Some razors rock.

[English]

I was tempted to post an answer on the classifieds as to why Ducks are not commanding very high prices at the moment, but thought it unfair to the seller.

Well DD's were DOVO's made for the American market. They give a normal shave, but they are not "special". They certainly are not worth a premium price against the current DOVO production and the silly prices people will ask and pay for a normal razor has always both astonished and amazed me.
OK for collectors, I understand. OK for "Americans" because they are special to the USA. But special daily shavers..... no way.

Two other overpriced razors Are DORKO and PUMA. Better quality than DD's but the price they command is far in excess of the shave quality. Vintage Wade and Butcher wide blade razors also seam to fall into the same camp.

Historically, these razors were not top of the price range and why they are today is something that if I understood, I would be a very rich.

I don't intend to list my list of "good" razors for three reasons:
If I list them, it will likely overhype the prices.
If people fail to recognise quality and rely on hype and price to make up for their own research, well more fool them.
There are some I have not tried yet.

Any body any comments?

[hoglahoo]

I didn't know DD's were DOVO's - how interesting

I'd like to do my own research on that though - do you happen to have any I could test?

[Ockham]

Apparently, the fact that Dovo made razors for DD has already been "discussed" - not much but mentionned - in this forum (SRP rocks): http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...rid-7-8-a.html
Unfortunately Superfly's link seems to be dead... not any more... Superfly was fast and a new link has been posted. Way to go!

Maybe somebody will be able to give more info.

[hoglahoo]

Unfortunately Superfly's link seems to be dead...

Not quite dead, just living elsewhere http://straightrazorpalace.com/old_s...d,24/Itemid,3/

This is the new link superfly has already updated the original SRP thread with: http://straightrazorpalace.com/downl...p?do=file&id=1

[English]

Hey Gugi,

I didn't say they are no good, they are very good but not "special".
So don't mix my words and introduce really poor quality from the third world into the argument. That is not what this post is about. Please read what I say and not what you think I said.

I'm asking why certain razors suddenly will command premium prices even though they are not "special "shavers.

Nothing personal.

[gugi]

Hey Gugi,

I didn't say they are no good, they are very good but not "special".
So don't mix my words and introduce really poor quality from the third world into the argument. That is not what this post is about. Please read what I say and not what you think I said.

I'm asking why certain razors suddenly will command premium prices even though they are not "special "shavers.

Nothing personal.

Of course my post is an exaggeration of what you said. I agree that many razors are hyped beyond reason, but every duck I've tried has been a pleasure to hone and use - certainly above average, although I have other razors that I prefer better. Of course I haven't tried the dovo ducks, but I've tried several Dovo razors and they are not bad at all, some are rather good actually.
As far as W&B go, I have only one that may stay, but I have several multiples of some other old sheffield brands. I wouldn't call them not special though. DD and the W&B are one of the most abundant razors around, and their prices are quite high, so it's not the supply part of the equation.

The thing though is that even if you post your favorite brands that will be a rather small ripple - nothing even close to the Wonderedge effect.

As far as where newbies should start, I agree with BeBerlin - they should start in the Classifieds to get one consistent razor and then they can explore others just like the rest of us do. Unfortunately most newbies think that there's a magic razor, or that just buying a sought after brand will be enough to make them learn faster or anything. And then they go ahead and buy the toothpick of a dubl duck with rotting scales and think they got incredible value for that $50.... All the information is available in the stickies, so I don't feel too bad for them.

We all value different things - I happen to prefer razors which are closer to the original condition from the factory and materials like ivory and horn, and usually pay premium for this. Others prefer the mirror finish of a regrind and plastic or wooden scales over ivory - we all spend our own money, so it's all good

[BeBerlin]

I'm asking why certain razors suddenly will command premium prices even though they are not "special "shavers.

Not least because of information like this. Flaunting brand names seems to be the latest (or maybe not so late) hype in another forums. Given the limited amount of information that is readily available to a complete newcomer, it is little wonder that nobody ever got fired for recommending a well known brand. See it as reverse FUD. Funnily enough, two really good razors I have a no-name razors (thank you, Coully!).

I think a more prominent reference to the help section (especially sticky posts like this one) right on SRP's front page might actually be helpful for a newcomer.

[superfly]

Not quite dead, just living elsewhere http://straightrazorpalace.com/old_s...d,24/Itemid,3/

This is the new link superfly has already updated the original SRP thread with: http://straightrazorpalace.com/downl...p?do=file&id=1

wow, you guys type fast!

cheers,
Nenad

[Pyment]

Not much of a new concept. I avoid big name brands most of the time (not necessarily razors). I enjoy finding something with a good price/value ratio while watching others flock to the more well known brands.

The question for me is: where does a relative newbie do research on Straights?

[BeBerlin]

The question for me is: where does a relative newbie do research on Straights?

Now then. That is a simple one. The concept is called Learn Through Pain, and it works quite well as a field study conducted in Berlin, Germany, over the last 6 months has shown.

For everything else, there is Master... errr... the search function in this forum. And, of course, the Chat.