Thread: Hart razor vs Jacques?

Originally Posted by thehekler

As I said they are great value for money but I can understand wanting to start with something nicer. Not better but nicer. When I started I wanted something special I knew I was gonna stick with it so it was worth it to me. I am not saying it's a path that I would recommend to someone new only that I understand it and it worked for me. A dovo might provide a very nice shave but at least for me it's not up to what I can get with sone of my others, some cheaper some more expensive. If it was a simple equation of shave quality vs price I go with a vintage every time as I can easily find them for $20 plus $20 for a home job and you have a razor at half the price of a dovo best that will shave just as nicely. But many people like new, like everything it's personal preference, if you have the money might as well get something you will love I would only stay away from customs because you don't know yet what qualities you like.

Point taken, but buying a Gibson or a Martin for a first guitar isn't going to make you a better guitar player. Just sayin'....

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Point taken, but buying a Gibson or a Martin for a first guitar isn't going to make you a better guitar player. Just sayin'....

Very true. I have one of each and I'm not a 'good' guitar player. OTOH, after 40 years of messing with it, if I had waited until I was good I'd never have owned either of them.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Very true. I have one of each and I'm not a 'good' guitar player. OTOH, after 40 years of messing with it, if I had waited until I was good I'd never have owned either of them.

It's not often that I think about posts outside of the forum, but this one has kept coming up repeatedly since I read it... This is a very good perspective, IMHO.

I like this post. Im learning a lot from all the different opinions. Ive learned more from this post alone than I could by myself reading for a month. Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Point taken, but buying a Gibson or a Martin for a first guitar isn't going to make you a better guitar player. Just sayin'....

Probably true, but when I got my '66 D-28 I couldn't keep my hands off it. It made practicing a lot more fun, even scales.

I've got a Hart and two Alex Jacques and they shave equally as well as each other. I've also got some nice French, German and US straights that I'v picked up for a few dollars and they shave just as well. I think either a Hart or a Jacques as a first razor is unwise. I think that you're better off picking up something from the classifieds here as your first straight.

Let me elaborate with another useful men's acccessory...

A friend of mine pointed this out to me and I think maybe you can understand the differences with this analogy

Timex
Citizens
Tag
Rolex

All these tell the same time, but there is a difference in how they say it

Maybe I'm not the best person to ask regarding custom-built razors. But if you haven't used a straight razor yet, why would you want to get a custom? I'm worried that you may not enjoy the act of wetshaving, which would likely put you in the hole.

Why not check the classifieds for a high-quality starter razor, drop $40 or so (rather than 300-700), get the necessary equipment to go along with it, and then decide? At $40, you aren't getting really deep at the start. If you hate it, you can stop there. And if you love it, well, you've only spent $40 on a razor. So you can still look at a custom afterwards.

Besides, you may love your starter razor more!

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Let me elaborate with another useful men's acccessory...

A friend of mine pointed this out to me and I think maybe you can understand the differences with this analogy

Timex
Citizens
Tag
Rolex

All these tell the same time, but there is a difference in how they say it

Where would my Panerai fit in? I'm definitely leaning away from the Jacques at the moment. I stopped by a local razor / shaving store today and played around with some stuff. I'm starting tonget a better idea of what I'm looking for.

In terms of function, your Panerai is right in the middle. In terms of craftsmanship, it might beat all of them. That's exactly the point here. If you want to investigate straight shaving, that investigation can be done cheaply. If you enjoy it, you can spend lots of money on beautifully crafted razors. If you don't take to straight shaving, then you're not stuck trying to get your money out of an expensive razor in order to buy an expensive watch.