Thread: Double Duck worth it?

Hello I'm new to STRP so im sorry if this is the wrong forum for this Ques. I have recently come across a DBLE DCK for $35 but the front 1/3 of the blade is snapped off it is possibly a golden eagle ( I will be going back to double check this).Is the razor still worth purchasing for reconditioning even with the re-profile work ? Thank you for your time and Knowledge.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but unless you want a DD as a letter opener, wait until you find one with the blade intact!

With that said, if it does have the nice crushed ice scales and all of the brass work is there, it 'may' be worth buying just for the scales so that 'if' later on you find a nice DD with broken scales you'll have a nice set of scales to put the blade in!

However if the scales are damaged, brass work is missing etc skip it!

Double Duck are nice shaver, but so are so many other great brands. Buy the best condition razor you can afford. Buying a broken razor for $35 dollars is not a good razor investment. I have purchased pristine one hundred year old razors for less.

Do not get sucked into the hype of certain name brand razors. I believe it was Genco that advertised they were producing 6,000 razors per week in the early 1900’s. Genco, was just one of the hundreds of razor manufactures in existence at the time.

There are still a lot of great razors in the wild. I bought 4 today in the original boxes, two of which appear to have never been honed.

The main body of my collection is Ducks. If you can restore the toe to a decent shape (and make it safe), shorten the scales to fit the blade, and hone it, you will have a VERY short and not so great Goldedge Duck. You have to be very careful buying Ducks because they have other problems due to the scale material they are in. If this is your first razor you would do better looking elsewhere. If your looking to collect it will not be a great show piece. I won't say anything about the price but I will repeat " You would be better off passing on it " :<0)

. This would not be my first razor I am still trying to get a hold on what is worth the work and what is not and I know some of the brands still hold value even with some major dings. Just trying not to waste money on a bad shave or investment . Thank you every one for your knowledge.

I agree totally with the above comments and would even go one step further - the first razor purchase is probably best made from reputable online and physical stores that sell new blades like Dovo, TI, and quite a few custom razor makers. There's almost no risk and you will know what a blade should look like and shave like. A safe alternative is to buy a completely restored blade from the same type of reputable vendor. Don't allow a professionally designed website lure you into believing that a nice site equates to a nice blade - ask around!

Be clear about what blades to avoid. You can find a partial list here but I can't seem to find it at the moment. Someone will come along and provide a link I'm sure. It's best to know that list long before you start buying blades.

Ebay has some reputable vendors but unless you've been buying from those folks in the past the risk is just too high - there are some vultures out there looking for new guys with some cash and little knowledge. To be fair, most of the eBay sellers are not dishonest, they're just selling blades that need restoration and the time/cost of that can be way more than the cost of the blade. Just because you've read about a certain brand doesn't mean it's a good buy for you - or that the one you're looking at is any good at all. Buying from a reputable vendor greatly reduces that risk.

Here's what I'd do -

1. Ask around here for a reputable source (StraightRazorDesigns, The Art of Shaving, etc) There are quite a few good ones out there.
2. Allow your budget to determine if your first should be a brand new one or a restored one
3. Know your budget and stick to it
4. Buy your blade, use it, get to know it, and THEN venture out for others. You can buy 30 blades before you realize you have one you can use and 29 that you'll never like or be able to comfortably shave with.
5. Read everything there is about straight razor shaving, buying, and maintaining,
6. Practice, practice, read, practice, read, practice...

Soon enough you'll have a few you really like and will use for years. You'll also have RAD and the start of a collection that just seems to grow on it's own, but you'll also have the knowledge to make intelligent purchases (as opposed to trying to grab any blade that has a name stamped onto it that you recognize).

We've all been in your shoes and can relate. Go about it intelligently and you'll be much happier - and have more cash to buy more good blades.