Thread: what is the cost per benefit ratio is for razors.

I wanted to get a second razor and thought of maybe aiming higher them my current if the quality was better but I guess if it isn't by that much I might as well buy the cheap boker stainless steel, at least that way I don't have to worry quit as much about rust.

The steel itself is the cheapest ingredient in a razor. Then comes forging, grinding, heat treatment, more grinding, honing, decorations, scales... then distribution costs, marketing costs, profits along the chain....

Some of these could be done in volume and cut costs, others are done one at a time.

As one example the grind of a Bergischer Lowe requires far more skill than the grind of a basic or middle range Dovo.

And then there is supply and demand - two razors that cost the same to produce or the same razor at different vendors or the same vendor at different times may end up selling for different prices, purely due to differences in demand and supply.

I read the title of this thread and couldn't help but think...Do you mean before or after full blown RAD kicks in?

It's like anything else, you pay more for what you WANT than what you NEED. More if everybody else WANTS it too :<0)

There is an answer to this.

There is a book- "straighter razor collecting"
It's main function serves as a "pricing guide"

What I have noticed is that the prices you formulate (it's a complicated multifaceted equation that is completely subjective) is that the market and the market alone determine the prices.

The boom however does give certain values to each 'feature' a razor has and according to the equation the more unique features a razor has the more it's worth. I guess that's true, even though sometimes it's not!

At the end of the day I have seen good branded razors with good steel, nice condition, blade etching jimps and natural material handles go for less than a beat up no namer with cell rot jut because 'a collector' needed the celluloid scales in their collection.

So price per feature- good concept, but it never works out that way