I'm a new member looking to learn the art of SR shaving on a budget. To this end, while I have been keeping an eye on the classifieds and doing a little research on new straight razors, I've begun looking at the local antique stores for vintage straight razors. Due to the education I've been gaining around here I think I have a decent idea of what problems to avoid but I still feel some apprehension at purchasing a vintage razor when I haven't even attempted an SR shave as of yet.

One trend I've seen among many members here is a price limit in the $30 dollar range for vintage SRs and I am assuming that this is likely for razors that cannot be considered shave ready (a claim I probably wouldn't trust anyway without knowing that the seller knows quite a bit about SRs) but do not require any real restoration work outside a visit to a honemeister. To this point the only SRs I've seen in my area have been in the $60-$80 range and do not include any manufacturers that a majority of members would consider collectable.

Are there any tips any of the membership would care to pass along? I am fairly confident of avoiding blades with severe defects like a chipping, pitting, cell rot, etc. but am more concerned with paying too much for a relatively inferior razor that is going to be a poor choice to learn with. At $80+ I am, at this point in my education, hesitant to spend the money on a vintage blade simply because once I pay for a honing I can pay a bit more at SRD and purchase a Dovo or Aust blade which is of known quality.