Thread: Reeling from bad experience, looking for advice

the camel boned fiasco as it shall henceforth be known (or in my case the buffalo horned fiasco).
I've just gone ahead and mailed Larry (I think) from whippeddog to ask about his $38 buck "sight unseen" vintage razor deal.
I'm hoping to go from one that is all show and (in all likelyhood) no go to one that may not necessarily win a beauty pageant but shaves up a real treat.
Let's hope huh?

I am definitively one of the people on this site that looks for inexpensive razors and shave gear but I definitely would not purchase a razor or other gear sight unseen. Straight razor shaving has a very steep learning curve and learning with a razor that is not appealing to the eye in the least bit will not enhance the drive to keep going after a setback. I have a goo d number of razors and the average cost is ~ $38. While every one is not in pristine condition each one appealing and has many many years of service left in them. My advice is to be patient and search local shops and markets, avoid razors with dark black blotches, rust, cracks or chips on the bevel. Don't purchase a razor to learn with that needs restoration other than a bevel setting and send it to a professional for honing. In the end it may cost more than $38 but it will be less than $100 depending on how well you did with your local find. The key is to be patient and don't purchase junk. Good luck.

I think I'm going to struggle to find something (even in poor condition) locally, I'm a pretty big frequenter of local antique stores anyway, I rarely see straight razors, hardly ever in decent condition.
The guy I mailed was spoken highly of by other folks on this site, he also has a "semi unseen" category where he puts up a brand name and a brief description rather than a photo.
Sounds like some very decent brands.
Obviously I've gone ahead and looked into NEW razors, and I'd like to get one down the track, for right now though, they are a little out of my price range.
I've ordered an 8000 grit hone and should be a strop coming to me real soon, unless the edge is REAL bad and needs to be re ground (which I'm pretty confident I could do anyways) I'm hoping it should be OK.
I just want to start shaving straight sooner rather than later.
I spoke to my mother and she said there MIGHT be an old straight of my Pop's lurking around in amongst my Nan's stuff, I'm sure she'd be happy to part with it especially as it would of course be used and restored.
Basically I really like the idea of an older, proven straght even if it's not in the most pristine condition (as long as it can be used safely).
Ultimately I plan to have a few straights, it just seems to make sense to rest them a little while between shaves.

You sound like a DIY type of guy, which is a good thing.
On the other hand there is the old saying................. "you can do this the easy way, or the hard way."
I would suggest approaching this past-time with two different objectives:-

a) learning to shave with a straight is not something you should try to "re-invent the wheel" with. Take JoeD´s advice by investing in a quality razor prepared by a pro for reasonable money - for example try manah or gssixgun (Glen) here for his line of shave ready restored razors at great prices (check seller classifieds - Vendors Corner), and all in all not bad sort of blokes

b) indulge your curiosity in exploring antique shops and practice honing and restoring on project razors, including your heirlooms

By mixing both you are making your work load x10 in the shaving department and most likely rob yourself of any enjoyment in the process.
Just my 2c (not taking into consideration current bail-out packages being implemented here in Spain!)

For every one great 10$ razor that i've found on eBay there was 3 that weren't. What the photo often don't show or the seller doesn't understand I'd that after there razors have been sharpened on a Grinder that they're often ruined. So are they good buys?? Probably not.
Of the razors that I've purchase off of razor blog sites.. Only one wasn't shave ready, and that DE only needed a good cleaning.

Originally Posted by Joed

I am definitively one of the people on this site that looks for inexpensive razors and shave gear but I definitely would not purchase a razor or other gear sight unseen.

The "Sight Unseen" deal, and the "Sight Half Seen" deal from Whipped Dog are two good set ups. Any beginner should be happy with either one, unless they're looking for something to display. The edge Larry puts on his razors is excellent.

Originally Posted by Joed

... I definitely would not purchase a razor or other gear sight unseen. ...

I feel the need to repeat myself here. Purchasing any item from anywhere sight unseen is not wise use of your hard earned money, period. I have to wonder about the motives behind anyone that would ...

Originally Posted by Joed

I feel the need to repeat myself here. Purchasing any item from anywhere sight unseen is not wise use of your hard earned money, period. I have to wonder about the motives behind anyone that would ...

I guess to each his own, but I gotta tell ya, if you are just looking to get a razor that shaves well, and not care about having it look all fancy, Larry at whippeddog has my vote and support. I've always been impressed by his service, and after seeing numerous (probably 40-50) razors from him, both in my hands and photos, he's earned my trust to provide a good razor.

If you know a razor you want, then that is probably not the way to go, of course. But if you just want a great razor that will shave you, it's a nice deal.

Originally Posted by Joed

I feel the need to repeat myself here. Purchasing any item from anywhere sight unseen is not wise use of your hard earned money, period. I have to wonder about the motives behind anyone that would ...

Do/Did you ever use mail order for anything?

Gentlemen, I think both points have been made, so before this goes any farther I am just going to close the thread...

To the OP

Get a shave ready razor, in your budget, that is the entire message here