Thread: looking to buy a second razor

I am rather new to this whole straight razor shaving thing... but for sure I will not go "back" to safety razors.

I bought, almost two months ago, my first stright razor - a Dovo "best quality" 5/8 - and I am very happy with it. I get good results with it, it's sharp and I manage to get some nicks and cuts once in a while. I suppose it's normal and it comes with the learning curve deal... still can't get BBS though.

Despite all that, I am very interested in buying a second razor. The reasons are only 3:
1) I read somewhere that you should own at least 2 razors if you shave daily so that the razors should have a chance to rest overnight and realign the edge... some people say it's a myth, some say "better safe than sorry"...
2) I want to "upgrade" my shaving buying a better razor...
3) I want a second razor... that's it!

So... I was wondering what you guys would sugest as a second razor. I confess I don't want to spend too much on it, plus professional honing, plus the shipping costs, plus the custom taxes (I live across the great pond... in Portugal). I am very much interested in buying a Thiers-issard razor. Maybe a 5/8 "singing" full hollow ground... or a 4/8 of some kind... I like small razors. Bigger than a 5/8, for me, is closer to a butcher knife than a razor! So... send me a line with your thougts!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by fpessanha

Despite all that, I am very interested in buying a second razor. The reasons are only 3:
1) I read somewhere that you should own at least 2 razors if you shave daily so that the razors should have a chance to rest overnight and realign the edge... some people say it's a myth, some say "better safe than sorry"...
2) I want to "upgrade" my shaving buying a better razor...
3) I want a second razor... that's it!

Even though I'm a newbie too, let me be among the first to welcome you to RAD!!! Let me know when you can substitute "fiftieth/50" for "second/2" in that quote

I started with a Dovo 6/8 tortoise shell (love it!), bought a Genco 5/8 Head Barber off ebay before I received the Dovo (love it!), recently bought a beautiful Wade and Butcher from the Buy/Sell/Trade forum here (love it!) . . . well, you get the idea.

The best advice I can give you is to look out there, see something that tickles your fancy, and if you can afford it, then buy it, hone it (or get it honed from a honemeister) strop it, and shave with it! Try local antique shops, or better yet, check out the B/S/T forum here, these guys do masterful work and you stand a better chance of finding a shave-ready razor within your budget.

Happy shaving!

I don't know about shipping to Portugal (if I read your location correctly) but I have a 9/16 Genco Spike that is a super shaver and might fit the bill. Nice looking, shave ready and won't break the bank.

I seldom use it; I tend to gravitate toward the "meat cleavers"! I purchased it some time ago sight-unseen and thought it was a larger blade.

PM me if you would like more info.

Another option would be posting in the B/S/T forum what you would like....


v/r

Allen

Originally Posted by mrbhagwan

Even though I'm a newbie too, let me be among the first to welcome you to RAD!!! Let me know when you can substitute "fiftieth/50" for "second/2" in that quote

I started with a Dovo 6/8 tortoise shell (love it!), bought a Genco 5/8 Head Barber off ebay before I received the Dovo (love it!), recently bought a beautiful Wade and Butcher from the Buy/Sell/Trade forum here (love it!) . . . well, you get the idea.

The best advice I can give you is to look out there, see something that tickles your fancy, and if you can afford it, then buy it, hone it (or get it honed from a honemeister) strop it, and shave with it! Try local antique shops, or better yet, check out the B/S/T forum here, these guys do masterful work and you stand a better chance of finding a shave-ready razor within your budget.

Happy shaving!

Glad to hear the W&B is treating you well!

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Glad to hear the W&B is treating you well!

Oh yeah! I've been using it on weekends and nights when I can take my time and really enjoy it.

Now back on topic The B/S/T was a very nice place to find a good razor that tickled my fancy at a price I could afford!

My "Butcher-lust" has been satisfied . . . for now - RAD is a on the wallet!

I know exactly how you feel...

er...

I mean...

I don't know why anyone would need more than one razor...

On a slightly more serious note, I'm in exactly the same boat. I started with a DOVO classic special which, despite a slight warp to the blade that I didn't discover until too late, is treating me well. But I did need a second razor, for all the reasons you mentioned, plus one: I needed a second razor. So I picked up an old Wade & Butcher from Ebay which I'm slowly restoring. Then I picked up Royal Simmons on Ebay because I figured, "how bad can it be for a few dollars?".

Just out of curiosity, what makes you gravitate toward the smaller razors? I started with a 5/8 (my DOVO) and am slowly gravitating toward the larger wedges.

Thanks for the advice, you guys! Pretty usefull, by the way...

I recently fell in love with a Thiers-issard, a pretty 5/8 with the "singing" full hollow ground. It's a bit expensive... arround 100$ I think... I figure it could be a good choice. But there are some answers needed... first, I am very interested in knowing more about the razor you told me about, Allen. At least to know another brand... knowledge doesn't hurt, right? Second, I tend to gravitate to smaller razors because... well... I don't know, really... it's just that I like small things. E.g. my girlfriend is a small woman, my dog is a small dog, my country is a small country!... Go figure... plus, I tend to find smaller razors more elegant than the bigger ones. When I surf through online shaving stuff stores, razors bigger than 5/8 don't atract my atention. And that's it...

I guess I will post something on the buy-sell-trade forum and see what comes up.

Thanks again!

Olá colega!

Se não fores para a TI, o melhor é mesmo colocares um WTB no BST. Dá preferência a vendedores europeus porque lembra-te que pagas 40% de imposto se ficar na alfândega. É tentador comprar dos EUA com o dólar baixo, mas será que compensa pagar depois as taxas?
Agora vou pôr isto em inglês para o resto do pessoal não reclamar...

Um abraço


And now in English....

Hi, mate!

If you're not heading to the TI, your best bet is an WTB ad in the BST forum. Because of custom taxes, say you prefer an European vendor, otherwise you'll might end up paying 40% taxes to our beloved government. It's tempting to buy something in USD dollars nowadays, but would you take the chance?

Regards