Thread: Custom razors

Originally Posted by SemperFi

Buy 'em all, buy 'em all!

I have some great custom, some awesome modern, and some fantastic vintage razors and damn, they all shave well! Rez nailed it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Find the sizes and styles you prefer, check up on the few to avoid, and then have fun and....buy 'em all, buy 'em all!

And all the lather you can as well!

I already have a few of these things..its addictive

It is........

Spot on, Tom--Andrew and I are laying in a horde of suds just in case Armegeddon comes or if lye gets banned or when our significant other is looking the other way.

Oh and strops and also hones and....

No compulsive addictive personality here....

I only have one strop, it seems not wide enough for my feeble attempt to strop.

With a custom razor, a portion of the cost goes into decorative features such as blade etchings, engravings, a decorated spine, thumb notches, and fancy scales. Those items may have little effect on the quality of the shave you get from the blade. However, if those elements enhance your enjoyment of shaving with that razor, then they may be worth the extra cost.

If you main priority is getting a great shave at a reasonable cost, then avoid the fancy aesthetics. You can achieve this with either a vintage or modern razor as long as the blade is properly honed. If you can afford a custom razor and appreciate it both as a tool for shaving and as a work of art, then find one you like.

There are some razors that have nice scales and other aesthetic improvements. They are not one-of-a-kind custom razors, but they are a step up from the lower priced razors "plain Jane" razors like Dovo Best Quality or Boker King Cutter.

I am really enjoying my dovo, I am more interested in the older blades that are in reasonable shape. I bought my dovo new but my other rapes are older ones. I just was wondering about the shave quality of the custom razors. Thanks for the advice, I can't see my wife being happy if a dropped a grand on a razor.

Kidding aside, Riga and Koraat do nice razors at reasonable price-points. Koraat is easier in terms of contacting Ulrik and you can play around with his configurator and get a very clear idea of what one of his razors will cost.

Ray's spot on with getting or having a blade well honed. If you buy on eBay, send it to one our resident honemeisters for that work (don't strop it when its returned--that will put you on the map with its sharpness and later with the stones they used).

I wasn't kidding in my earlier post though about size and style--new or old. Discovering what size(s) and points (round, square, French, Spanish, and etc.) you prefer will save you bucks down the road. Likewise, trying a few grinds is helpful as well (1/4 hollow, full hollow, and etc.). If you're not sure on these, don't sink a lot of money into blades...look for reasonable prices and blades in reasonable condition and try the blade for awhile.

Nearly any good, vintage blade that's honed well will give a decent shave. Finding your preferences will help you later with zooming in on what you want, esp. with custom blades and again, that will save you some money in the long run. Some decisions on these choices will also become more clear as technique and comfort and experience levels and etc. grow.

Have fun finding what you like and works for you!

Originally Posted by Dlb1963

I can't see my wife being happy if a dropped a grand on a razor.

Don't tell her.....seriously, DON'T!!!!!


As mentioned there are some very good customs out there. Just ask around here if you are considering one.
I'm sure one ormore of us had the makers product and can give you an honest review.

I don't own any customs...yet.
But the best shave I've had yet, came from a 1700s razor I recently restored. I was floored, by a razor over 200 yrs old.