Thread: A Filly... on the cheap!

No, this is not a story about a NOS Filly found in my grandmother's attic (I believe she used a Wade & Butcher ), but read on...

I have a fair number of straights. While a few of them are new or in really nice shape, most of them are worn and shabby (honewear and pitting and stained Oh MY!). They're all good names - Boker, DD, W&B, Henckels, Puma and they're all great shavers. I like to try as many of the highly regarded name brands as I can, but I have a problem... I'm cheap! Aside from the 2 Dovos that I purchased new, the most I've spent on a straight is $65. (most of what I have fall into the under $25. category).

Well, I've been wanting to try a Filly lately, but we all know what prices they command these days, so I pretty much resigned myself to forgoing that brand... until today. Here is a Filly (#12) that's, shall we say, in need of a bit of TLC, but met the qualification of being cheap. However, I unashamedly hope that, when all is said and done, it will be a rather nice (if somewhat modest) shaver. So, perhaps within a week or so, I'll light a couple of candles, set the table and it will be some sandpaper, a dremel and thou! (No, I don't get out much.) Or perhaps I should wait for a thunder storm and hook up some electrodes... It's alive! It's alive!!!

Congratulations! It has a lot of honest wear, but no abuse or neglect. The edge looks pretty sound. The scales look great. So it looks great to me already as-is. You might consider passing on doing any cosmetic work on it, and just hone it up and shave. Preserve as much of it as you can, and have the extra satisfaction of enjoying that Filarmonica shave on the cheap.

That one should clean up real nice.

Take your time with his puppy and give her all the TLC you have to offer.

You will be rewarded with an incredible smooth shaver.

Better idea yet: Scrape together the funds (sell bodily fluids if need be) and send that beauty to Max.

Had to put the free publicity out there, I love your work man.

Drew

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

Congratulations! It has a lot of honest wear, but no abuse or neglect. The edge looks pretty sound. The scales look great. So it looks great to me already as-is. You might consider passing on doing any cosmetic work on it, and just hone it up and shave. Preserve as much of it as you can, and have the extra satisfaction of enjoying that Filarmonica shave on the cheap.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

That one should clean up real nice.

Take your time with his puppy and give her all the TLC you have to offer.

You will be rewarded with an incredible smooth shaver.

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. Now to keep my patience in-tact until it arrives.

Originally Posted by DPflaumer

Better idea yet: Scrape together the funds (sell bodily fluids if need be) and send that beauty to Max.

Had to put the free publicity out there, I love your work man.

Drew

Well, I'm pretty sure that nobody would want to buy my bodily fluids. Also, more funds would remove this from my "on the cheap" category. However, it is tempting.

I feel you on "on the cheap" being a college student. I can't help but covet some of that beautiful work. Consider selling any children you have/ may have in the future. Alternately, do you really need a TV? A car? A house?

I think not.

Originally Posted by DPflaumer

I feel you on "on the cheap" being a college student. I can't help but covet some of that beautiful work. Consider selling any children you have/ may have in the future. Alternately, do you really need a TV? A car? A house?

I think not.

Well, the "on the cheap" thing is kind of a holdover from my DE days. It used to be really easy to buy really nice old Gillettes "on the cheap." They're still not that expensive in comparison to straights. It's fun seeing what I can find for as little as possible. I've got about 20 shave worthy straights. So, even with an average cost of about $25, I've still shelled out a fair amount (and this doesn't include soaps, creams, aftershave, hones etc.).

Of course this was a choice. I could have bought a couple of really nice straights for the same cost, but it wouldn't have been as much fun. Hobbies are like that. They don't always make sense, but they do make fun.

I know just what you mean. I have a batch out for honing right now, and the most expensive razor of the bunch cost me all of $14. And they are nice razors, a Worchester something or other, a Wostenholm Frameback, and a Robert Klaas. I'm excited to get them back to say the least.

I buy razors the same way you do (only buy cheap) and I congratulate you. Sure it doesn't look brand new, but she'll still shave like a champ!