Thread: understanding how price vs. quality of a razor

There are some brands that are popular and therefore, tend to attract premium prices - I'm thinking Duble Duck and Filarmonica - neither are what you would call scarce so there is a big element of demand driving prices up. Having said that, they do not get their reputation for nothing and both are fine makes - my limited experience of both is that the Filarmonica takes some beating whereas the DD is similar to Henckels Friodur and the Swedish razors, but definitely cost more.

As the market for the big, old near wedges shows, Wade & Burtcher is still the brand in demand - again jistifiably so as they are very fine shavers. Whether they are any better than a whole host of similar age Sheffields is a moot point.

As a beginner you could probably take 200 different razors of all prices and, provided they were shave ready - you would probably not be able to 'feel' a difference in quality. You may well find a preference for size, shape, weight, grind or looks, but that's a different matter.

I'm going to make a prediction now - my prediction is that once you have your first razor and find that straight shaving is for you, then you'll start looking at these premium priced razors, ignore all the advice you have been given so far, and start justifying to yourself why you should have one.

There are actually differences in the Vintage and the New Production razors besides just looks..

The are differences in the steels used, the process of hardening and tempering, and obvious differences in the grinds...

You simply have to search for the info for the New production stuff.

On Vintage razors it is a little harder to figure it all out, as much of the info was either hidden or greatly exaggerated so discerning the truth isn't so easy

Damascus is actually a generic moniker for 'pattern welded steel.' There are differences in formulas used in making up the final product, and the resulting alloy may make a difference in feel, how difficult it is to hone, and shave quality. IME a 'damascus' razor, and I've tried quite a few, is not necessarily better than a regular blade, but not worse. So aesthetics is the driver behind those. You have your stainless blades, high carbon, and some that have gimmicks such as lead hardening, that give the steels different qualities in honing if not in actual shaving. So there are subtle differences. Dovo, Ralf Aust and Theirs-Issard are some of the razors that I've personally taken a liking to.

I've always had trouble with discerning what would separate an average shaver with a good hone job from a great shaver with a good hone job. There are a LOT of brands that get touted as "excellent" or "some of my best shavers", but I rarely hear what they are better than.

In putting razor to face, I won't much notice the edge hardness unless it is extremely low. I'm much more likely to prefer based on tang shape and length, blade profile, degree of hollow to the grind, blade weight and width, and honing quality. A part of me still wants to focus on the steel and heat treat, but I cannot from my shaves tell you if my Cattaraugus, Tosuke, Iwasaki, or anything else, has a superior steel or heat treat. Perhaps from honing wear I can pick things apart, but if someone told me my Tosuke was harder than my Iwasaki (which is probably not true), I couldn't from shaving experience confirm or deny the claim.

Good luck trying to get more info.

Before I donate my 2 cents;
WW243 gave you a path to follow, to start you in this journey. The SRP forum is so deep in information with regard to a razor's price vs quality, it's like stepping off your 21' open fisherman into the Marianas Trench. Look a little closer by using the "Advanced Search" button, top right & putting in keywords that interest you. This returns the threads related to your interests. Members, including myself, love to answer your posts, but why limit yourself with only the replies in this thread.

First, in giving advice to a new person such as yourself, with regard to wet shaving, I would focus on the quality of the shave & don't tunnel vision on the "quality" of the razor. The end result of the shave is what I seek. I have gotten great shaves from $40.00 vintage blades from the classified section, a $7.00 antique store rescue & $250.00 Dovo's. To use your own analogy of cameras; as a young man I got into photography via a friend. He carried a simple Pentax SLR camera; I went out & bought an Olympus SLR with all the toys that fit it, 3X's the investment I made. His photos were always better than mine; because he was a better photographer. Three years later, I also bought a Pentax, still had crappy photos.

The razor that gives you a good comfortable shave at the beginning of your day, is a quality razor.

At least with the vintage blades I use, IMHO, price has absolutely nothing to do with quality. I have some of the more pricey vintage brands (Puma, DD, Filarmonica) and many unknown razors that would sell for next to nothing due to lack of name recognition, and once they're all honed properly they're all excellent shavers. I've never bothered with modern blades, and why would I when I can get a beautiful, excellently made vintage blade for under $50.00. Case in point (no razor puns intended) this Tucker Regent in excellent condition, picked up at a local antique store for $40.00.

The key to your question is what you mean by "quality." I assume you mean closeness and comfort of the shave. The most expensive razor I have is a mediocre shaver that resists all attempts (even by professional honers) to bring it up to first tier. My best quality Dovo is a first-tier razor.

So I would agree with some of the earlier responders: there is NO correlation between cost and quality -- as defined above.