Thread: $35 vs $199. Give me a reason!

Well look at it this way, would you rather drive a banged up old rust bucket of a car rather than a luxury car?
Both vehicles will get you from A to B but you will probably enjoy the ride in the luxury car more.

What I'm trying to say is that it all comes down to personal preferences. Will you get more satisfaction out of your shave with the more expensive razor, will you look at it thinking "Man I can't believe I only paid 200$ for that" or will you think "Man I can't believe I paid 200$ for that"?

Booth razors might be equal good when it comes to shaving but the more expensive one might give you more joy while doing it.

Originally Posted by grant9908

Again...... If the shave is the same, then the rest is just superfluous, that's what you all are telling me, correct? Even Shooter said in a different thread just a bit ago that straights are not really being made of better materials than from the 1900s. So, if the shave is the same why bother buying anything more than the $35 ones?

The answer has already been given. There are various reasons why razors are more expensive than others.
Depending on what YOU want to shave with, you should set your budget.
If all you want is just shaving,then 35$ is all the razor you need.

Otoh, if you want a razor from a specific age or manufacturer, and you want that razor to be in a specific condition (mint, NOS, etc), or made from cerain materials, ...
Then you will have to shell out more.

It is not up to me to convince you to spend more. Figure out what you want, and pay for that.
No different from buying a car.

Originally Posted by grant9908

So..... In the classifieds here, there are $35 straights and $199 straights. If they both shave just as well, then why would I ever spend the extra money. Convince me.

You can't assume all razors will shave equally even if they are both capable of shaving.
I agree you don't need to spend big money but how much wear & rust is on the $199 razors ?

Originally Posted by grant9908

So..... In the classifieds here, there are $35 straights and $199 straights. If they both shave just as well, then why would I ever spend the extra money. Convince me.

If you earn your own money, then it's entirely your decision, do whatever pleases you.

If you need justification to spend more on a razor, then doing that isn't for you.

People buy what they want for reasons important to them. Maybe they want a much admired name, or a pristine specimen, or a custom made piece made to their specifications, or scales made of some precious material or a razor made by a famous maker. If you reduce it to how well does it shave then it's no different than buying the most minimal car or washing machine or clothes at Walmart or minimal and basic anything. It's all the same.

Originally Posted by grant9908

why would I ever spend the extra money

to purchase the extra razor

these are such easy questions

I can smoke cheap burley in a corn cob or GL Pease Robusto in a Dunhill or a Castello. They function is the same but they are different animals. I can drive to work in a junker or a mercedes and they will both get me there. Play a $100 guitar and then pick up a Martin. The comparisons could go on and on.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Play a $100 guitar and then pick up a Martin. The comparisons could go on and on.

This may be an unfair. If you compare a Yamaha to a Martin D28 on looks alone they will be very similar; compare the tones and the Martin will blow you away, whereas the Yamaha won't.

That is a functionality issue, which seems to be the opposite with razors. No matter how you look at it, as long as they have both been correctly honed, the $35 razor is going to serve the same function as the $200 razor, namely shaving whiskers off your face.

If you cant tell the diference,then there is no reason to buy the more expencieve one,if you can then you have your answer

Originally Posted by grant9908

So..... In the classifieds here, there are $35 straights and $199 straights. If they both shave just as well, then why would I ever spend the extra money. Convince me.

Nope, convince yourself. As noted above, if you need convincing it's not for you. If you don't know the difference, it's not for you. Also, as noted above, cost does not relate to shave quality.

Kick back, pick up a few razors that fit your budget or that you feel comfortable buying for the cost and read through as many threads and posts here on SRP that you have time for and find interest in. Over time you will not need to ask such questions. There is no fast road to knowledge and experience.