Thread: Some razors better shavers?

Originally Posted by mumpig

Or, might it be the case that once a razor has a certain modicum of quality steel, heat treating, edge geometry and whatever other factors, that with expert honing and stropping, it can be turned into a great shaver? If this is the case, does anyone care to hazard a guess about where the price point may lie for a razor that can become a great shaver? $100 USD? Less? $200? More?

Just something to ponder as you shave today. Newbies want to know.

Gssixgun is spot on with some known brands. Upstate NY(Little Valley) manufactured cutlery of all types and most brands seemed to have used a fine grained steel able to take amazing edges. I have found some of the US branded Solingen steel imported razors perform marvelously. After obtaining multiple examples of the same models, it is obvious there are variations in performance as should be expected in something mass produced.

As far as cost, I have some razors which are "magic" and cost less than $10.
One might discover a custom maker is capable of sustaining greater consistency but at higher cost.

Mumpig,

Wow, great question, and I predict this will grow into a long thread. Price points are not a reliable predictor for vintage blades, as some sellers will generously price a good shaver to get it into the hands of a beginner and others may push for as much as the market will bear, and sometimes in bursts of Ebay silliness it'll bear quite a lot. For new blades, the least expensive one I'd trust is a Dovo Best Quality.

I think vintage blades are interesting because there are so many defunct brands and I think the market for razor-shaped objects is a modern one. I don't think there are any vintage brands on our list of razors to avoid. So vintage blades are safer buys, as long as you know how to screen for age-related damage like hone wear and micropitting along the edge. Some vintage blades have fantastic reputations, which increases their price. But Gencos, which are fantastic blades, sell for very affordable prices because there were zillions of them made so they're not that rare. In my opinion, the best bang-to-buck ratio for vintage blades will be in 5/8 Gencos. Cases, also American steel, seem to go for higher prices. That's just my gut feeling; others are welcome to correct me. More unusual blade sizes, that is, larger blades, are more rare and might cost a little more.

I think it's hard to identify a price point for a great shaver. My best razor buy was in the Classifieds here, and I didn't realize what a great shaver I was getting. The blade had the ergonomic characteristics I've come to favor and wasn't too expensive (probably $60 or $70) so I bought it. I don't know what brand it is; I think such info got buffed off in a restoration. It behaves like Sheffield steel and gives the best shaves of any in my collection. If I had to sell down to a single keeper, it would be this one.

I think that if you start with good steel, the proper ratio of blade width to spine width, and a good grind in the original manufacture, couple that with little to no hone wear and sound steel at the edge (again, no micropitting or other corrosion), then yes, an accomplished honer can turn that into a good shaver. It may only be a good shaver in one person's hands but a great shaver in another's; the blade I describe above fits my grip perfectly, smiles just the right amount to get into my hollows, carries just the amount of lather I feel like rinsing... it matches my own shaving style just right. It might not do that for another person, who would rate it lower than I do. The guy who sold it to me obviously didn't value it as much as I do, 'cause he SOLD it.

You might end up with a great razor FOR YOU because you happen to have the hones and honing style that bring out the best from that particular blade. A honemeister will match hones and style to blades as necessary, as their experience and skill dictate. American steels can hone out to much finer grits (30k, if you really want to push it) than Sheffield steels, because American steels are so much harder. But your skin might match much better with the gentler Sheffield-off-a-coticule edge, and maybe you were lucky to also buy a coticule that is a really good finisher (not all of them are). Or you get a Genco and a Shapton 30k plate and shave with an insanely keen edge that you find irritating... you do not have, in your experience, the great shaver that another person with the same blade and hone may rhapsodize over.

I think where I'm going with all this, and where I should just stop, is that your mileage may vary and no, more $ does not necessarily get you a better shaver. As you collect blades, go out of your way to add very different ones to your collection, until you stumble, like I was fortunate to do, into the steel and configuration that's excellent for YOU. The number of variables might as well be infinite, since they are so subtle in this art.

Best wishes and happy shaving

Great insights, Roughkype. Introducing individual characteristics like skin and beard type, ergonomics and skill level (duh!). I'm recalling Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers," in which I belive he states that on average, for someone to master a task they need to do 10,000 repititions. At one shave per day that's 30 years! Well...with 60 years of shaving for a male, that means everyone who starts young enough can get there. Barbers get there faster of course. And I'm sure many of you have natural talent for it. Anyway, at 65 and little, if any, natural talent I'm not gonna make it to master class but I'm having fun on the journey. Look forward to more to ponder.

Can I get the list too please

Originally Posted by pesa

PM sent!!

I've only been shaving with straight razors for about 8 months now, but I must say that of all the razors I have bought and turned around there have been a few that have really stood out! Now that is stood out for me! I believe YMMV is a phrase that is out there for a reason! My best shaver may be just an ok shaver to someone who has a different hair consistency, face shape, sensitivity, or any other number of differences. I have honed and shaved with over 80 different razors to date, and I have my favorite 7 upstairs in a box, but they are all different razors from different companies. Well, 2 are technically from Simmons Hardware, but that isn't even considered one of the better brands on here (I don't think). But some are completely unrecognizable brands and some are ones that are held in high esteem on this forum and by the straight razor community as a whole. I have sold some of the best brands that are in unbelievable shape, but just didn't shave as well as the ones from smaller (less recognizable) companies! YMMV on any razor!

I find that the size of a razor has a lot to do with it's shaving abilities, (mostly scale size). Some of the bigger ones are awkward to hold and I believe they affect the outcome of the shave, IMHO.

Originally Posted by Firefighter2

I find that the size of a razor has a lot to do with it's shaving abilities, (mostly scale size). Some of the bigger ones are awkward to hold and I believe they affect the outcome of the shave, IMHO.

No truth in the above if you are strong like bull, and twice as smart,you can shave with any razor))

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

No truth in the above if you are strong like bull, and twice as smart,you can shave with any razor))

Tell me about the Palmer. Is that 12/8? I want one.

Originally Posted by Cobre

Can I get the list too please

One should realize such a list is highly subjective. This is a personal preference thing for me. For those who have honed and tested hundreds or thousands of razors such a list is substantiated through experience.

Very frequently, when a group starts touting online the virtues of some particular razor as their favorite the traffic in those razors multiplies and the exponentially minded appraisals of Ebay result in foolish runaway price increases.

There seems to always be some vaunted "magic" razor brand bringing high prices based more on demand fueled by speculation than function.

It isn't good practice as a result of these factors to post "lists" of good razors anymore than it is good practice to post your interest in a currently available auction item.

Do some research...........pay attention to what others keep in their rotations. Surf the shave of the day thread. Also check out the razors to avoid list on SRP.

It is akin to a travel writer expounding on the virtues of his latest out of the way destination discovery........which soon isn't so out of the way.

Buy some inexpensive razors explore and then return here to tell us the about the "magic razors" you have found.

I had a Joseph Elliot razor I test shaved completely...shaved fine...something about it didn't agree with my face...it was a 7/8 probably from 1850's...it was a heavy blade...but even compared to my full wedge...felt "not right" somehow...tough to explain