Thread: Pearl Handle Straight Razor

Hey i'm new to the site and i was just wondering if anyone knows where i can buy an affordable (and functional) pearl handle straight razor? i'm looking for something that is hopefully $40 or less.
i just bought one for $12, but unfortunately didn't do enough research and after looking around for info about it, i found out that it isn't recommended to shave with, and i'm hoping to not make that mistake again haha.
thanks.

Yes, the Perlex is much more expensive, as Glen said. Two or even three times that. One option if you have the skills, might be replacing the scales of a decent razor with the pearl ones. There is plenty of information on how to do that.

You may have luck looking for vintage-- check the classifieds here from time to time.

haha wow, yah thats wayyy out of my price range. i just bought a kriegar.

i'm not really looking for something thats excellent quality. just something that is nice looking and functional.

Originally Posted by OhmD

i'm not really looking for something thats excellent quality. just something that is nice looking and functional.

I believe your first terms and second terms are completely, mutually exclusive. Perhaps the term you want instead of quality is expense. The present day market does tend to confuse the two...

The Dovo with the actual Pearl handles is way more than you want to spend. Pearl is a premium material so it's priced accordingly. If you mean the cracked ice that's another story.

Originally Posted by OhmD

haha wow, yah thats wayyy out of my price range. i just bought a kriegar.

i'm not really looking for something thats excellent quality. just something that is nice looking and functional.

Well, functional starts at about $2.18 (the chinese gold dollar) plus shipping, plus retailer markup, plus honing.
Then 'nice looking' adds another $10-$100, depending on your definition of 'nice'.
Or you can keep buying the kreigar/zee-pk/master USA/etc. and one of them may end up working for you. I've seen people claiming these kriegar razors are fantastic shavers after just a little bit of honing.

I think poor razor is expensive at any price point.

by nice looking i just meant something that looks like pearl. i definitely wasn't looking for actual pearl for $40.
i was hoping not to have to hone anything (with a stone), right now at least. haha man i didn't expect straight razors to be so expensive

Originally Posted by OhmD

.man i didn't expect straight razors to be so expensive

They really aren't in the long run as it's the last blade you will need to buy. Few stop with just one blade though, It's the AD's that cost a lot of money. A decent blade that is shave ready and fully functional can cost from $40 for a vintage one to $100's for customs. I would worry more about functionality than looks right now.

Originally Posted by OhmD

by nice looking i just meant something that looks like pearl. i definitely wasn't looking for actual pearl for $40.
i was hoping not to have to hone anything (with a stone), right now at least. haha man i didn't expect straight razors to be so expensive

Well, it's not all that expensive if you choose not to make it so.
But consider what it takes to have an ounce of extremely high quality steel be ground into final shape by hand and then also by hand sharpened to the sharpest edge that it can take and that you will encounter, and you will realize it's actually very cheap for such high precision instrument.
The gillette/schick cartridges that are molded plastic with tiny strips of high quality steel that is machine honed by the miles have comparable pricing.

I think Dovo sells their pearlex scales for around $10-$20, and if your time isn't worth too much you can even buy a piece of acrylic for few dollars and shape it to scales.