I need helping choosing an SS blade STAT!

So I'm currently moving into my Frat and it hit me that conditions won't be perfect for maintaining razors. It's still doable, but much harder when you have to walk to the bathroom to shave, then there is only a tiny amount of counterspace, then you have to deal with drunk brothers... anyway.

Bottom line is, I need one (or two if I need to alternate, but I've heard SS can be tough) WORKHORSE stainless razors. I'll still use all my razors on weekends and when I have time but I need something I can grab and go and not worry too much about (I'll still baby it though...)

I looked at the new Dovo's but at that price I may as well get a nice rescale of a vintage or bid higher than usual on ebay. There's obviously Friodurs which I will probably be sniping at, but does anyone know of any readily available SS vintage blades? By readily available I mean I have a reasonable chance of grabbing one within a couple weeks. Also, I seem to remember Wapi's as being stainless, but I'm 50/50- maybe I'm being an idiot. Can someone quickly clarify?

Thanks!

Here's a page of SS razors.

Stain Resistant Razors

Also you might want to check out the SS Solingen (RP5S). I have the carbon steel flavour and love it.

RasurPur Online Shop

HTH :)

I saw both of those. I am currently leaning either towards the Dovo SS Ebony or the cracked-ice one at shave shop, but wanted to check if there are consistent, easily available vintage blades first (a la Friodur).

The Dovo 41 blades have the reputation of being very nice shavers.

Tough choices. Good Luck.

Lynn

Thanks Lynn. Seeing as you carrying a million Dovo's, which blade is used in the _____wood series (ie. desert ironwood, snakewood, etc.)?

The Dovo Renaissance is also a top-notch shaver, and it's a 6/8. The unique rounded toe and heel make it quite forgiving for after you've had a rough night playing beer pong, or whatever it is you guys do at a frat...:)

EDIT: BTW, Wapis have stainless scales, but the blade itself is HCS.

I was looking at the Renaissance but the Ebony is cheaper and round point too. And looks better lol. Really I'm after vintage though. I know about Friodurs, and will probably end up with one, I just wanted to know if there are other options. I know DD had one, but its rare. Same can be said of Hess 44's. The only other readily available one I know is the weltmeister, but that is pretty plain for the same price as many Friodurs.

The Weltmeister is excellent.

If youa re just looking for an inexpensive "beater" that you won't cry over if lost at the frat house:

FS:Hoffritz 5/8" stainless for newbees. - Badger & Blade

$50? fuggetaboutit! :) You can't beat that.

I'm not just looking for a beater- just somethign that I don't have to make ultra sure that it is dry and will last longer between touch ups and what not. Basically more durable. The Weltmeister I heard is great but the one I've found on sale is pretty plain for $140 or whatever it cost.

The one in the classifieds piques my interest but I'm really looking for a workhorse and so far I've found I like big blades, but not as much as the 4/8-5/8 range. This is also an issue with the Weltmeister.

If it were me, I would go with a cheap razor to bring to a frat, maybe even a shavette. In a frat I would expect it to get damaged by someone somewhere along the way.

The Weltmeister is 13/16, i.e. between a 6/8 and 7/8. I like big blades too. And I like the Weltmeister.

Nothing wrong with a 7/8 or 8/8 Friodur either, mind you....:)

I was saying I like using them cus its a fun experience and stuff, but for daily shavign I prefer the smaller blades so....

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Originally Posted by Seraphim

If youa re just looking for an inexpensive "beater" that you won't cry over if lost at the frat house:

FS:Hoffritz 5/8" stainless for newbees. - Badger & Blade

$50? fuggetaboutit! :) You can't beat that.

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These razors look like copies of Dovo razors........why would anyone ever want a copy............:rofl2::roflmao:rofl2:

Actually the old Hoffritz were nice shavers.

For me the 7/8 Friodur is an easier razor to use size wise. The 8/8 blade in addition to wider are longer.

Hess 44 are killer shavers.......I mean......uh.......no no no.....they are not good and hard to hone and ugly........

Lynn

3/8" SS dovo wedge in the classifieds.

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Originally Posted by Lynn

For me the 7/8 Friodur is an easier razor to use size wise. The 8/8 blade in addition to wider are longer.

Hess 44 are killer shavers.......I mean......uh.......no no no.....they are not good and hard to hone and ugly........

Lynn

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Thanks for your input Lynn. I am looking at teh even smaller Friodurs- 5/8s. But I guess I'll take what I can get lol. And if I can find/someone is willing to sell a 44 at a reasonable price I'd love that, but they aren't too common and if they come up on the bay then they end up costing millions gazillions lol.

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Originally Posted by khaos

I was saying I like using them cus its a fun experience and stuff, but for daily shavign I prefer the smaller blades so....

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Aha, I misunderstood.


Well, in that case, and in looking at your sig line, why not try one of these:

DOVO #42 42485 STRAIGHT RAZOR,SWEDISH STAINLESS STEEL - eBay (item 370140872497 end time Sep-03-09 08:12:45 PDT)

4/8, 1/2 hollow, stainless, Dovo.

I had a stainless Heljestrand that was pretty similar to that, and it was a very nice shaver. Stainless, and wedgey? I liked that! However, i don't like the feel of stropping or using anything below 5/8 (and even that is pushing it...). But if you like the small blades, perhaps you can give this one a try?

aren't those 3/8's? I know it SAYS 1/2" but I've only seen them in 3/8s.

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Originally Posted by khaos

aren't those 3/8's? I know it SAYS 1/2" but I've only seen them in 3/8s.

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Durned if I know!:confused: Never actually seen one in person.

Also, I found someone selling a Zwilling. It is NOT labelled Friodur, but they claim it is stainless. It is NOS and looks to be from the most recent production run and comes in a tin.(the Twin Classic line or something). Its definitely not vintage. Is it in fact stainless? Does anyone have experience with these? Lynn and Don- if you are reading this, I seem to remember you were sellign a few, what was your experience?

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Originally Posted by khaos

Also, I found someone selling a Zwilling. It is NOT labelled Friodur, but they claim it is stainless. It is NOS and looks to be from the most recent production run and comes in a tin.(the Twin Classic line or something). Its definitely not vintage. Is it in fact stainless? Does anyone have experience with these? Lynn and Don- if you are reading this, I seem to remember you were sellign a few, what was your experience?

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If it is stainless it will says INOX on it. If it does not say INOX on it, I doubt very much that it actually is stainless. Razor makers always go out of their way to let you know a blade is stainless.


Why not that Hoffritz stainless? 5/8, 1/2 hollow? Cheap.

I'm curious as to why you think a stainless steel razor is qoing to require less day to day care than a carbon steel one. True, the blade will be less prone to oxidation, but that should not be a problem with carbon steel if you dry it well after use. But, the SS blade will still need to be stropped, and honed just like a carbon steel one. In fact, since the most common stainless used for razors (440C) is slightly less hard than carbon steel, it may actually require more frequent honing (probably not so as you would notice it though).

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Originally Posted by fccexpert

I'm curious as to why you think a stainless steel razor is qoing to require less day to day care than a carbon steel one. True, the blade will be less prone to oxidation, but that should not be a problem with carbon steel if you dry it well after use. But, the SS blade will still need to be stropped, and honed just like a carbon steel one. In fact, since the most common stainless used for razors (440C) is slightly less hard than carbon steel, it may actually require more frequent honing (probably not so as you would notice it though).

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I personally like stainless, as you don't have to be quite as fastidious as you do with HCS. Just wipe it down, never need to worry about oiling it, etc.

My experience would seem to show that stainless may actually have better edge retention longevity than HCS. It may not be as hard on the Rockwell scale, but it has definitely got greater wear resistance (I know through personal experience when modifying stainless razors, they are noticeably more resistant to the grindstones).

I think stainless is a good choice for the environment Khaos is proposing to use it in.

I seem to remember having this discussion with a steel smith- that hardness and tenacity are two different values. I feel like while stainless is slightly less hard, it is far more durable but please someone correct me if i am wrong.

And the moisture thing is a big factor. Rather than wiping it down very carefully and setting it out and open to dry, then oiling it when I get a chance before I put it away. This is asking for trouble in a frat. I just want somethign I can give a quick wipe and put away. The stropping is not a problem. Its when I have to get hones out or have multiple strops for pastes etc. I'm trying to eliminate the clutter. One or two razors, a brush, a tub of cream and a strop. I will be bringing my hones and all my razors and stuff with me, but I want to keep them in a drawer/storage so they are out of the way/safe. I'll dig them out on weekends and stuff but like, on mornings where I have practice at 7 am and class at 9am I just need to get in and get out ASAP.

WHy not the hoffritz? doesn't say stainless or advertise as being stainless so.... I'm a skeptic

Seraphim you beat me too it! I think its got to do with the elasticity of the steel and what not. So rather than microscopically chipping/bending, the stainless is more able to absorb the force of shavign and bounce back. I could be wrong though, but I do know that hardness and tenacity are different properties, just like tensile and compressive strength are different too. Steel has tons of properties, so within one type of steel, hardness corresponds to sharpness, but between different types it varies non-linearly depending on the steel composition.

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Originally Posted by khaos

WHy not the hoffritz? doesn't say stainless or advertise as being stainless so.... I'm a skeptic

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PM the seller, and ask about it saying "stainless" on there. I googled Hoffritz stainles, and came up with an auction sitye that listed one as saying stainless on the tang, so they do indeed make stainless razors. Worth investigating at that pricepoint!

Status update: I am currently discussing the Hoffritz with that gentleman it is stainless. I am also looking into that Zwilling, if it turns out stainless I may by that too. That would solve my problems- a nice two stainless rotation. Thanks guys for all your help! I will probably by the Hoffritz, worst comes to worst, its really cheap as stainless goes, its shave ready, its teh right size and grind that a like, and since its not a pristine razor I don't have to worry too much about it. Initially I was a skeptic but honestly it seems its the best solution!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by khaos

I'm not just looking for a beater- just somethign that I don't have to make ultra sure that it is dry and will last longer between touch ups and what not. Basically more durable. The Weltmeister I heard is great but the one I've found on sale is pretty plain for $140 or whatever it cost.

The one in the classifieds piques my interest but I'm really looking for a workhorse and so far I've found I like big blades, but not as much as the 4/8-5/8 range. This is also an issue with the Weltmeister.

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That Hoffritz really looks like a beater for sure. The spine is a mess and the scratch marks on the blade look like an attempt to clean up a blade for sure. I would agree with Seraphim that stainless blades are usually marked stainless or Inox or something, but cha never knows.........

Good Luck.

Lynn

Interestingly enough it is apparently NOS. We shall see. And it comes from a guy named English whom I seem to recall is a decent fellow.

EDIT: Upon retrospect, this is one of the cheapest SS razors I have seen, its a 5/8's half hollow which is pretty much what I like day to day, and so it should work out. If not I'll keep it or sell it or do something with it.