Thread: Advice for next purchase sought.

Hello all,

I am considering purchase of one more Str8 and have several options to consider. 7/8 is the size in one of 3 makes (in order of current preference) Shavingshops Friodur, Bartmann or a Thiers from Classicshaving.

Ive heard varying things about the shavingshops offerings, mostly good and a few maybe not so good. Most of their offerings seem to be original forgings that are being finish ground by a few remaining craftsman, and scaled with whatever is available, looks good, and fits. These razors may or may not reflect well on (or maybe better than?) the original factory offerings. In the case of the Friodur, I would be buying the cheapest one because I have a set of scales planned for it and I dont think the blade quality would vary with the price on those. Or would it?

I have a 5/8 Thiers that didnt shave worth a damn as purchased, but the basic grind looked good. A hone and stropping fixed it right up. The serrations on the underside of the tang (where the thumb grips) are cruddy, no polite way to put it. They arent generally noticed so Ive accepted it. The current scoop on the Thiers seems dicey, so I'm not sure about laying down the cash on that one. It is the priciest option.

I have no experience with any of these razors (in 7/8) and would appreciate any information. My primary criteria are edge retention (I dont want to strop a razor mid shave, at all) Basic edge geometry, grind quality, and durability. My whiskers are like wires if that means anything.

Regards,

Dave

For your tough growth, you want a blade that's at least a half-hollow, most likely a wedge. There has been a wave of disappointment with the TI razors, so I'd go with one of the other two, depending on your preference.
Unless they mention a different type of steel/tempering process, they should be the same and charging premium on the scales. As long as it's a well-tempered fine-grained hard steel you should be fine. Since you have tough whiskers, I wouldn't go any finer than 0.5 micron pastes, possibly 1.0micron.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three. The complaints about TIs concern cosmetics. I have about 10 TIs and I have complained about them also but when it comes to shaving they are hard to beat. Of course the henkels is an outstanding shaver also as is the Bartman. I would probably buy the one I could get for the best price especially if your going to change the scales anyway.

With due respect to all the big razor guys here and wedge fans here on the forum I have to tell you that if you just like the style of a big razor or a wedge thats great but I truly think that no matter how tough a beard you have if you have even a 4/8s and it's honed sharp the way it should be it will shave as close and as comfortable as a W&B meatchopper. Just my opinion of course.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

As long as it's a well-tempered fine-grained hard steel you should be fine. Since you have tough whiskers, I wouldn't go any finer than 0.5 micron pastes, possibly 1.0micron.

With tough whiskers, you can probably go to 0.5 micron on the Friodur, but on most carbon steel blades that fine of an edge may not last a full shave without stropping. For most vintage sheffield and solingen blades I stop at 1 micron diamond paste, and lately I've been using the 13k grit boron carbide, which seems to make a smoother edge than the slightly finer diamond paste.

FWIW, there is one carbon blade that gets the .5 micron paste: my one TI.

Many thanks for the replies.
I ended up buying the 7/8 Friodur from shavingshop based on the information here and also that I dont have a stainless razor yet. The fact that my paddle strop is already loaded with .5 micron also works for that choice.

I like the big razors because of the heft, the others feel like toys after the weight of a 7/8. The big razors also seem to shave better at this stage of my skill development, may change as things progress.

Happy Thanksgiving guys!