Thread: so many choices

Hey guys,

I'm curious as to why there is such a price difference between new razors. Some are around $100.00. Others between $300-$500 or even $1000.00. I can assume the extremely expensive ones are possibly vintage or collector pieces. But what about brand new factory razors. Is it worth it to spend a bit more money? What are the biggest differences that determine cost? Thanks in advance.

Detail and scale material for new production.
Condition and demand on vintage.

A quality new production can be had between $80 and $150 easy.
Böker, Dovo, Ralf Aust, etc.
Vintage can be all over the place price wise and eBay is not a good place to start if you do not know what to look at/for.
If vintage is your preference watch the classifieds here.
Keep in mind factory shave ready is not always truly shave ready.
Custom pieces can get very pricey but in the end they are all doing the same thing,
clearing stubble.
Find something you like from a reputable source in your price range and it will be money well spent if you are serious about getting into this.

Great advice right there from pfries. I looked at all my options for a month or better. Had my mind made up on a new one. Waited an found that the "restored" vintage was actually a better way to go IMO. Got a great razor an strop for a fraction of just a new straight that would've needed to be honed anyways. Mine came truly shave ready. The classifieds an forums here were a fantastic source for me finding the right straight at the right price. Good luck.

Originally Posted by jfry

But what about brand new factory razors. Is it worth it to spend a bit more money? What are the biggest differences that determine cost?

That's the usual question, when people encounter such a choice. The answer is 'depends', and it depends mostly on what is it that you value. To start, at the beginning you probably couldn't tell the difference because you don't yet have the proficiency to use the razor and that would dominate your experience.
Then some of the price of the razor is dependent on the cost of the materials and labor - i.e. wooden scales are more expensive than plastic ones, exotic woods are more expensive than 'plywood', and horn is more expensive than ordinary wood. How much do you value the more expensive materials?

Some of the price is just production costs - for example germans are more efficient at manufacturing, so german razors are usually better value at the same quality, just like german cars tend to be a better value at a given quality.

Then some of it is just market positioning - you know that there are luxury brands which are expensive because they can not remain luxury unless they are exclusive. I.e. they serve as status symbol. You are looking at mass production razors, so I suspect you are not interested in paying for exclusivity, but you mentioned the order of magnitude variation in prices, so I though I'll point that out too.

Imo, the shaving experience is mostly influenced by the width of the razor because that changes the experience of maneuvering the blade. Staying within the same width, and staying with the quality manufacturers (vintage and modern), every razor will shave about the same as every other razor. the differences are mainly due to production cost / time / materials and collectibility.