Purchasing straight razors
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Contents
Introduction
Often questions are asked in regard to purchasing straight razors. Members of Straight Razor Place have provided answers to some of the most often asked questions. Enjoy the read and many thanks to the members who contributed to this page.
Choosing a razor.
Choosing a razor is a matter of personal preference. If you must have a brand new razor the quality choices are limited to the three main major current manufacturers: Dovo, Thiers-Issard, and Böker; as well as the custom razor makers. There is also the Chinese made Gold Dollar and the razors currently made by Giesen & Forsthoff, which are of a somewhat lower quality, but usually can be made to shave. A brand new razor will still have to be honed.
Fortunately there are many vintage razors which would often be of equal or even better quality than the current production and they will generally cost significantly less. The best place to find one is the Classifieds section of SRP. Most often the razors there are honed and shave-tested by the seller, and this is noted in the ad, but when in doubt you can always ask.
Newbie’s are strongly discouraged from purchasing vintage razors on eBay because they do not have the experience to evaluate the condition of the razor - in most cases the pictures on eBay do not provide enough details, and even when they do, a newbie generally doesn't know what is important and what isn't.
Nevertheless there are some razors that should be avoided, and even though every purchase is a risk there are a few popular vintage brands that are generally good.
You can find detailed descriptions of hundreds of new and vintage razors in our Straight Razor Database (SRDB).
Shopping for that first razor.
What to look for
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Buying Used
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Where to look
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What to look for
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Other resources
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