Thread: One Big or Lots of Littles

Ok, so I'm sitting here thinking about all of the razors I have purchased, and I have spent a lot of money on razors that I have paid around $50.00 a piece for. I have some very fine vintage steel to show for it, and about 54 razors.

But it got me to thinking. Should I have just bought one or two really nice razors - like say a Livi? I would have spent about the same amount.

I did the same thing with pipes. I have 9 or 10 good medium priced pipes, and I could be smoking a Dunhill for the amount I spent on mediums.

So, what say all of you? Lots of littles or one big purchase?

(Or both)

Both!

Credit cards are free money anyways.... Arent they..? (says the accountant...)

Seriously though, I have a mix. Some of my razors have been under £20 and some have been over £200 but I got them all because I liked them. And thats really the most important thing..!

Some of my cheapest razors are my best shavers, so theres no correlation between ££ and performance.

Some of the more pricey ones I've saved for and the some of the cheap ones have been lucky wins.

And I also think you should buy the best you can afford and love it and look after it, whatever it is.

A razors condition is a really important consideration for me, so when I started buying straights I found myself somewhere in the middle of the two choices you presented. From there I realized that I was really drawn towards the custom makers as opposed to the vintage makers. This is just a personal choice, and I'm not saying that one way is preferable to another. As a result, my collection is fairly small numerically but I have tried to limit it to higher quality stuff, although not all from the custom guys like Livi, Zowada, et al.

This is exactly where I am at. Since my very first razor purchase (A Dovo "Best Quality") all of my purchases have been off of the classifieds here and all but one have been $100 or less. I am very happy with the razors I own, but I am now starting to think that since this is my passion, it is time to drop some $$ on a Wacker, Livi, TI, etc.

I'm torn on this, but I think while a $40 razor can definitely shave as well as a $240 razor, there is something to be said for craftsmanship and high quality.

Personally I would do it the way you have rather than invest in just one or two razors. My reasoning behind it is that you have had more of an opportunity to try different manufacturers, sizes and styles than you would have if you limited yourself to just a couple of higher priced razors that you may or may not have liked.

That being said, now that you have had the opportunity to try out different types of razors you should have a feel for the type that you really like and now would be the time to invest in a really nice one.

I've only splurged $50 on one razor - I guess you could call the rest of mine tinies or itsybitsies Adding them all up I doubt I could purchase a beat-up Fili

variety is the spice of shaving life!

It depends on your philosophy and how you approach this. When I started it was my aim to accumulate a collection of all types of razors and grinds and have a razor from all the main producers historically speaking. After having about 100 razors I realized it was going down like years ago when I started collecting minerals with the aim of collecting one of everything and then realizing that was almost impossible. You need to have a method to what you acquire. So for me at this point I look for Duble Ducks and I've acquired a decent number of newly manufactured custom class razors. At this point I don't just get razors anymore. It's gotta fit into my scheme somehow.

I was telling a guy the other day that I had 300 razors but my imagination got the best of me. I did an inventory and found it is only a bit over 200. Early on I was like a basking shark taking in every thing that was in my path but it wasn't long before I became more discriminating. Now a razor really has to speak to me before I shell out for it. It may be a high end collectible vintage piece or a custom. Than again it may be a lower priced piece that I find attractive. The last razor I bought was a Wester Bros Manganese Steel Wedge for $42.00. I bought it because I'd never seen another and it is minty. One thing that has slowed me down is that I absolutely stopped looking at ebay a month or more ago. It was almost like quitting smoking but once I got past the shakes it was okay and my bank account is feeling better.

It is up to you. Some collect and some have just one or two shavers. I think majority of us are something between. That is so nice about this razor thing: it is up to you really. There is no exact number of razors (or brands) that you should have.

I started with 2 razors and i just wanted to try if i could really do this all: sharpen the razor and shave. That was long before i knew about SRP. I thought i'm the only nut in the world.
After finding SRP i got temporary RAD, but i've gotten rid of it, mostly. I have about 20 razors and i've started to think that it is a way too much. Too far from the idea that i started with: keep things simple. Straight razors once were simple, cheap, effective, everyday tools that took some amount of practice before they rewarder with a perfect shave. Far from luxury. Just tools that in the hands of an experienced user became the perfect tools.

Some of my best shavers are minor brands. I have filly 14 but it doesn't beat my Swedes or Spike Union Cutlery, so it will probably go to local internet auction. I've never paid more than € 30 for a razor, with most i've paid much less.
All that is left from my RAD that if i'm still to buy another razor then i will also sell few to give some space. In the end i will only have about 5 - 10 razors i've judged to be my holy grails.

This is how i see my razors now. You just have to decide the direction you want to go. Having 100 or more razors is ok. There is no rights or wrongs.

We simply are borrowing this steel for a time. Many of our blades have seen numerous "owners" over the years. While we shave or collect them, we must keep in mind that these things don't belong to us, we will leave them behind, hopefully in better condition than when we acquired them.

While we have them, enjoy using and admiring them. Should you spend big bucks for the latest beauty? Why not, if it brings you pleasure. We should also remember that the more "things we own, the more the things own us". Only you can decide how much is enough. Sorry guys I'll get off my