What's up with the Ducks?

I have a lot of razors, but I don't have a Dubl Duck yet. Can someone who owns one please respond and tell me what the heck the fascination is with these razors. After all, it's not a Livi, or a Zowada.
There not made of legendary Damascus steel. Granted, they're vintage, old and have cool little ducks on them, but they're basically a German made straight razor, right. They're rare, but so are other razors and they don't go price crazy on Ebay. If you attempt to bid on one on Ebay, They quickly rise up above 200 hundred dollars, and bear in mind, they're not restored, they're rusty, sometimes the scales are broke, the blade may have nicks or chips, etc...So, what's the value of these razors. What would they be worth. Of course you can say an item is worth whatever someone will spend on it. In reality, a restored duck in an antique shop, would be worth what?

I know what you mean.

I think it really has to do with general desire to have one. They are beautiful in stock form, they take a wicked sharp edge and have a great reputaion and following.

I have seen a couple of much cheaper W&B that I think in stock form are just as appealing if not nicer looking in stock form.

Im restoring a Dwarf now and have a Satin Wedge from Don that is WICKED sharp ! As well its a beauty. I only got the wedge as I jumped on it the moment it he listed it in the classifieds.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shave...tml#post296913

Mostly it's just the desire to say you have one, IMO.

I have a Duck that shaves well and takes a nice edge. I also have 2 Gencos, a C-Mon, and a no-brand "made in U.S.A." heavy wedge that I like better.

As a shaver, purchased from a barber, I paid $25 for mine. It had some slight hone wear and a small crack in one scale. If it's price was $50 it would still be with the barber.

The Eboy prices on DD's lately are just crazy. They're good razors, but I'm more of a user than a collector.

IMO, any razor that gets talked about on shaving forums can potentially get to be a hot item the ducks being an example. OTOH they first got talked about because they deliver the goods. They hone up easily to a wicked edge and are great shavers.

When I collected razors in the 1980s I would go to barber shops and ask the old guys if they had any extra razors that they would sell I became friendly with some of those old fellows and without exception all of them held Dubl Ducks in high regard.

For those with a collecting bent there are various models to chase after along with variations within the different models. I have been lucky in getting a Wonderedge, a Goldedge and a Reaper all in great shape and all @ $100.00 each. There are deals out there, just not too many.

I agree with everything said already.They are great razors. I have a special #1 6/8, it is so sharp...... my whiskers run when I grab it. I snagged a dwarf off the bay for $12.00. It is a restoration project but it will be a honey.

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Originally Posted by Kenrup

I agree with everything said already.They are great razors. I have a special #1 6/8, it is so sharp...... my whiskers run when I grab it. I snagged a dwarf off the bay for $12.00. It is a restoration project but it will be a honey.

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That's what I'm talking about, 12 bucks, not 200.00. Ebay has gotten completely out of hand with these ducks. I could see 200 if it it's mint condition, but rusted, chipped, etc...IMHO is not worth 200 dollars.

I have probably about 25 Ducks of different types and they all have in common the fact that they give a truly great shave, are easy to maintain and hone and hone up very easily and go a long time between touchups. They all consistently exhibit all these characteristics which makes them a great brand in my book.

As far as vintage goes, I'll take a vintage razor to modern production razor save some customs any day of the week.

What amazes me is that most people will not bat an eyelash to spend $150 for a new mid line production razor... Where if they were smart shoppers they could snag most of the DD line at less than half that...
IN GOOD SHAPE...
No you are not going to score a mint Wonderedge or a mint Reaper for that money...
But hey if you ask some people on here, there is no difference anyway between a Special #1 and a Reaper but the scales...
I'll let that go for now....
As everyone already stated, if they wern't good shavers all the hype would have died out long ago...

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

What amazes me is that most people will not bat an eyelash to spend $150 for a new mid line production razor... Where if they were smart shoppers they could snag most of the DD line at less than half that...
IN GOOD SHAPE...
No you are not going to score a mint Wonderedge or a mint Reaper for that money...
But hey if you ask some people on here, there is no difference anyway between a Special #1 and a Reaper but the scales...
I'll let that go for now....
As everyone already stated, if they wern't good shavers all the hype would have died out long ago...

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That's just it, Where do you snag them. I wouldn't mind picking one up myself, since they're that good, but I'm not paying 200+ dollars for a razor with rust, nicks, chips, messed up scales etc...
I'd pay 75 bucks for one, for sure, but the prices on Ebay are just crazy. You have one you want to sell, I'm interested, Any ideas where i could snag one?

Just keep 'duck' in your favorite searches on ebay and watch what comes up. Like thebigspendur said they are all good. The Wonderedges, Reapers and the Goldedges usually fetch the top dollar. Not so with the other models .....most of the time. Just look for one in good shape in a Special #1 or whatever. :gl:

I don't have much experience with other razors with which to base a comment. I can tell you that I bought my first straight razor about 32 year ago. It was a DD Goldedge. Though I got out of straight shaving for several years, I started again several months ago with the DD and it has been my daily shaver ever since. It takes a beautiful edge, feels good in the hand, and is pleasing to the eye. What more can anyone ask for?

Merry Christmas!

They don't all go for top dollar. I got a little lucky recently and picked up a 6/8 Goldedge in great condition for about $65. Just keep your eyes open and you'll see that things occasionally fly under the radar. The Ducks are fetching a high price right now because they're a hot item at the moment. It's the same with any collectable; the collectors set the price.

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Originally Posted by zib

That's just it, Where do you snag them. I wouldn't mind picking one up myself, since they're that good, but I'm not paying 200+ dollars for a razor with rust, nicks, chips, messed up scales etc...
I'd pay 75 bucks for one, for sure, but the prices on Ebay are just crazy. You have one you want to sell, I'm interested, Any ideas where i could snag one?

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You know, here is the thing on E-bay, I watch a lot of members here shop e-bay in absolute wonder, because unless, you are into razor restoration there isn't all that much on there, Oh don't get me wrong every now and then you luck out, and I believe that's what keeps us at it, almost like a big slot machine, we keep waiting for the NOS jackpot to pay out....
I shop a razor only for the edge, everything else I can fix, and even some edges I can fix, but you should see some of the pics of razors that I get for possible restoration that I say "no way" too, and I would bet that the other restorers would say the same... On most days if you use the search blockers on e-bay there are about 600 hits for straight razors, so approximately 100 every 24 hours are up for auction. If you really look maybe 10-15 of those are in really good shape and perhaps 1-3 are the grind and size that you like... So just make sure your 1-3 razors don't slip by you for less than you were willing to pay for them...

Also it's Christmas time e-bay is just another mall but they don't run sales :D
The prices will go back down again soon...

Another thing about ebay and vintage razors in general. If you look at the prices for Dovo and TI current production or NOS whatever you have to go at least a hundred bucks to three and four hundred depending on the model and brand. Getting an excellent + Dubl Duck in the hundred dollar or less range isn't half bad.

The thing too, is a lot of guys don't know how to bid on ebay, There's little tricks, I see guys bidding 6 days out, jacking up the price, I just walk away. It's crazy.There's a couple of nice ducks on there now, but they need restoration. I think 250 dollars is a lot to pay considering it needs to be restored, I'd gladly give a 100 dollars. I'll keep checking and maybe get lucky one day, It is Christmas, I didn't really take that into consideration...

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Originally Posted by stolenmirth

They don't all go for top dollar. I got a little lucky recently and picked up a 6/8 Goldedge in great condition for about $65. Just keep your eyes open and you'll see that things occasionally fly under the radar. The Ducks are fetching a high price right now because they're a hot item at the moment. It's the same with any collectable; the collectors set the price.

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See, now that's a deal. That's what I'm talking about. Beauty.....

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I have probably about 25 Ducks of different types and they all have in common the fact that they give a truly great shave, are easy to maintain and hone and hone up very easily and go a long time between touchups. They all consistently exhibit all these characteristics which makes them a great brand in my book.

As far as vintage goes, I'll take a vintage razor to modern production razor save some customs any day of the week.

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Do you want to sell one. trade maybe for some coticules?, bouts? let me know.....