Thread: Premium razors from Japan

I noticed on Ebay a lot of premium manufacturers razors listed from Japan. I was curious to know if anyone has purchased say a Puma, Double Duck etc and what your experience has been? Seems there are a lot of razors over there.

I have had very good luck purchasing from the major Japanese razor sellers on the bay. Purchases over the years include Japanese westerns, German made, English and Spanish made straight razors to include NOS to very good condition and never had an issue with any of the sellers or the razors.

I have also bid in several razors. One NOS and two mint examples that I am very happy with. Japanese razors have a well deserved good reputation for being made well and of high quality steels. My Gold Rex 1072 and Towa razor are top notch examples. I would buy from the seller without hesitation any razor he had up for sale that I took a fancy to. Pics and description are accurate and honest. PM me for the sellers that I follow and have bought from. I will share them with interested people.
Ken

Three Friodurs. All easy transactions. Shipped to the states in little over a week.

For the truly NOS razors you have no worries. But I have seen a few where they were billed as NOS "Mint" but a close inspection of the photos revealed rust, pitting, uneven wear. While its rare that any of the current vendors seem to lie about a razor, they almost all state "see pictures for condition" so you MUST look closely. use the zoom function when ever possible. Don't be afraid to write them asking for more pictures, and Do Research!
Seriously, I cant count how many Puma 6/8 I have seen that look great, until you compare it to a photo of a mint one, and see how the toe has been ground down to soften the point, or has been worn down to 5/8 Same for many of the Friodurs. a 17 should be about 7/8 not 6/8 !!! Research people, RESEARCH!

I have no idea how they do it but razors from Japan arrive in record time at crazy low shipping costs. I can get a razor from Japan faster than a razor from eastern Canada. I would like it if all the shipping was that great combination of fast and inexpensive. I have bought a lot of razors from a handful of sellers in Japan. I have had one transaction that was less than desirable and many that were great. There are several sellers that I would not think would be a great place for new to straights to purchase from. Some of their photography is less than straight forward, and one of them has no idea what is meant by the expressions NOS or unused. I can think of three or four that have great goods, communicated well and have pretty stock photography and have always gotten exactly what I thought I was buying. As always you can check with others here about specific razors and seller via PM for more specific answers. Sometimes it is nice to check and see what a more experienced guy sees in the same pictures.

I've had excellent results with Japanese sellers, including a NOS Dovo Bergischer Lowe, the old heavy grind version.

You do have to look closely, the NOS razors are old (the 'O" in NOS) and can have some age-related problems. Used ones yes, you do have to watch that toe wear, absolutely!

While there certainly is some junk put up, there are some deals too. I recently bought a fine Tanifuji BaBa Swedish steel with one spot of pitting near the spine for $47 and a low-wear Tanifuji Favorit for $36 with some fine pitting over much of it but the edge is stellar. Shipping will add some cost, but if you buy 2-3 of them the cost is quite reasonable.

Cheers, Steve