or any other Philly. Why is so cheap? People doesn't know it yet.
I think Price goes high because of market . how many people wants to get particular razor and how many of them has information about particular razor.
I don't think Puma gold 50 years ago was a lot more expensive then rest of the Puma's. But name out there and people knows about it. that is why price goes as high as we have seen.
hope this clear's a little

I think there's some sort of misconception that the cost of a razor is largely determined by how it shaves.

I've been posting over and over that the most expensive components are
hype, shine on the photos (not necessarily in real life) and brand name. That's why I almost never talk about particular brands, I have many that I like and I'd hate if they turn into another filarmonica, wonderedge or puma gold.

I also think the famous Chronic provides very good lessons.