Thread: Please tell me it doesn't matter

My way of thinking is a razor is a cutting edge. What's attached to that cutting edge doesn't matter because your face only sees the edge not the rest of the blade or the scales. If it's proper sharp any razor will give an equally good shave no matter the size, shape or grind or age.

Does that mean YOU will get the same shave from every razor? No, because all those other factors involve you and the way you interact with the razor. Add to that just personal factors and daily changes in your mood and health.

It doesn't matter

The Function always beats Form with SRs


I only wish that more companies and makers paid more attention to stropping than how pretty the razor is .... I dare to dream

Originally Posted by gssixgun

It doesn't matter

The Function always beats Form with SRs


I only wish that more companies and makers paid more attention to stropping than how pretty the razor is .... I dare to dream

Yes I totally agree Glen. Not only more attention in terms of making people aware of it but also in the geometry and balance of the blades themselves - some razors, especially the big boys, are freaking impossible to strop smoothly or easily by rolling between your fingers - they are a cut strop waiting to happen in the wrong hands.

James

As I'm not a wealthy man too... I can just buy cheap & old razors (almost all between 5 - 20€) apart for a couple of more expensive ones... but, often I'm lucky and, when honed, they perform very well.

So, since last May (when I started using SRs) the best shave I got came from an almost NOS vintage Dovo Tennis 20... a 5/8" FH.
Well, I got it for 15€!

You can check it here: https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/...ml#post1926091

It's small but performs like a champ! Just to say that "dimension doesn't matter"

It don’t matter

Oh and do what you want, my most used razor is a 5/8 Kinfolks. And I have a dozen customs from 10/8 to 6/8. The edge is the only thing that cuts the rest is window dressing, I love a pretty custom, hence why I’ve bought a bunch over the years but I shave with my Kinfolks or my Charlie Lewis most of the time. They are Polar opposites, the Kinfolks is 5/8 and traditional hollow grind, my Lewis is 8/8 chopper 1/4 grind(love this razor). So it’s all about what you want and can afford

Those biguns are unwieldy. I prefer 6/8 to 7/8.

I love my big'uns from the old Sheffield makers like Wade and Butcher, Wostenholm and Sons, etc., but they can get pricey real quick. Any vintage Sheffield chopper over about 7/8" in decent shape on Ebay, say an 8/8" WB FBU or similar, can go for hundreds at times. And the demand for the super behemoths will almost always drive bidding up fast. I love the whole experience of shaving with them, but as others have said, they don't necessarily shave better; they're just sexier.

So unless you're rich, you have to get creative. Like Outback Mike's spies, you can get people to keep an eye out for you in antique shops. And sometimes you just stumble on to great deals. For example, back in '14 we went to Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, TN. I wandered over to the military and antique section, and they had a display case full of dozens of vintage classics from an estate sale for 25 bucks apiece, or 5 for a hundred (including the aforementioned 8/8" WB FBU in mint condition that, yes, I paid 20 bucks for!)-not sure they knew what they had. That one trip really jump-started my vintage razor collection. Keep your eyes peeled.

And Mike, that huge RigaRazor is one sexy beast! If I were to buy a custom, it would probably be one like that.

I have a mixed message. I am an avid fine tea drinker. It doesn't scare me to pay $500/lb for the right tea. BUT, I won't drink that tea every day. I have others that I do drink every day though. People ask me about what is good or how they should drink tea. I tell them this: just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's good. Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's bad. On what is good: what you like is good. Like it because you like it and don't let some snob, know it all tell you what to like. Like it because you like it and thoroughly enjoy it because it's your mouth that's drinking it, not theirs.

On the other hand. Chevrolet made 2 vettes. They made the Corvette. They also made the Chevette. They were NOT the same thing and they didn't cost the same. Would both get you from point A to point B? Of course they would...but man the ride is not the same. I don't have as many as some of these guys but I still have 140-160 razors (haven't counted for a while) and my 2 favorites (that are in shaving condition) are an old Westby Leicester circa 1840s and a Henry Sears Queen 7/8 #740 both are great big honkers and fancy as hell. However, I don't shave with them often but when I do, BOY is it great!
Back to the vettes: if I had both I would probably drive the Chevette more but while I was driving it I would be dreaming about the day when I drove the Corvette.

Edit: So in answer to your question. Does it matter? Of course it does, but it's not the be all end all. Treat yourself to a fancy one you can afford but do it carefully and methodically and preferably pick it out by hand rather than ordering it from an auction site. Oh yeah, and cherish the hell out of it.

The looks, size, or price don't say good or bad. But whether it's comfortable or not to shave is what matters