Buying a Custom

I know I'm overlooking the obvious here but... how does one go about placing an order for a custom razor? I plan to hold off on my RAD for a little while and put aside some cash for a custom. I was hoping a friendly razorsmith or previous buyer can walk me through the process. :p

I'm looking for info on wait lists, means of communication and expressing interest/details, pre-payment, etc. I think all of the guys here do great work - the hardest part will be to decide which to pick!

My one example to give is Mastro Livi; I found his website and browsed around a bit. I see many of the beautiful razors that are in the razor club shown on the site. Are more than one of the same razor normally made and I can choose to order one or are these just on display and I chose from whatever he makes and puts up for sale? I ask because I don't see an option to purchase, it simply lists a price.

Maybe I'm missing something, who knows, it's late and the Heat lost tonight!

I don't know from experience, but I would guess the best way is to contact via email (if listed on a website) or PM (if the person is a member here) and see what they say. I would imagine it's different with each maker.

You find the vendor channel of the custom maker of your choice and contact them.

Many custom makers would be happy to work with you on the razor you want, on the other end of the spectrum some would tell you you can only get whatever they decide to make you when they decide to make it, if they even deem you worthy of taking your money.

'Been on a waiting list for 10 mo. now. I tasted one sold by the honorable Riooso, and it was brutal - so fine. It had all the eye candy one could ask for, so the next one - from the same maker, will be more utilitarian & hopefully less costly. I called the maker. A couple wks later I got a return call and was given all the time I could ask for. 'Been saving to fund it. I'm sure other makers do wonderful work also, but I'm smitten by the Williams blade. Really deep smit.

IME there are a few ways to getting a custom.
Contact retailer to see what they have or what they can do to relay info.
Contact maker, relay what you want.
Check SRP classifieds.

If a maker won't accommodate your specs at least in part I don't consider it a custom.
I don't know of any who does lay away or even much for prepayment.
Any questions feel free to PM me, I haven't tried every maker, but I will let you know what I have.

First you need to decide which maker you want to make your razor. Lots of choice. One thing to take into account is waiting list length. Some makers are running at around 12 months. Once you've picked your maker, you contact them and start discussions around blade type of steel, shape of blade, size of blade, grind of blade. Then you need to think about the design of the scales. What materials do you want etc. Once you've come up with final specifications, the maker will give you a price and sometimes a drawing of what it will look like. If you want to go ahead you then place an order and wait. Some makers require a deposit and other don't.

Also some makers have deals with retailers and only sell through them. They usually say that on their web site. I know Livi sells in the U.S through SRD. I think it's the only place to get it in the U.S.

Thanks for all of the info, it looks like I have a lot of decisions to make then it's a waiting game! That is if me and my money are worthy :)

I have since noticed that SRD is the place for Mastro Livi's and a few others but wasn't sure if it was exclusive.

I've been working on expanding a list of custom makers and a way to get in touch with them.
You can find that in the wiki Here

I would assume every maker is different, I have only dealt with one for razors and can say it was a breeze, I caught a razor that was exactly what I wanted after heat treatment but before final grind, hone, or scale job. So I was able to get everything I wanted done without the wait. That was less than a week ago and it is currently finished and in the mail on it's way to me. I got lucky and doubt this is a common experience but the only way to know is to talk to makers.

I have worked with Bob Alman at OCD razors. As he is a member here, I contacted him directly. With correspondence between him and myself from procuring my razor's design right until final receipt, the man is a pleasure to work with. Robert Williams I have contacted directly, however certain other razor smiths must be approached via SRD.