Thread: Practice blade brands

Originally Posted by Razorburne

You guys know anything about the company "Master"?

DMS - any good advice when looking at stuff on ebay? Is it just looking at pictures for imperfections, checking the descriptions, and if you find one that looks good, praying that you're not missing something or being scammed?

I'm doing the same thing. I'm watching ebay to get a feel for it. As for the "master" Brand, that was one of the brands that the first thread in the newbies corner recommends that you avoid. Unfortunately, I actually have one. I bought a lot of 8 razors and it came with it. Oi, what a box full of junk that was. I was reading somewhere in the forum that masters don't take or keep an edge very well. Also avoid Zeepak. They were the other razors in the lot (This was purchased long before I ran into SRP...they were meant to be gifts). They make macho letter openers, but not much else...no wait, I use them to open new DVDs

Originally Posted by Razorburne

You guys know anything about the company "Master"?

DMS - any good advice when looking at stuff on ebay? Is it just looking at pictures for imperfections, checking the descriptions, and if you find one that looks good, praying that you're not missing something or being scammed?

Stay away from Master, Zeepk, Two golden men, etc. as already mentioned. Some of them might be worth considering for the scales though if price plus shipping is reasonable.

It's probably as much luck for me as anything else, one of the best things I can tell you is to ask for better pictures when you need them and to look at the blade shadow line for evidence of nicks that sometimes don't show. Sometimes it's hard to tell tarnish from corrosion, and hone wear can be minimized with a slightly blurry photo taken at certain angle.

I've bought a few serious junkers that are only good for spare scales or trimming carpet based on what some sellers call "EXCELLENT CONDITION", so take those descriptions with a large grain of salt unless you're dealing with the established reputable sellers like manyware, altima55, etc. You can be sure of what you're getting with them or our sellers here on SRP, but those aren't what I'd consider practice blades.

The only time I got stuck with a really bad piece of junk that I couldn't negotiate a reasonable settlement on was from a seller who could barely write a coherent sentence in his correspondence, and Bill Ellis had a similar experience so I tend to steer clear of those folks. Descriptions that are all in caps are another red flag for me. Some people don't recommend dealing with sellers who don't accept paypal, but I've picked up a couple very nice razors that way and never had a problem.

I guess the best advice I can offer is to be patient, bid late (snipe) with only as much as you're really willing to pay (no bidding wars), and stick with the makers you see mentioned around here. None of us post about the dogs we've bought when bargain hunting but I'll wager that a lot of us have a few we'd just as soon not own. It's not like there are a lot of bargains like that Wostenholm out there, you just have to keep your eyes open. That said, some of the best shavers I have cost less than $20, a few were less than $10.

When it's all said and done there's no substitute for a little experience but at least it doesn't cost a fortune to accumulate some. You can always PM one of the guys around here if you want a 2nd opinion on an auction.

If you'd like a couple that are ugly as hell for sanding/polishing/honing practice I can send you a few I have that came in lots with other razors that I wanted, just let me know via PM.

Dave

Yea, I have a bag full of old ugly razors that came with a wood box I bought. If you want one just PM me and I'll send one out to you.

Thanks guys...I will keep this in mind. I am currently awaiting Lynn's DVD - once I get a chance to look through that, I will probably be ready to make my purchases, eventhough I already have an idea of what I will end up doing.

As far as the offers for blades to practice honing, I may just take you guys up on that offer - I will definitely be in touch.

It's the weirdest thing - I am usually an extremely patient guy, but I find myself being very eager to get started with str8 shaving - I almost hope I am not hyping it too much in mind. From everything I read in the forums, I don't know if that's possible to do!

I'll second what has been said about the availability of good shavers for under $20 on ebay. You very well could end up with a better shaver than an new Dovo. :-) Here's a search I use to eliminate alot of the crap:

straight razor -Zeepk -sexy -wig -Dutch -New -knife -knives -blades

For bargains, I usually set a max dollar amount as well.

If there is a half decent photo, you can easily eliminate razors that have excessive or uneven hone wear. Avoid the toothpicks, frowning razors, cracked, chipped and pitted ones.

Good hunting.

if you do go the ebay route, check altima 55. He usually sells top stuff, and the prices are reasonable until you get into a bidding war. he has been recommended here several times, and is usually spot on with his descriptions and will answer all questions honestly.

Originally Posted by idaho mike

... -sexy ...

Come on, now what's wrong with sexy?

I can also send someone a practice blade for free, btw - PM me if interested

Cheers
Ivo

Originally Posted by izlat

Come on, now what's wrong with sexy?

I can also send someone a practice blade for free, btw - PM me if interested

Cheers
Ivo

I think the search was popping lady clothes of some kind that were advertised as sexy. Call me a purist, but I think str8 shaving is sexy enough without those kinds of accessories.