Thread: Is this straight worth buying?

Vintage Straight Razor | Horn Damascus Steel Straight Razor | VintageStraightRazor.com

I would like to start out by saying, I have never used a straight razor, I am however no stranger to blades.
Not bad with a butterfly knife I have also used strops before, I like to keep all of my knives sharp enough to shave hair off of my arm.
With that said, I am fond of Damascus steel, I'm not sure if it makes for a good razor though, I like the looks of this one. What do we think?

IMO no it is not worth buying for the purpose of shaving. Custom razors made of pattern welded steel (Damascus) run into the $500 and up range. You get what you pay for in razors, like most things in life. That outfit is an opportunist sort of thing preying on people new to the pursuit of straight razor shaving.

Check our classifieds for bargain razors, make sure you are getting a shave ready razor. Our supporting vendors, Straight Razor Designs, Classic Shaving, Vintage Blades LLC among others are also trustworthy vendors with genuine shaving razors, rather than box cutters disguised as shaving razors.

Go to the beginner's guide here and you'll find a list of 'razors to avoid' as well as a lot of other info to start you off in the right direction.

Welcome to SRP !

It would probably make a good letter opener. Calling it a razor is really false advertising

This is the razor:



Maker: G. B. Buckingham & Sons

They are on the list of razors to avoid in the wiki.

Regards,
Neil

It's like a walmart bike. It's only made to look good sitting there.

A couple of years ago I’d introduced a young man at work to using straight razors. I’d had him over showed him how to strop and lather then I loaned him a shave ready razor and a beginners strop to take home and have a go with it for awhile.

He liked the new 'old way’ of shaving. I told him to hang onto the loaners and when he was ready, I’d help him find a couple of nice beginner’s price range razor.

A couple of week later he approached me and told me of his ‘find’ it was regularly $99 dollars but was on ‘sale’ for only $25. Without seeing the find, my heart sank as I had a terrible feeling that I knew what he’d purchased.

Sure enough a Buckingham!

I told him that most straights didn’t arrive truly shave ready so I took it home to hone.

Normally I can get a hollow grind razor bevel set and nicely honed in less than 20 minutes. I worked for over an hour and it still wouldn’t even come close to ‘popping’ arm hairs.

When he came over to pick up his prize I told him that he’d purchased a very expensive letter opener and handed him a nice 5/8 Red Point and told him that it was his to keep.

Since site bashing isn’t allowed I didn’t post the link to a video where a guy gives a Buckingham a go as. It’s quite the blood bath!

Well there is one point for the Pakistan produced "damascus" straight's and that is that you won't be able to cut yourself. : )
Pure trash.

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Since site bashing isn’t allowed I didn’t post the link to a video where a guy gives a Buckingham a go as. It’s quite the blood bath!

I saw that video and the masses of cuts on that poor guys face. He certainly suffered for us in the interest of science!

He was good enough to admit that he did get a shave from it - "....they didn't lie, I got a shave ready razor. Will I use it again? NEVER!...'

Quite amusing, I thought, as well as all the comments posted by other sad souls who had made the same mistake and bought one.

Regards,
Neil