Thread: How Many Razors have you Ruined?

Just before I buy a more expensive razor, I'd like to gauge whether it'd be a safe investment with a few questions:

1. How many razors total have you owned?

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

3. Do you still have your first straight razor?

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

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?

Thanks so much to all who answer

Well...

1. I have 10 razors, currently.

2. I've managed to knock a razor four times while rinsing them under the tap, though I've only chipped two.

3. I still have my first razor.

4. I've owned it for about eight or nine months.

5. No idea.

All that said, I'm not sure what relevance this has to whether or not you buy another razor, as what I've done with my own razors has no bearing on what you—intentionally or otherwise—do with yours, right?

I'm just gauging; never having owned a razor before (I just got one on whipped dog yesterday). Say, if dinging a razor was highly probable, and the community's near unanimous response was 50% of the razors that they've owned, they chipped, I'd be more intimidated at buying a more higher end razor.

But if only one person on this forum out of many had chipped his razor, and that was just a huge accident that would never happen again, then I'd feel more safe in a costlier investment.

I lost count after about 300 razors so I really cannot say how many I have.

I have ruined none of them.

Dinging a razor is highly improbable, though it can happen of course. Of all the razors I have been sent to hone I would say around 0.05% of them needed rehoning because of a ding or chip. The main issue people have in the early stages is ruining the edge on the strop or with technique, which has nothing to do with whether something is a high end razor, a normal razor, or a low-end razor.

James.

I have only dinged one razor and that was my first one, and it happened several years ago. It was sent to a pro for repairs, and is currently still being used by a friend of mine. That was about 3 1/2 years ago. Since then the only chips/dings I have had to deal with have been on used razors bought on ebay or at antique stores. If you pay attention and treat it right, there is no reason why any razor could not last a lifetime with proper care. Anyone who is careless/clumsy or otherwise prone to breaking stuff should adjust expectations accordingly.

As Jimbo said, a catastrophic event that will ruin a razor is not likely to happen. I'm at about 30 or so razors, have been using them pretty much daily for 4-5 years or so, and have had a grand total of one ding. You're worrying about a potential event that has a very low probability of occurring.

My advice? Figure out your budget, choose a razor within that budget that speaks to you, relax, treat it well, and enjoy.

1. over 50. I tend to give my razors to friends too much.
2. so far I've ruined one razor because I tried to fix the frowning edge and after that could never get it right. I was so embarrassed I just threw it away. (got it at an antique store)
3. No, I gave it to a friend who wanted to start SR shaving- and he is still using it. I get to hone it once in a while though, lol.
4. 16 years. Dovo Best Quality 5/8. It still looks and shaves like new.
5. That is hard to answer because it depends on your beard, your razor, your honing skills, etc. Most razors can, in the right hands, last at least 2 lifetimes. I would imagine that a 7/8 razor over 50 years of shaving might go down to 6/8- but I don't know.

To the question you didn't ask. I think you only should need about 7 razors (one for each day of the week) and you could then never have to buy another one.

1. How many razors total have you owned? - lost count

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

3. Do you still have your first straight razor? - no

4. How long have you owned the straight razor that you owned longest? Please provide it's size, grind, and blade material. - as long as I've been on the forum, minus a few months. I have several I've owned that long across the range of grinds and sizes.

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? - for just touchups I would guess maybe 1/16, but that's a very rough guess indeed.

1. Absolutely no idea. More than needed, less than wanted...

2. none

3. Yes I do. A Bergischer Löwe from Dovo. It is a full hollow 5/8 razor that I still use and very much enjoy.

4. About 3,5 years by now.

5. No idea, but a lot less than one might expect if it is cared for properly.

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

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

Originally Posted by 1holegrouper

To the question you didn't ask. I think you only should need about 7 razors (one for each day of the week) and you could then never have to buy another one.

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?