Thread: Rate your cheap razors

We all know the big names Dovo and the like but this question is not about them. This is about the cheap razors. The ones your can pick up new for less than 50 by themselves. Post your cheap razors make and usability. I'll start.

GB Buckingham and Sons. Poor will take an edge but won't hold it long enough to shave. New blades are chunky and pull almost immediately. Pass on these.

If I'm spending less then $100 for a new shaver I'm buying a DE lol

That said, my first straight was a Parker Stainless (disposable blade), it worked well enough to get me hooked!

Second was a 5/8 Dovo Best, again a good shaver. I consider that to be the gateway shaver that leads to RAD

I wasn't aware of cheaper (quality), NEW razors available.

There is already a list of manufacturers to stay away from. The brand you mentioned is on it. There isn't a fixed-blade straight razor made under $50 new that doesn't need work beyond honing and is made of quality hardened steel. This is possibly with the exception of the off-brand Dovo-made razors, but those are rarely more than $10 or $15 less than entry-level Dovos and many report fit and finish problems.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...azors_to_avoid

Thanks for pointing that out. Actually I was hoping someone might have stumbled on an inexpensive razor that is actually worth a damn.

Look out for vintage Torrey, Shumate, Worcester and Robeson. You can pick up unloved (not shave ready) on ebay for around $20 (give or take). Once honed, they will all give an excellent shave. I think most of the US made straights are very under-rated.

This thread lacks pictures, and I must say I'm disappointed you are gabbing about razors without pics.

Since you failed to define "cheap razor", I'll go with "inexpensive" as a definition (as johnmrson tactfully pointed out) and go from there.

This is my inexpensive beast. I don't know what I paid for it when I bought it new, nor what I paid to have it fixed. So I guess inexpensive really means "none of you would pay a lot for it", and I'll let that be your loss. She's a Hoffritz, no particular model or number. As I recall she was the runt on the store, and the most affordable one. I shaved with it for a couple of years until I chipped it, then I carefully put it away wet in its plastic case to rust for a couple of decades. I'm smart like that.

Here she is after being found, after cleaning the abundant rust from the blade:



Don't let that beauty shot fool you; she's got two chips on the edge and while not easy to see, you can make out the missing metal as a result of the rusting.

Mercifully I discovered a bang up formula for fixing razors. It goes like this:

Beat up razor + USPS + small coin + Glen = sweet razor

If you clear out the variables on that equation, you come up with:



On top of being a cheap razor, she's my go-to razor. I've others, that are by looks and breed much nicer, but somehow at least a third of my shaves are with this bad girl.

Under $50, all you give up is eye-candy. Shaving forums are well populated by threads where someone is ecstatic about some unknown, nevery-heard-of razor that just delivers beautifully and puts a smile on their face every time. Yes, they're pretty much always 'vintage'. Johnmerson is totally right about the US blades - whether from the earlier import era or after we allies slapped crippling tarriffs on the germans, desparate for hard currency after Versaille. (wish we hadn't done that)

If you're in the states (your profile shows no location), you have access to many wonderful blades that regularly show in the classifieds or can be found simply by talking w/ other members. They appear regularly for $30-35. Sometimes less. When you realize these are ready to shave with, it seems nuts to try to economize further by fleabay or antique stores - unless you can do your own restoration IMHO.

Sorry, I thought we were talking about >$50 new. Yes, there are all sorts of good vintage razors available under $50. Just about everything in my rotation other than the couple I bought new were under $50.

Originally Posted by rimmini

We all know the big names Dovo and the like but this question is not about them. This is about the cheap razors. The ones your can pick up new for less than 50 by themselves. Post your cheap razors make and usability. I'll start.

Honestly I have tested so many of the "Off Brand" razors it hurts my fingers just thinking about it

Near everytime a new one pops up on the scene, I PM the unlucky owner and offer to hone it... I like the challenge and I want to satisfy my own curiosity

Here is my overall conclusion of New cheap razors

Very very few can even hold an edge through one shave

Some have real steel, but need edge re-contouring to make them shave-able and hone-able to anyone but a "Restorist"

Some can hold and edge and are ground true and straight but normally are within $20 or less of buying an Entry level "Shave Ready" Dovo so the question would be Why ???



JMHO and IME and YMMV hehehe