Purchasing straight razors

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 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. 

Resist the urge to buy a fancy model. Experience has shown that almost any beginner will dull it while stropping, damage the edge when hitting a tap, or simply drop the razor.
Resist the urge to buy from an auction site. For starters, you will not be able to tell whether a razor is the condition described by the seller. Defects can be slight but fatal. Even if the razor is in excellent condition, chances are you will pay considerably more than the current going rate. Good razors on eBay are rare, and the experienced users will spot, and snipe, them very quickly.

Stick to what is recommended in the FAQ. A larger, heavier, stiffer razor will be easier for you to use in the beginning. You will find watching your maneuvers easier, as well as keeping it flat while stropping.
Whether you buy new or from the Classifieds, buy for function, not looks. A beaten up vintage, honed by a professional, will likely out shave a new production razor in any event.
Two razors are better than one. Get both in shave ready state, and keep one for comparison purposes. If unsure whether your shaving razor is actually shave ready, consult the edge of the spare one.

When buying from a reputable source, learn to live with the fact that the razor is shave ready despite your personal disagreement with that verdict. It is tempting to blame initial frustrating experiences on the blade, but in most cases, it is lack of technique, or preparation.
When buying from the Classifieds, make sure you understand the significance of the ad, some crucial points:
Can I trust the seller?

While the Classifieds offer a higher success rate for inexperienced buyers than antique markets or online auction stores, it is eventually up to you and the seller whether you will consider the purchase a success.
Make sure you buy from an experienced member, preferably one who is also known to be good at honing. The interpretations of "shave readiness" vary, and unless the seller has honed, and used, a good number of razors, his verdict may be much different from yours.
The devil is in the details. As a beginner, you will not be able to adequately assess whether "some hone wear" is not much of a problem, or a death warrant for a razor. "Blemishes" may be easy to fix for an experienced shaver, but may equally easily ruin your shaving experience right from the start.
Sterilizing a razor is always a good idea, as long as you understand the risks to the razor associated therewith.
Buy mineral oil, and use it. At least once a week, some beginner comes in here drowned in tears because his razor has developed rust spots. Even stainless steel will stain; it just takes an hour more.


 Buying a straight razor on a budget

For the beginner that would like to start using straight razors but is on a tight budget, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to find shaving supplies that are lower in cost without the fear of getting near-worthless quality. We do believe you still "Get what you pay for", yet there are products out there with high enough quality to get a beginner started without breaking the bank or wasting money. This page is intended as a map to locate acceptable quality items with a reasonable price tag.


A common beginners' question is: "I would like to start shaving with a straight razor, but I'm on a budget. Where can I get a good razor that will not cost too much?" Unfortunately, the only correct answer to this is "it depends."


Asking someone to tell you what razor is best for you is as useful as calling a random stranger and asking them what you should wear tomorrow. There are just too many unknown variables to give a complete answer. The razor is the one piece of equipment that you will just have to do a little research to determine which one suits you best. Learning to shave with a straight razor requires patience; if you do not have the patience to research a little before purchasing the extremely sharp blade that you will be holding near that pretty face and neck of yours, then this method of shaving may not be for you.
Start with the Beginner's Guide located at this very wiki you are currently reading. You should also visit the SRP Forums. The members are very helpful and will help you narrow down your choices once you have a few in mind. However, if you ask a question similar to my sample questions above, prepare to get an answer similar to what you just read.
The SRP Classifieds is also a good place to find good deals from Straight Razor enthusiasts. Most of the sellers on this site are very reputable within the community

Buying razors.

When purchasing razors, especially used ones, common problems are abundant. When evaluating a particular razor, be on the look for the following;

Frowning blades
When a blade is wider at the heel and the toe, it is said to be "frowning." A frowning blade is very difficult to hone if it can be honed at all and so should be avoided if possible.


Examples of razors with a frown:

Frowning Edge.jpg

Frowning Edge 2.jpg

Frowning Edge 3.jpg 


Edge damage
Chips, nicks, or cracks in the edge can also prevent a blade from being honed. Very small chips or nicks can take many hours to hone out. Larger chips and nicks as well as cracks can mean that a razor needs to be reground before it is usable.


Examples of chips, nicks & cracks:

Chipped Edge.jpg

Chipped Edge 3.jpg 


Note how the cracks are often hard to detect, especially if you are seeing the razor on an internet ad.

Cracked blade.jpg

Cracked Tang & Blade.jpg


Heavy pitting
Heavy pitting that covers a large portion of the blade will require sanding a lot of material off of the blade in order to get rid of the pitting and corrosion. If the pitting or the corrosion extend to the edge of the blade, it is likely that the blade cannot be made usable again and therefore should be avoided.


Examples of heavy pitting:

Heavy Pitting.jpg


Heavy pitting can develop below the rust.

Heavy Pitting Below Rust.jpg 



Micro pitting, orDevil's Spit, is very fine corrosion that can tunnel into the steel and cause damage beyond what you can see. Viewed with a good 10x hand lens it looks like random, black lines and pores. If it occurs along the edge, the blade may not be recoverable for shaving.


Pitting that runs down to the edge, can often make honing a shave ready edge impossible.

Micro pitting.jpg 


Spine damage due to pitting.

Pitting On Spine.jpg



Extreme warping;
A blade that twists or is otherwise warped visibly is likely to be difficult or impossible to hone. Many older blades maybe uneven when placed on a flat hone and can be honed by using specific techniques like a rolling hone stroke or a concentrated x-pattern. Extreme warping is observable with the naked eye and should be avoided.
Warped scales, however, can be fixed, cf. the Illustrated Guide to Fixing Warped Scales. It should be noted, though, that removing the scales may like result in breakage. A relatively safe way to remove and later re-attach scales is described in the Illustrated Guide to Un-pinning and Re-pinning.


Questions to ask a seller 

Despite their best efforts, many sellers have limited knowledge of what is essential information to be put into a classified. If any of the following are missing from the description of a razor that is for sale, you may want to enquire further to avoid later disputes over lack of quality.
1. When was the blade last honed?
2. Is there evidence of micro pitting?
3. Does it center in the scales without the edge making contact on either side?
4. Is the pivot pin tight?
5. Are the scales original?
6. Are there any cracks in the scales?
7. Are there any hairline cracks in the blade?
8. Do you have pictures of the (other side of the blade, close up of a certain area, etc)?
9. Do you offer a return policy if I am not satisfied?
1. If yes, what are the terms?

 Good straight razor brands and razor brands to avoid. 

At present there are only three companies producing razors - Dovo, Thiers-Issard, and Böker. However there are still many vintage razors in good used (sometimes even new) condition, from companies no longer in the straight-razor business, which are fairly available and have a reputation to be consistently of good quality. These are just a few of the straight razor manufacturers that have produced quality razors in the past and are currently sought after by many straight razor users and collectors.
Böker[1]
Cadman
Clauss
Dorko
Dovo
Dubl Duck
ERN
Filarmonica
Genco
Geneva
Henckels
Joseph Rodgers
King
Maher & Grosh
Puma
Revisor
Robeson
Shumate
Thiers-Issard
Torrey
W. Greaves & Son
Wade & Butcher
Wostenholm, George & Son.
Wostenholm, J.

Most vintage razors that were forged in Germany, England, France, Sweden, Italy and the USA, are considered good blades.
Razors marked "Solingen" that were actually forged in Solingen are good blades.
There are currently two brands of NOS razor that are currently fairly inexpensive and are reported to be of good quality - the Chinese Double Arrow and the Polish Wapienica. As a word of caution people have reported some quality control issues (warping of the Double Arrow scales in particular) with these razors and some find that the weight of the stainless steel scales of the Wapienica razors makes them feel unbalanced and harder to use.
References
1. ↑ http://www.boker.de/index.php?c=115

Brands of Straight Razors to avoid; The following information is based upon years of experience by highly experienced members and straight shaving professionals. The aim of this article is not to slander the razor manufacturers named therein, but to protect our members from paying good money for what we consider vastly inferior products.

There is a multitude of straight razors which we believe should be avoided at all costs. They are often made of inferior/poorly tempered steel and even if they take a sharp enough edge, they cannot hold it & /or require corrections to the blade geometry.

The following razor brands have shown to be, we feel, of consistently inferior quality:

Beauty and Barber (B&B)
"Best Quality"[1]
Demon Barber
Enzo
"Good Quality"
"High Quality"
"Special Quality"
Cyrill R Salter[2]
Fury Sporting Cutlery
GB Buckingham and Sons [3] [4]
Giesen & Forsthoff ~ new production[5]
Jacobs USA
Kriegar
Magnum
Master
MasterUSA
"New School"
Pakistani (any razor made in pakistan)
Razors "designed by Jim Frost"
Sanguine
Selective Professional
Simco
Steel Warrior
Sweeney Todd
Timber Rattler
Timber Wolf
Tomahawk
"Two Man"
Venus[6]
Zeepk

There are some "no brand" razors on eBay at extremely cheap prices. Experience shows that they are best avoided. Also some manufacturers have taken to painting "SOLINGEN" on mid-price razors. The blades of these razors are usually forged in Pakistan, and their scales are then put on in Germany so they are using a legal loop hole to claim these are manufactured (or, rather, assembled) in Solingen. These razors tend to cause as many problems as the razors listed above, for apparent reasons. It is common consensus among the SRP regulars that they had also be best avoided.

Recently razors of pattern welded steel have been turning up on ebay listed as "Damascus". These are listed at cheap prices and generally seem to sell at auction for prices far below what a quality Damascus (pattern welded steel) would routinely sell for whether custom or factory made. In some cases they come with a belt sheath and the seller tells the prospective buyer that the razor is not meant for shaving. In other cases they are ambiguous on the point or will say that they may be used for shaving. To date no one on the forums has posted a review but it seems safe to say that these should be avoided until further research is done on their quality and origins.

Notes:

1. ↑ Not to be confused with Dovo brand razors bearing the legend, Best Quality.
2. ↑ [http://straightrazorplace.com/razors/23626-cyril-salter-razor-impossible-get-sharp.html

3. ↑ http://straightrazorplace.com/member-introductions/74143-hi-virginia.html
4. ↑ http://straightrazorplace.com/vendors-corner/80606-fyi-imitaion-razors.html
5. ↑ http://straightrazorplace.com/razors/63212-giesen-forsthoff.html#post941469
6. ↑ http://straightrazorplace.com/razors/26340-venus-titanium.html




Other resources

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Notes