Thread: Razors from Pakistan

Originally Posted by robert2286

Lol... I guess i am looking for an excuse to buy my next project... Even thou i have 10 razors waiting for rescale! Lol! I will let you all know if i decide to experiment with these Pakistanian unknown razors

Miracles do happen!

First off I have never had a Pakistani razor so can't comment first hand on what they are like. To me somebody approaching me on FB that I don't know wanting to sell me something is akin to being approached on the street by a stranger asking if I want to buy a watch. If these razors from Pakistan were of reasonable quality I would guess most reputable retailers would carry them especially considering the price point. Couple that with posts on different forums that are generally not to rosy about these razors make me very leery of getting one.

OTH if you get one realizing all that just to see for yourself what is what that should not be a problem. I am sure most here have spent more on booze in one night out and flushed it down the toilet. Either way it is an affordable loss worse case scenario and best case you just might get lucky.

Bob

Pakistan has an amazing metalworking culture considering the fabricating handicaps they have to overcome to get any work done at all. That this fellow offers himself as a surgical instrument maker is interesting. I could suggest that physicians would have some serious input into the quality of the tools he made for them since their business is more in the life and death arena if the tool does not perform.

I will say "perhaps", mostly because there are so many things I don't know about the manufacturing that lend a better opinion. Today, I am with the rest of the opinions on this one. Generally, for sharp things, Pakistani blades have not been up to standards for what could normally be expected. They replicate very well, but do not perform very well. This includes their pattern welded steels too.

Now, some of the Pakistani makers are on the various forums looking for feedback. They do have the capability of changing their methods, changing their steels and will produce an acceptable product for the rest of the world market if they are motivated to do so. So there can be exceptions and the only way to find these exceptions is to test the product.

The relative value of even a very good (I know it's an oxymoron) Pakistani razor would still be so far below what is normally available in the modern razor market from reputable suppliers that it would undercut business. It's no different really than any other cheap razor manufacturer. They want to make pennies on a blade and sell a lot of them rather than put effort into making a generational razor that they will sell a few and wait to grow the market based on reputation rather than quantity.

Caveat emptor

I love when Mike talks steel


Over the years I have reached out to many Newbs that have posted about "Pakistani / Chinese Razors" and "Unknown brand razors" that they bought or had bought for them, I have offered to hone them or more accurately to try and hone them...

They fall into 4 categories so far


1. The edge literally falls apart as you try and get the bevel to set on the 1k, switching to the 4k allows for a edge to form that would be about kitchen knife sharp but no more..

2. The bevel will form and a sharp edge will take, this edge will fall apart about halfway through the shave, you can literally see the edge damage easily with a loupe and sometimes with the naked eye.

3. The edge will take and you can get through a shave, or two, but there is a noticeable difference in smoothness from a true SR

4. The razor performs and shaves, I have not ever heard back about how long these edges lasted, I assume for two reasons, they either gave up and moved on or they bought known SR's.. Many of these razors also fall into the price range of an entry level known brand so it makes really no sense to buy one


This has been my actual experience through testing

I agree with the others. I feel prey to the lure of a cheap, working razor and have regretted it since. A big, big waste of money that could have gone toward something more lasting. Lousy edge, didn't stay sharp enough. I keep it around as a visual reminder that, although I like to pay as little as possible, there are times when that bites you on the butt. Save your money. Assuage you curiosity with a good lunch out. (And do as I do on eBay these days. I put all the razors, etc. that I am interested in on my Watch list and watch them increase to ridiculous final prices, congrats myself for not buying and celebrate with a piece of chocolate cake ((another addiction to deal with))).

I hate to broadly generalize about this but sometimes it can't be helped. Pakistani and most Chinese blades are not a good purchase from any perspective for a newb. That said, once you get some restoration and honing experience a Gold Dollar can be worth a gamble but I've yet to see a Pakistani blade that was worth the money or effort to hone.

GDs can be acceptable if you happen to get one that was made properly - it's a gamble though - and if you can't hone them yourself (meaning you need to be able to tell when a blade is a lost cause) then GDs are a waste as well for you until you gain that knowledge.

To get philosophical - I agree totally with Mike and Glen, there's not much more to add to that except to say that should a Pakistani or Chinese maker decides to get knowledgeable about straight razors AND changes their processes to produce consistently good quality steel and proven geometry on the blades, AND does some effective marketing to change their image to the point that prospective buyers are confident that what they'll receive is going to take and hold a good edge for a long time, THEN I'd recommend a specific Pakistani maker's work. Until then, it's all just a gamble, and not a very good one - a bit like folding at the blackjack table when you have a pair of 10s and the dealer is showing a 4 - you MIGHT win if the dealer falls over unconscious, but why risk it when there's so many good blades out there for the same price and less effort.

I paid under $4 for a razor like that once, just to see what bad was. I now use it to open packages that come in the mail.

It all makes sense and i am glad i asked the question... I knew i would get good answers! Thanks all! If any of you is rich and has time to mess with these ... The info is above

The blades might not be up to par, There might however be a silver lining, The scales.

If that guy is hand making nice scales in natural materials then you could be on a winner. Say an order for 10 polished bone scales, for your own use with restorations. And a free evaluation blade for yourself. If the blade come through as a winner then you know you might be able to gamble on something fancy. If the blade is useless then you have a supply of hand made scales to add value to ebay razors.

I have only had one blade from Pakistani and the only reason I bought it was the price and it was for my then 4 year old son I dulled the cutting edge so he would not cut himself. He still uses it when he want to shave with me. As far as if the edge was good or would even keep an edge I have no clue but my son really likes the way it shaves and been using it for three years and never had to hone it once