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The guy who runs "chef knives to go" is a japanese knife enthusiast. In addition to selling various japanese knives, he makes his own with a. With left over material he makes a straight razor. its only US$25. Does anybody have a view on this as an entry level razor? Cheers
Richmond Full Hollow, Carbon Steel 6/8" Straight Razor
for 25 bucks probably not a big deal if not a good razor.
Looking at it , it looks well ground, but the real question is if it was heat treated correctly.
That sounds way to good to be true. I can't believe some of the prices I see on nice vintage straights around here some days either. For my money I'd pass. If you are looking for an inexpensive starting point keep an eye on the classifieds here or Whipped Dog is also a good source. The big issue for a beginner is that you need a blade to arrive truly shave ready. There are not a lot of reliable sources for the truly shave ready and budget prices. I see your location is Sydney, I am going to presume that it is in Australia, if it is you might want to private message a member Bongo. He has some deals for his country men that was in a recent thread.
No, but for $25 I'm thinking I might pick one up. Mark Richmond is a pretty good guy and knows about edges and steel. His "Artifex" knives made from AEB-L are, I think, the runaway best deal in cutlery. I have had great success with his product and am going to try and find out who makes these for him. Hopefully it's not a rebranded GD or Pakistani blade...as Richmond products are pretty decent quality; I don't think it will be.Quote:
Originally Posted by thatsCutting
Don’t know the razor, but know the site. I have been a customer for years.
They sell quality stuff, I’m sure the razor will be a fine shaver.
Good looking razor, Great Price.
I’m ordering one after this post.
I read somewhere (can't find the page now) that Richmond uses left over AEB-L steel from his jap knives.
Just heard from Mark Richmond (currently out of the country on business). He did not advise who actually manufactures the razor but did say the steel used is 1095. I don't know too much about the finer points of steel, but understand 1095 is an acceptable material for straights.
I'll be getting back with Mark upon his return. Hopefully he will shed additional light on this product.
I ordered one. I have my doubts. Hopefully I am wrong.
Looking forward to the opinions on this razor. Hope it turns out to be good.
Who ever gets one first review please!
Newbie question. Would the area i circled need to be ground down for honing ?
Attachment 167655
No. Not unless for some weird reason it is "taller" than the spine, which does not appear to be the case here from what I can see in the pictureQuote:
Originally Posted by mike1011
I too would be very interested in knowing if this would be a good deal if even for someone to practice honing a SR.
I justified the cost as honing practice or what I would pay on eBay. I am hoping for the best expecting far less. I do not like the scales or peening.
On the main page: Buying a beginner's set on a budget - Straight Razor Place Library
Should get you started. And, Welcome to SRP!
I received mine today. I have my doubts. Cuts the hair on my arm at least. But that is not saying much. I can see the scratch pattern in the bevel with my tired eyes. The razor came heavily covered in an oil that when wiped left my cloth black. The scales are peened without washers. I will get it home and have a go at shaving without touching up the edge. More later
Jim
I can't wait to see the initial reviews!:whipped:
Under magnification the bevel looked ok at best. I attempted a cheek this morning without doing a thing to the factory edge and not a whisker was cut. Off to the hones. I will update when I have made progress. The scales remind me of two thin plastic cutting boards shaped for the razor.
I tried posting twice last night but something must have gone wrong.
In answer to the original thread title “Looking at getting into SR with this blade” I would suggest looking in another place for a razor. I agree with the review above. I had hoped the factory edge would shave at least a little since it did shave arm hair but so do my hunting knives and I would not shave with them. I think they sharpened this razor like they would a kitchen knife. I placed mine on a DMT D8C and the spine is not in contact through the length of the razor on either side like the spine was slightly bowed. I decided to use the DMT to set a new bevel which I am still working on. I am having trouble with the toe one side as the spine is still slightly bowed. Being stubborn and realizing I have already wasted the money, I am going to keep at it but I am thinking I may never get an edge to my liking until the spine shows heavy hone wear.
I will keep updating this thread for the world to see my progress on this RSO
Tough steel. Bevel setting was a pain. After I got the spine flat I used two pieces of tape and nothing was working. I went to a medium grit oil stone then the DMT and finally on to a 1000 grit. The edge never chipped in the least. I checked constantly for wear and wore out one piece of tape. Luckily it is still a 6/8 razor. Hopefully I can get an edge yet this weekend... But I doubt it
Any more work done to it? I got one as well, edge keeps crumbling away on me? I am new to straight razors, not sure if it's something I am doing or not? I have been working on my uncles Gottlieb Hammesfahr (had to remove a nick in the edge) and I get a much better/cleaned edge on that than the CKTG razor? Spine was a little off, slight bend, so I reset the bevel completely with a 1K water stone and sharpened fully to a J nat finish and strop on bare leather. Edge crumbled away and rolled over into a burr when I shaved. Put 2 layers of elec. tape on the spine, fully rehoned, same issue. Wondering if the edge area got decarbed during heat treat and I need to grind back a bit into better metal? Steels feels a bit soft, but I am used to sharpening Japanese kitchen knives with Rockwells in the low to mid 60's, so even high 50's seems a bit soft to me. But I am totally new to SR's, so it may be something I am doing?
Mine is still at the 1k stage. Thanks for the update. I had a feeling I was going to run into the same issues. This is a kitchen knife shaped like a razor
Well, a soft kitchen knife! LOL. As a newbie, the grind thinness itself didn't seem bad at the edge, wonder if the spines bent during HT or machining? They all seem to have it from the few reviews I have read? Too bad the steel is somewhat soft.
Shaved with one of these tonight! I bought it back when this thread came up. I had only been shaving for a month or two at the time and had no hones.
I got a set of Nortons from Santa and decided to have a go at it with this razor. Ultimately, I ended up grinding the spine down a bunch to get it flat with a 600 grit diamond knife sharpener and then used tape on the spine to set the bevel on the 1000 Norton. Progressed up to the 8000, then a balsa CrOx strop and finally nylon web and leather. Seemed sharp, so I gave it a shot. Decent shave. Not as good as my pro-honed whipped dog razors, but certainly sharp enough to shave!.
Obviously this is really just an RSO as it came from the vendor, but ultimately. I was able to shave with it.
Attachment 189444
You did not have to remove any steel from the spine. They are very hard razors, a Diamond 1k will get a flat bevel then joint and switch to lapping film for a keen, super straight edge.
You could have taped the spine and honed it easily. Most vintage razors are way more out of true flat and hone just fine.
The biggest problem is they are very hard, leading many to use too much pressure or too aggressive a stone, which later cause chipping.
Once you get an edge on them, they are great shavers and hold an edge like the IRS to your money.
Attachment 190311For $25.00 or less you can get a great vintage str8 Touch up on a barbers hone, strop & have a great shave. That is why I always buy in person so I know what I am buying.
This is a $10.00 purchase, a Hamilton Razor Co. #51 Hollow ground That I didn't even need to hone. Stropped on linen with green paste Then on a Koken horse butt leather strop to finish.
The only way I would have a new razor is if it was a gift.
Slawman
