Buyers of Un-sharp razors

[Tony Miller]

I visited a local mens shop here in Baltimore that sells Trumpers items along with a few Dovo razors. They don't stock strops (yet<g>) nor know anything about the razors they sell. While there a previous staright razor customer of their walked in and told me about the worst shave of his life with a dull razor he bought there.
It made me think.........how many newbies buy razors from the local knife shop, internets knife stores etc... only to find they are not shave ready when they arrive.

There must be dozens of places to buy razors now, knife stores, Nordstroms, fancy shave emporiums, etc..... but very few other than Shaving Shop, Classic Shaving and myself offer to sharpen them. Most of those other retailers don't even sell tools to get them sharp if the buyer needed or even knew he needed them. I wonder if these retailers even give it a second thought.

I know I agonize over every one I sell, wondering if it will be sharp enough for the buyer or will I leave him disapointed. I know Lynn takes the same care and pains as well with those he sharpens for Classic.

I am sure there are plenty of newbies out there that give it one try and never turn to it again.

Tony

[FiReSTaRT]

When I bought my Paki, I had the same experience, since I didn't know jack squat. 4 scars later, I decided to find out what I was doing wrong and came across this place. The people here have been and still are phenomenal. However, you raise a great point Tony. Retailers should take more responsibility when selling SRs and inform themselves and the customer about the product.

[cudahogs]

Tony, I think that Nordrstroms quit selling straights for that very reason. In addition, aside from the Nortons and the very pricey Belgians, I've only seen razor hones for sale in a catalog that my barber showed me. I haven't heard anything good about the Colonel Conk hones, so I ruled those out.
-Fred

[Tony Miller]

Fred,
Good point. In many cases there are not hones, etc.. readily available.

The whole market is akin to selling a guy a new car but telling him he will need to do engine work to actually get it to work.....and, oh, by the way, they don't sell wrenches to fit it either <g>

Tony

[wopmanfixit]

. I haven't heard anything good about the Colonel Conk hones, so I ruled those out.
-Fred

The first razor I bought was from a shop in a mall. amd I realized it wasn't sharp enough either, but I did by a Col. Conk hone. Your right they're not vary good, but it was better then nothing. Then I found the SRP and found enlightenment.

[Library Guy]

Tony, What shop?

I bought my first razor and strop from Crabtree & Evelyn (White Marsh). Of course, I thought a brand new razor was as sharp as it was ever going to be. This was in the dark ages before the internet.

My second razor, a Henkels Friodur, I purchased from Chesapeake Knife & Tool (Harbor Place). Since it cost three times more than the C&E it must be three times sharper, right?

Oh, those were bleak days indeed. Of course, no one working retail knew a thing about the products they sold. It is sad that our whole economy is based on this botched paradigm.

Luckily I was too stupid to give up. Somehow I improvised my own pasted strop (seemed like a good idea) and did manage to get some decent shaves after awhile.

I learned more in ten minutes at this site than I did in nearly twenty years of messing about on my own.

regards &C

LG Roy

[Tony Miller]

Tony, What shop?

I bought my first razor and strop from Crabtree & Evelyn (White Marsh).
regards &C

LG Roy

Wow, small world. I live 5 minutes from there and got my first exposure to straights in C&E. I bought a green handled Badger/Bristle blend brush which I still own. That was over 15 years ago. Too bad the stores are no longer what they once were.

As for the local Trumpers guy, go to www.samuelparker.com . It is an upscale local haberdasher with a touch of old England located in the Mt. Washington section of Baltimore. Tell Ken I sent you. Great store, great owner.

On my visit I got to try on a $1100 Ralph Lauren purple label sport coat......on my way home I bought lottery tickets <g>.

Tony

[EdinLA44]

Tony,

This is exactly what happened to me. I bought a Dovo at a knife store in the mall, tried shaving with it twice, with dismal results. It ended up in the back of the drawer in the bathroom and sat there for about 8 years until I found it one day and did an internet search and found SRP.

I also wonder if a razor bought in a retail store would even be returnable due to health department issues. That would certainly irritate an already upset buyer even more. I think that the razor manufacturers would (or should) put a little slip of paper in each razor box explaining that the razors need to be sharpened before using. Or course that would probably then lead to razor butchery with the old file in the bottom of the toolbox, with even worse shaving results.

Ed

[Tony Miller]

Ed,
Most places will not let you return a razor. Most online sellers make this clear and even my distributors do as well. The Dovos come with a label sealing both ends of the box. Once the label is broken, it's a keeper.


Tony

[xman]

I don't think the retailers out there can be blamed too much. They have to work against the disastrously effective Gillette marketing damage. I bet most shops that carry straights get about three inquiries per year and no sales.

I NEVER impulse buy no matter how much I want something. I always ask lots of questions and walk away. If I still want the item a few days later and can't rationalise not getting it then it's a buy. If the sales staff can't answer my questions satisfactorily (man, I'm a tough customer) then I won't have confidence and there's no sale.

When I was perusing a Crabtree & Evelyn for my recent brush purchase. I asked the lady to show me the brushes she had in stock (which included the Edwin Jagger I now have) the first thing out of her mouth was, "These are all made with genuine boar hair". I corrected her and she instantly retreated from any sales pitch. After all I was the one out of the two of us who actually shaves. It must be tough to be in a position like that. You're not knowledgeable about your product and invariably it's the expert who's coming in to buy. I felt for her, but I bought the brush at another location.

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