Thread: Vintage razors are a great deal at almost any cost.

Inspiring thread to keep an eye out for Vintage razors in good to great condition. I bought new straights and I am glad I did and I know that the ones I have will still get a good price if I ever decided to sell them, which I will not.

Pabster

I also prefer vintage and enjoy fantasizing about the history behind them. New production razors have their place and are priced appropriately for today's economy as the market bears out.

Between CarrieM and I we have ~ 270 razors (yea I know, RAD) and in the bunch we have only 2 new production Dovos purchased used and one of the last Fillies from CS. All are shave ready, in service and I rotate through the bunch as best I can. Averaging the cost of the razors I get a cost of $25.02. Some are Ebay scores. 179 are local finds from Antique shops and the like. The average cost for local finds is $16.49. Of the total lot most are not in NOS condition and do have some tarnish and/or pitting but shave just fine. The time spent on the hunt, gas and the time spent honing/restoring are not included in the cost as I do all myself with CarrieM and JrJoeD and it is enjoyable for us.

On a tight budget, look in antique shops and sleepers on Ebay and learn to do the honing yourself. If your time is more valuable or you don't have the patients or skills to do so go with the new blades of purchase them restored and honed. How ever you decide to go, forget the cost and enjoy the great shaves!

Originally Posted by Joed

I also prefer vintage and enjoy fantasizing about the history behind them. New production razors have their place and are priced appropriately for today's economy as the market bears out.

Between CarrieM and I we have ~ 270 razors (yea I know, RAD) and in the bunch we have only 2 new production Dovos purchased used and one of the last Fillies from CS. All are shave ready, in service and I rotate through the bunch as best I can. Averaging the cost of the razors I get a cost of $25.02. Some are Ebay scores. 179 are local finds from Antique shops and the like. The average cost for local finds is $16.49. Of the total lot most are not in NOS condition and do have some tarnish and/or pitting but shave just fine. The time spent on the hunt, gas and the time spent honing/restoring are not included in the cost as I do all myself with CarrieM and JrJoeD and it is enjoyable for us.

On a tight budget, look in antique shops and sleepers on Ebay and learn to do the honing yourself. If your time is more valuable or you don't have the patients or skills to do so go with the new blades of purchase them restored and honed. How ever you decide to go, forget the cost and enjoy the great shaves!

I've seen some of your scores and they're amazing. I've been to a few antique stores and almost all of them have their razors overpriced around here*. Do you see similar things up by you?

I'm talking $50-$100 for just general razors in mediocre condition. I've bought a few (say 2 or 3) regardless and don't mind the price I paid, but have left many because, even at a negotiated price, I couldn't justify the purchase.

Surprisingly, my eBay experiences have been much better as I mentioned upthread. The drawback is that you have to rely on whatever pictures are posted so I don't bother bidding on listings with either few or blurry pictures.

EDIT: "here" being north-central Florida. I also checked antique stores in Charleston and that was a flippin' joke.

Originally Posted by commiecat

I've seen some of your scores and they're amazing. I've been to a few antique stores and almost all of them have their razors overpriced around here*. Do you see similar things up by you?

I'm talking $50-$100 for just general razors in mediocre condition. I've bought a few (say 2 or 3) regardless and don't mind the price I paid, but have left many because, even at a negotiated price, I couldn't justify the purchase.

Surprisingly, my eBay experiences have been much better as I mentioned upthread. The drawback is that you have to rely on whatever pictures are posted so I don't bother bidding on listings with either few or blurry pictures.

EDIT: "here" being north-central Florida. I also checked antique stores in Charleston and that was a flippin' joke.

Yes, there are places and people that think they have gold on their shelves. Carriem let's them know what's up. I tell them it looks just fine where it is and because of that it should stay there. As we all are aware of, there is no set price for vintage items, razors included. Some people will drop their prices, some just want to get ride of the razors because they scare them or they don't want kids getting them. Others think the high price is acceptable. I shop around and have left a many razors where they were. One instance that comes to mind is a Wonderedge we found in an antique shop. Price was $250 w/ maybe a max 10% off, maybe. We looked at it, discussed it's flaws with the person showing it and left it there. We went back a week or two later and CarrieM came around the corner of the isle white as a ghost with a big smile. "They marked the Wonderedge 1/2 off!" she whispered. Needless to say we went home with it even though it was about 5 times the high limit we usually spend on antique shop razors in great condition. Lately the prices have been going up in our local haunts and that is fine. We have become a lot more picky in what we buy unless I am on a hunting spree, which is when CarrieM picks up some restore blades to keep me busy for a while.

This is a Good Topic. I am a relative newbie straights, but not DE and SE razors.

I own 4 vintage razors as of now. 2 are with a friend getting restored, 1 is getting restored by me, and I just bought a shave ready razor in the classifieds for around 30 bucks.

I probably will buy a new TI or Dovo in the future. Just for my own curiosity and to see how it compares with my other razors.

Im with the OP when he made the statement that vintage razors are a great deal at almost any cost. We all get into making the vintage razors look as pretty as possible here, but I sometimes forget that you can still get that razor honed and shave with it without restoring it. Thus, making it very cheap to get a good shave.

I wish I was older and had been around since some of the old timers. They must have really got good deals on ebay!!

Originally Posted by Joed

Some people will drop their prices, some just want to get ride of the razors because they scare them or they don't want kids getting them. Others think the high price is acceptable.

I'm assuming antique shops work the same where you are as they can in Minnesota. Most larger antique shops rent out booth space to many antique dealers; dealers who are rarely if ever on site. Such dealers will often give a maximum discount limit on their merchandise if a discount isn't listed on their booth or display cases. This means, the person showing you the razors in this type of shop has little to no authority to bargain and consequently could care less to do so. Also, although I ask the person greeting me whether they know where straight razors, sharpening stones and shaving related items are, I always view the entire shop myself since again, the people on site rarely know the inventory of each and every dealer featured.

However, in my travels there are a fair number of smaller antique shops where everything for sale is owned by the person that greets me. I love these shops because bargaining is on, conversation is almost always pleasant and memorable, etc. There's a large distinction between the two types of antique shops.

Originally Posted by jimmyfingers

I wish I was older and had been around since some of the old timers. They must have really got good deals on ebay!!

I don't know that I wish I was older ;-)), but I believe Lynn and others have stories that cause we to seethe with utter jealousy about the days when vintage straights could be had for a song and in any color, make or flavor!!

Chris L

Originally Posted by ChrisL

I'm assuming antique shops work the same where you are as they can in Minnesota. Most larger antique shops rent out booth space to many antique dealers; dealers who are rarely if ever on site. Such dealers will often give a maximum discount limit on their merchandise if a discount isn't listed on their booth or display cases. This means, the person showing you the razors in this type of shop has little to no authority to bargain and consequently could care less to do so. Also, although I ask the person greeting me whether they know where straight razors, sharpening stones and shaving related items are, I always view the entire shop myself since again, the people on site rarely know the inventory of each and every dealer featured.

However, in my travels there are a fair number of smaller antique shops where everything for sale is owned by the person that greets me. I love these shops because bargaining is on, conversation is almost always pleasant and memorable, etc. There's a large distinction between the two types of antique shops. Chris L

We have both types of antique shops around us. As with any type of store their policies are different between shops. We like to think of ourselves as friendly people. This is key to doing business w/ favorable results. We also try to make our interactions with the workers or vendors memorable. A friendly and memorable experience builds friendships. In the end it really depends on the people we interact with. For the most part all of the shops and vendors remember us as returning customers that are a pleasure to work with. With a relationship like this it is easier to deal with the shops and vendors. Last night we went to one of the Co-op shops in the area and was able to get a 20% discount. If you can make the negotiations enjoyable both parties can walk away happy. Remember, flea market, garage sales and antique market prices are not fixed! In these Co-op antique shops the sales people always have the option of contacting the merchant to negotiate the price. Don't get stuck in a paradigm, think outside the box. Good luck.

I also greatly appreciate the character and history of an old razor, even more a razor that has been through years of hell and corrosion but has almost been reborn by the new owner. The only thing that drives me nuts is when someone is selling one for way more than its worth. I went to a swap meet and I'm sorry but a razor with half the scales missing, a quarter inch chunk of blade missing and the rest of the blade covered in gunk (may have been corrosion but looked more like emulsified motor oil), is just not worth forty five bucks. I hate to sound cheap, but whoa.