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