Thread: New or Vintage?

Originally Posted by SteveS

New or old, any of the razors recommended by members of this board could provide you with a close, comfortable shave. Any minor deficiencies in the shaving capabilities of any of these razors will be dwarfed by the the deficiencies in your stropping, shaving, and honing skills for some time to come. Moreover, there is no ultimate razor for everyone. The only way to figure out what razor you like best is to try a few different ones after you have the basics down well enough to appreciate the differences.

So stop wringing your hands and buy your first razor!

Great advice! The best razor is the one that has been honed to perfection.

lol thanx steve

Originally Posted by Warlockdlx69

well as the future comes barreling toward me.. i know i will get at least one or two more... but initially id like to get something im going to be satisfied with.... i would assume a common RAD trigger is someone who buys a razor as a good deal to start with and ends up with "oh this razor is sh**! gotta buy a new one and hope its better" lol you know? its kinda like a newbie buying a bulk pack of american personna blades, and now that hes figured out its junk hes going to dig around and buy the next step up... not too much more money... but more... and those arent good enough... so he buys the next... and so forth... i like to start at the top, and work my way down... "top" being the best i can feasibly afford... but unlike DE blades, str8s share many common, as well as unique traits... its not just "too smooth/dull vs too agressive/sharp"... theres much more to take into consideration, and the fact that just about any razor can be honed to the "perfect edge" makes it almost impossible to make razor searching a matter of quality...

in short... str8 edge brands/models are wide spread... in the end the only thing that matters is steel, balance, ability to take an edge, and overall physical condition... which still leaves you with about a million choices... and thats my problem.

Let me be blunt....WRONG

This is not how RAD is triggered in the straight world. You get a woderful razor and then you say, "oh, but I want to try that one". Then you see a deal on something else and can't resist. Then Bill Ellis or Garythepenman, or some other master posts a great looking razor and you buy it. Then, someone says how great half hollows are and you want to try one. So, you buy one...on and on.

Warlock, get a good middle priced razor that is shave ready. Learn to shave and strop. Then start experimenting with other razors and grinds. New and vintage. Your opinions will change over time. I've been doing this for over a year, and my opinions are still changing. Six months ago I was conviced that wedges and quarter hollows were the only blades worth having. I was wrong- even after trying them. Be patient and enjoy the trip. You have the rest of your life....

Jordan

yeah, im going to aim for $70 or under i think... the big one just might be too much beast for me... and my wallet lol plus, i still need a strop... and i dont care... i will need a decent strop... its something that wont change even when i get new razors... i will always need a good strop... and i can get a paddle for about $40... so, this should work out nicely... (O_O) hopefully...

Originally Posted by SteveS

The only way to figure out what razor you like best is to try a few different ones after you have the basics down well enough to appreciate the differences.

So stop wringing your hands and buy your first razor!

+1, my favorite razor is still my (first) inexpensive 5/8 despite the Dovo (Bismark) sitting next to it.The Dovo is prettier, bigger, more expensive, etc. and yet it still only gets used 1/3 days. You never know what's going to work best until you try some different ones.

Ant

That's the beauty of opinions: they can change in a trice, as needs be.

Bruce

Originally Posted by Warlockdlx69

yeah, im going to aim for $70 or under i think... the big one just might be too much beast for me... and my wallet lol plus, i still need a strop... and i dont care... i will need a decent strop... its something that wont change even when i get new razors... i will always need a good strop... and i can get a paddle for about $40... so, this should work out nicely... (O_O) hopefully...

I'm sure you've been told already to look to Tony Miller at thewellshavedgentelman.com. If you can afford it, go with one of his top of the line strops and for $5 or so he'll provide a "practice" strop that you can use to learn on. That way you won't nick a $$ work of art. Then, you can use the practice strop for travel, etc.

Jordan

yeah i already talked to tony... great guy!!! he never told me about a practice strop... but ill be sure to ask him about that i was going to go with a 2 sided 3 1/4 paddle.... we both talked about it and it seems to be the best option for me... + for about 8 bucks more i can get it increased to a 14" stropping area... which is only 4" shorter than the average hanging strop... all in all? cost i believe he quoted me about $42... not bad, so the strop isnt my concern... its the razor... but, ive came across a few people with a few good razors... and im sure i will find what i want with them

Originally Posted by Warlockdlx69

yeah, im going to aim for $70 or under i think... the big one just might be too much beast for me... and my wallet lol plus, i still need a strop... and i dont care... i will need a decent strop... its something that wont change even when i get new razors... i will always need a good strop... and i can get a paddle for about $40... so, this should work out nicely... (O_O) hopefully...

Good choice! Strop addiction is far less common than razor addiction. I for instance have two strops but over a dozen razors. By the way my most expensive razor was my first, a restoration from Joe chandler for $35.00 as my abilities to hone and polish have improved I have gotten a couple of freebee rust buckets looking and shaving like new. Now I have a 7/8's Griffon sitting on my workbench just waiting for me to get around to working it up This was another gift from and older relative, by the time I shave with it I will probably have many hours into it but no out of pocket $.

damn lol $35 is your most expensive razor? either you got some really killer deals, or you been really fortunate... (gifts) like that Griffon your talkin about... i wish i would have someone come around and hand me even a wapi... let alone a nice, expensive, quality piece of equipment.... lol