Thread: Not sure if I should buy

Originally Posted by amt

Hey guys, I went to an antique store yesterday to look around for some str8s. Only found one in a store here in town. It had "Schatt & Morgan, Titusville PA" stamped on the tang. The store had it listed for $48. I know I will have to get it honed and restored some. It didn't seem to be to too bad of shape but I could tell it needs some work.

Has anyone heard of this brand / company before? Is the razor any good / good price? How much would it cost to get restored?

Thanks,
-amt

FWIW (I'm still learning quickly) --

If it doesn't have "collector value", and neither the blade or scales are special, and you _know_ it's going to cost you money to get working, the price is too high. But it might be negotiable, and at _some_ price it might be worth buying.

There are two price benchmarks I use:

. . . a _new_ Dovo "Best Quality" -- hand-honed -- is $80 from SRD.

. . . a vintage "shave-ready" razor can be had from $33 (Whipped Dog Straight Razor Sales) to $40-$50 in the SRP "Classifieds".

Either of those will arrive at your door ready to shave with.

If you get "razor acquisition disorder" and learn how to hone, there are some decent values in antique stores. I've made some mistakes (and so will you) in learning what's junk, what's "good value", and what's not worth buying.

One eBay seller has a good motto:

. . . Don't rush -- there's always another razor.

Charles