Thread: quality vintage razors to learn with?

Hello

Yesterday I posted a question about my inability to hone a $15 brand new Ebay razor. Being a beginner I figured it was me but the helpful guys in this forum told me it was because of bad steel. It was a "German Style" razor with Chinese steel.

The guys suggested I get an older vintage razor to learn to hone with and another to learn to shave with.

I know about DOVO and Thiers Issard but they seem a little pricey for me to learn to hone. Ebay has many vintage.

Can anyone suggest a quality steel razor to hone with and/or a beginners shave ready razor?

Thanks

Mark

The SRP Wiki has both razors to avoid and names some that are desirable. I find anything vintage made in Solingen is good. Look for razors with full blades that aren't unevenly honed. I particularly like Fried Wirth & Engles (sp?) A.K.A. FWE and Beau Brummel. Koellers are good and Bartmann. The old USA and Sheffield brands are good too.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The SRP Wiki has both razors to avoid and names some that are desirable. I find anything vintage made in Solingen is good. Look for razors with full blades that aren't unevenly honed. I particularly like Fried Wirth & Engles (sp?) A.K.A. FWE and Beau Brummel. Koellers are good and Bartmann. The old USA and Sheffield brands are good too.

What he said. Plus be sure to get a blade that's reasonably flat down the length of the edge - if you try to learn on a "smiler" it'll make it much more difficult.

Just about any vintage that has no/light even hone wear a nice straight edge and the more hollow grind the easier it will be....
Many of the older American brands are really good buys...

Thanks for the info

I put a bid in for a...

(actual description)
Vintage Wade & Butcher Straight Razor 6/8
This razor is from my personal collection and is in very good condition. The blade is imprinted with "Extra Hollow Ground." It appears that this razor was part of a 7 day set and has "Monday" printed in the top of the spine. There is some hone wear, but there is still a lot of life left in this razor. There are no nicks in the blade. Though it is close, I will play it safe and say that it is not shave ready.
The blade measures 6/8.
The scales on this razor are in decent shape but they aren't completely even. I've tried to show the waviness in the last picture along with some imperfections in the 5th picture. Despite these signs of age, the scales are quite solid.

Any comments or things to look for in a razor description?

Originally Posted by markjm223

Thanks for the info

I put a bid in for a...

(actual description)
Vintage Wade & Butcher Straight Razor 6/8
This razor is from my personal collection and is in very good condition. The blade is imprinted with "Extra Hollow Ground." It appears that this razor was part of a 7 day set and has "Monday" printed in the top of the spine. There is some hone wear, but there is still a lot of life left in this razor. There are no nicks in the blade. Though it is close, I will play it safe and say that it is not shave ready.
The blade measures 6/8.
The scales on this razor are in decent shape but they aren't completely even. I've tried to show the waviness in the last picture along with some imperfections in the 5th picture. Despite these signs of age, the scales are quite solid.

Any comments or things to look for in a razor description?

That description looks good, but I really wouldn't go by a seller's description of the razor, at least not on ebay.... Some descriptions clearly do not fit the razor, as some seller's simply don't know much about straight razors.

Pictures are invaluable, and make you sure you close ups of both sides of the razor, so you can make a more educated assessment of the quality/condition of the razor.

If the seller doesn't mention it in the description and I think I want the razor I always contact them and ask if there are any cracks of chips in the blade of the handles. If I cannot tell and they haven't said I ask for the measurement from the top of the spine to the bottom of the cutting edge. As Dave said most ebay sellers know little or nothing about straight razors.

If you run up on one that you are serious about and you aren't sure if it is good you can post a link along with the item number in the Auction talk ebay forum here .

Something to keep in mind is that despite the "extra hollow ground" etching, some English razors are pretty hefty and look almost like wedges, which makes them harder to hone. I am not sure about this one though.

Al raz.

A very good easy to hone cheep razor is a union cutlary spike. I have several an they are my go to every day razors. I picked most up for under ten dollars. They were made in New York.

Don

I know you asked about older razors, but Double Arrows are PD cheap and I hear they shave good. I started with a $40 Dovo, still shaves great for me. The problem with vintage razors is that they are probably not shave ready. Not that the DAs are either, but for $15, you can use the other $15 to send it to a honemeister and then buy another one to boot. That way you'd have one to measure the other up against, and one to mess around with.

Thats what I would do anyway.