Thread: How Many Razors have you Ruined?

1. How many razors total have you owned?

More than 100 at least. I would get by fine with 1 or 2.

2. How many razors have you ruined/cracked/scratched/dinged/etc. during shaving? How were they ruined?

During shaving none, had some close calls and I dinged a kamisori the other day, dropped one on another.

3. Do you still have your first straight razor?

Nope, got 2 from my father, a friend "borrowed" them and now they are all gone!

4. How long have you owned the straight razor that you owned longest? Please provide it's size, grind, and blade material.

No clue, 20 years maybe...

5. How many inches would you expect me to remove from a razor if I used it daily during my lifetime? A whole 8th of an inch? A 16th of an inch?

Not much if you treat it gently and don't live forever!

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Ruined the first few I honed,far to much pressor.

I bet that'll buff right out

Wow, thanks so much for all the answers, guys!

1. About 10
2. None, but some close calls, especially when I was starting out. That sink is your enemy.
3. Yes, and it's still a good shaver.
4. About 10 years, Dovo 5/8, carbon steel, fully hollow ground with ebony wood scales.
5. Absolutely no idea but unless you plan on spending a fortune on it and want to deprecate it, it shouldn't matter. When cared for they last forever.

As others have said, owning a couple of straights is easier on them (rotation) and you. Plus, it's likely that your taste will evolve after a while. Few people over 40 still drive the same kind of car they purchased as a student. I started out with classic western straights but over the past 3 years or so I've shaved with my kamisori about 90% of the time. Who knows what it'll be in another 10 years.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Ruined the first few I honed,far to much pressor.

Love that Dremel tool, man. Is that Purina Dremel chow scattered around it? Those things are damn messy eaters!

Originally Posted by Toucan

Thanks for all the great answers, but this left me one more question, in response to hole grouper.

What's wrong with owning a single razor? Provided I don't get SRAD (which I probably won't, I've been using DE's a long while and never had an AD 'cause I'm a minimalist), what can 7 razors provide me besides variety that I cannot get with a single razor?

A single razor is what many of us intend to own when we get sucked into this. It's still a fine goal, but curiosity is a subtle and persistent force. Mine led me to own about 30 razors over time, until I stumbled into the particular razor configuration that is ergonomic bliss to me. Now I've got just five or six that match that pattern, but one that I use almost every day. Others, outside that pattern, I've kept because they have very unique grinds or other features that make them very different shavers.

Because I humored my curiosity, I know exactly which blade I'd keep if I had to have just one. That's a nice thing to know, and a good reason to have purchased a number of blades over time.

As to wear and tear, I only badly damaged one blade. Properly used, they should last three or four generations.

But, honestly, it's the hones that'll kill ya. Even if I went down to a single blade, I'd want to keep my entire hone collection, just to play and see how different stones gave different shaves.

Just take a deep breath and dive in. We'll catch you and we won't let you drown. You're among friends here.

Best wishes and happy shaving.

Wow, you guys must not be as clumsy as I am... I have 7 razors (just coincidence, not stopping at a 7-day set!) and within only a couple of months of starting out I dinged one somewhere on the sink that had to be honed out. Really made me think about how I was handling these surprisingly fragile tools. Haven't had a problem since. As you can see Toucan, most people have managed without incident

Remember. He who dies with the most toys wins!!!!

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Ruined the first few I honed,far to much pressor.

lol. better stop sharpening with a sledgehammer.

I mainly use the same one everyday. It's very liberating to have found your perfect razor. I had to go through about 40 to find it though. I still keep a couple of collectibles but gave the rest away.
As they say, you'll have to hone it more, and occasionally endure a poor edge from lazy stropping or whathaveyou, but I'd still prefer a shave with a dull blade on mine than a sharp edge on another!
I've only damaged one, and on purpose. I had it beautifully restored but the spine was warped something bad so I punished it on a diamond plate one night. I believe it's with my exgirlfriend.