Thread: Whipped Dog Sight unseen Razor and poor mans strop set

Just a couple of things to add....

1) I have sold some razors TO whipped dog when I was in need of some quick cash and didn't have time to restore or hone. While none were pristine, for the most part they were all capable of being turned into good shavers.

2) they come shave ready. As pointed out, Larry has to hone them. Most of the guys offering honing services in the classifieds are charging 15 or 20 dollars. That means Larry is selling the dogs for a whopping 8 bucks. I would buy used razors all day long for 8 bucks.

3) Some of the best shaves I have EVER had, came at the edge of razors that were (very) well worn, and showed the effects of 100 years of use. I think a person is MORE likely to drop straight shaving if they get lousy results from a shiny new "factory shave ready" Dovo, then they are from not wanting to look at their "ugly wife" An O-Lan will never betray you or let you down!

I've bought several things from Larry and been very pleased with every purchase (in fact, I just ordered one of his silvertip brushes and am anxiously awaiting its arrival ). I have one of his sight-unseen razors, and while it isn't my prettiest shaver, it is still one of my best. I highly recommend this as a way to get into str8 shaving; why not start with one of these to see if you like it? Then, you can upgrade once you know what you're doing.

I also highly recommend his poor man's strop kit; the strop is narrow (meaning that you will need to use an X pattern), but it works and you won't feel bad if you cut it up. Also, the balsa with CrOx works great for touch-ups; it has already saved me some time and money on honing. YMMV, but my experience with whipped dog has been great!

But the true question is..does he hone all those razors himself? And when you think about it, for $8 as Oz pointed out, at times you're just buying a disposable that can't be honed again. In the beginning aren't we all getting into this hobby to save money on shaving and not give into the throw aways?

[QUOTE=Catrentshaving;1201675 as Oz pointed out, at times you're just buying a disposable that can't be honed again. In the beginning aren't we all getting into this hobby to save money on shaving and not give into the throw aways?[/QUOTE]

How often would a razor need to be honed again? Barring accidents with the faucet or...., with proper care and touchups with paste/barbers hones I think even the most worn razor would last long enough to get your moneys worth out of it. Especially if they end up like me, with RAD so I end up rotating razors. I have had my whipped dog for a year now with only stropping. I am guessing it will last many more years before I have to hone it seriously. A touch up on my pasted paddle will keep it going for a long time.

A razor that cant be honed again is such nonsense.

I have honed and shaved with razors that were half of their original width.

Originally Posted by Magpie

A razor that cant be honed again is such nonsense.

I have honed and shaved with razors that were half of their original width.

Half their width ? Luxury ! My first razor is a third of its original width & I can shave with it...... if I reaaaally want to .

I think its time for a new razor club (or contest)
The Remnants!

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Half their width ? Luxury ! My first razor is a third of its original width & I can shave with it...... if I reaaaally want to .

Originally Posted by Magpie

A razor that cant be honed again is such nonsense.

I have honed and shaved with razors that were half of their original width.

I dont think anyone said that they can't be rehoned, the only comment I have seen is in regards to the cost of rehoning a worn razor. Though as has been said, they are only $8 more than a hone. If the thing lasted 3 months you would be saving over cartridges at around $4 each.
I saw a comment regarding whether Larry ho es the razors himself, this I don't know, I do k ow be offers/ offered a postal honing school where to pay $15 or so, he will send you a razor that you hone, post it back, and he will evaluate it, so maybe some of the groundwork has been done on the sight unseens already, but I dont know, and provided the edge is shave ready when you buy it - who cares.

Originally Posted by Chugach68

How often would a razor need to be honed again? Barring accidents with the faucet or...., with proper care and touchups with paste/barbers hones I think even the most worn razor would last long enough to get your moneys worth out of it. Especially if they end up like me, with RAD so I end up rotating razors. I have had my whipped dog for a year now with only stropping. I am guessing it will last many more years before I have to hone it seriously. A touch up on my pasted paddle will keep it going for a long time.

If I had a dollar for every faucet dinged razor I hone .
I think your experience is in the best case scenario which is great for you but not all beginners are so lucky or careful.
Actually worn out razors don't always shave as well as they should & their geometry issues will cost you mo money if you have to pay someone to modify them but yes having a rotation & good maintenance will get you lots of miles.

Have people gotten the sight unseen flawed razors? I was thinking of picking one up as a beater for traveling, camping, etc. But I'm curious as to how flawed they are.