Thread: Some razors better shavers?

Here's a question aimed mostly at those of you on SRP who have been around a lot of razors for a lot of years. Just occured to me on this Sunday AM as I was thinking about a few posts that mentioned that this brand of razor or that brand was a "good shaver." So...are some razors just "better shavers" than others. I mean by this that, regardless of the honing and stropping expertise that's gone into a razor, it just shaves better? True? Or maybe not? Can enough honing and stropping fix any razor (unless if falls below some threshold of quality such as the Pakistani razors seems to)?

If true, would this apply to most razors of a certain brand or just a few individual razors -- an accident of birth, if you will? I got started thinking about this because of the pricing range of razors, and wondering if this is because of collector value (in the case of vintage razors) or workmanship or something else? Then moved on to pondering whether price relates in any way to shaving ability. More $ = better shaver? I kind of doubt it past a certain point but I don't really know enough to be definitive about it. 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.

Yes some are known "Good" brands.. But that doesn't mean every single razor from that brand will be great, it just means there are certain brands that have a higher likelihood of you finding a "better" razor...


There are also other razors that we tend to call "WOW !!!" razors, these are few and far between, and the more razors you experience the fewer you tend to find that really stand out from the rest.. When you find one keep it
I have never found a pattern to these razors...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yes some are known "Good" brands.. But that doesn't mean every single razor from that brand will be great, it just means there are certain brands that have a higher likelihood of you finding a "better" razor...


There are also other razors that we tend to call "WOW !!!" razors, these are few and far between, and the more razors you experience the fewer you tend to find that really stand out from the rest.. When you find one keep it
I have never found a pattern to these razors...

Care to share the GOOD and the WOW brands?

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.

Originally Posted by pesa

Care to share the GOOD and the WOW brands?

I could tell you but then I would have to.............

PM for the secret list

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

Originally Posted by jaswarb

I could tell you but then I would have to.............

PM for the secret list

PM sent!!

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!