2014 Badger & Blade Awards - Straight Razors Under $500

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[shavingisoverrated]

How can you compare a single maker to full on production places like Hart, Dovo, or Blades Grim? These shops produce more in one day than Nate Straight does in a 6 month period. He is a custom maker doing low end production work he doesn't have the overhead of the bigger places thus can take a lot more time on each razor. If Dovo or Hart where to take as much time as Nate's straighten to produce a single razor the cost would at least double maybe even triple the retail price. Don't get me wrong they look great and probably work good but if you can find them what is the point. They are never in stock and he takes months to get them done. Boy what hair you will have t.o shave when you finally get one.

 

[UK_Rich]

I was surprised at the award. Perhaps split into two categories would be better, one for custom the other for mass produced. It does not seem to me to be comparing like with like.

Also, Nate is not a name I have seen branded about the forums, compared to other makers. It is a left field winner, but nonetheless, well done to him.

 

[KW Driver]

I've got one and like it. Not sure what prompted the award, or criteria, etc.... And won't debate the merits of the award.

But, I think it's a good blade, and plan on keeping it. Fit and finish are only surpassed by his dad, as far as those I've had in hand. And he offers lifetime honing for the original owner.

My Nate's:

 

[SliceOfLife]

Looks like a nice razor. I think the "dollar over $150" comment is a bit much, but definitely a nice looking blade. The fact that it's shave ready doesn't impress me as much as it seems to have you. For a blade costing several hundred dollars, I care about their smithing ability, not honing. Does Nate harden his own steel, use his father's or what? Maybe it's because of my experience buying knives, but at this price point, you're hitting where I'd start to expect the steel is hand-forged, and it'd be a big mark against these in my book if they're just doing the forming and grinding of blanks or bars they've purchased.

 

[markg]

It would be interesting to see the criteria and the other 'finalists' or at least a list from which the winner was chosen from. Any custom razor should be noticeably better than a production razor. So perhaps a production and custom categories might be a consideration in the future.

 

[joel]

How can you compare a single maker to full on production places like Hart, Dovo, or Blades Grim? These shops produce more in one day than Nate Straight does in a 6 month period. He is a custom maker doing low end production work he doesn't have the overhead of the bigger places thus can take a lot more time on each razor. If Dovo or Hart where to take as much time as Nate's straighten to produce a single razor the cost would at least double maybe even triple the retail price. Don't get me wrong they look great and probably work good but if you can find them what is the point. They are never in stock and he takes months to get them done. Boy what hair you will have t.o shave when you finally get one.

Welcome to B&B. I always enjoy a good debate - especially when someone registers just to toss a grenade, so without further ado -

RE: your question "How can you compare a single maker to full on production places like Hart, Dovo, or Blade Grim?" This is a great question, i'm glad you asked and it's a simple answer, they cost the same, or about the same $. If i'm spending my money on a razor, I don't care how many the company churns out (in fact - the fewer the better in my book). What I care about is quality and value. A blades Grimm is $295 - which is about the same as the Hart, give or take a few dollars. For a mere $30 premium for one of Nate's razor, you get something that is on an entirely different level, an honest Zowada through and through and you just can't argue that.

I find some of your other comments baseless. I don't think any of us know exactly how much time Nate spends on his razors versus the aforementioned. I'd wager he also doesn't have access to the incredibly large and expensive equipment I know Dovo has (and can speculate others do), but again - this is moot. These other makers have to support healthy markup's from distributors, retailers, marketing costs, etc - everyone gets a cut. From Nate, you're buying a $330 razor and getting your moneys worth. From the others, you're buying a $150 razor that needs to accommodate for the aforementioned costs.

I also find it interesting that you say "they look great and probably work good" then "they are never in stock and he takes months to get them done." In the first statement, you make it clear you have no experience with one of his straight razors. In the second you speak in tone that misleads readers into thinking you have experience ordering from him. Which one is it? From initial email, to the razor in my hand was one week. Admittedly I had it overnight shipped, but the razor was made in a week, and that's nothing to complain about. Nate actually has a pretty happening razor sharpening business going, and I'm sure he would (and we'd all like to see him) give it up in to focus on straight razors full time. My point is, if you want a straight from Nate, as long as you move quickly before more people find out how great his work is, I don't think the wait is going to be a problem at all.

At the end of the day though, even if there is a wait - no one buying a $330 razor is buying their first razor, so you're not growing a beard waiting as you're implying. What's true though, is that properly maintained straight razors last a lifetime.... what's a month or two wait in the scheme of things, for a lifetimes worth of better shaves, from a nicer tool? Reasonable trade off if you ask me.

Nate's work speaks for itself. A year from now, we'll look back on your comments and smile.

Looks like a nice razor. I think the "dollar over $150" comment is a bit much, but definitely a nice looking blade. The fact that it's shave ready doesn't impress me as much as it seems to have you. For a blade costing several hundred dollars, I care about their smithing ability, not honing. Does Nate harden his own steel, use his father's or what? Maybe it's because of my experience buying knives, but at this price point, you're hitting where I'd start to expect the steel is hand-forged, and it'd be a big mark against these in my book if they're just doing the forming and grinding of blanks or bars they've purchased.

What have you tried under $500 that matches or exceeds the quality and shaving prowess of one of Nate's Razors? Have you tried one? Point is, I went on a hunt... and this is what I found. If you've got a secret gem hidden of a company/maker currently building a better product, let us all know! I also disagree regarding the shavability of a razor out of the box. Nearly all manufacturers and custom makers advertise their razors as "shave ready" and only a select few deliver it. I don't know about you - but when a manufacturer advertises something, I expect them to follow through and if they don't, what else are they blurring the lines on? Most claim tight tolerances, special steels, etc - but if they can't even put a shaveable edge on their razor - arguable the most important aspect of a razor and the first experience the first time buyer has with their product, then i['m not impressed and frankly don't think they know what they're doing. When Frank Warner, Bill Ellis, Joe Chandler, Tim Zowada and now Nate Zowada put their name on a razor, it's going to be built with love and dedication, with every detail poured over, checked then checked again.

Buying a $100, $200, $300 or near $1,000 razor and immediately taking it to stones, is something the shaving community has grown to accept, but this is a new thing. 25+ years ago, when you bought a razor, it was scary sharp right out of the box. Ever try a NOS Filly, Puma, Dubl Duck, Dorko? The list goes on and on. I will not accept sub par, and for any razor over $80, the expectation should be it'll shave beautifully out of the box. If they could do it then, they can do it now. I've honed over 1,000 razors and have been straight razor shaving for nearly a decade and a half and while i'm certainly not the best honemeister out there, I can count on one hand the number of folks who have sent me a blade sharper/smoother than what i'm capable of. Nate is one of them.

Testing for the 2015 Badger & Blade awards will begin in just a few short months. If anyone feels they have what it takes to knock Nate off of his pedestal, then by all means pony up to the table. Until then, Nate's the king of the hill, has set a VERY high bar and takes the prize as our 2014 winner.

 

[shavingisoverrated]

Joe here is the funny thing I have talk to Nate at mate's straight he has produced about 50 so far he may have about 10 available soon and than doesn't know when after that I didn't join to drop grenades I do know that you shaving knoobs take this crap way to serious. Shave ready is thrown around like money at political convention, this guy got one that was good I bet if you send it to another razor geek he would say he had to spend a hour getting it ready. All I am saying is let compare apples to apples like maybe a Hart custom razor to a Nate or the likes, not a full on production to a limit run person.

 

[KW Driver]

Looks like a nice razor. I think the "dollar over $150" comment is a bit much, but definitely a nice looking blade. The fact that it's shave ready doesn't impress me as much as it seems to have you. For a blade costing several hundred dollars, I care about their smithing ability, not honing. Does Nate harden his own steel, use his father's or what? Maybe it's because of my experience buying knives, but at this price point, you're hitting where I'd start to expect the steel is hand-forged, and it'd be a big mark against these in my book if they're just doing the forming and grinding of blanks or bars they've purchased.

Its my understanding that Nate does all the work, start to finish. Yes, it does follow Tim's lines and style, but that doesn't bother me either.

As as far as honing, my Hart didn't come shave ready to my standard. This one did. Does Hart or any other manufacturers offer rehones? Brian Brown is the only other maker I know of who does. I don't know if Tim does, I can only speak from my experience. That Nate offers it implies to me that he stands behind his product, and will. He was also very and quickly responsive to question prior to buying. I do respect that.

addressing that he offers honing was an addendum, beyond the fact that I thought he did great work making a blade worth owning.

that said, I think Tim's Carbon series is a better blade than Nate's

 

[cleanshaved]

That looks a very nice choice Jeol. The bar has been set high for this price range.

 

[syngent]

Joe here is the funny thing I have talk to Nate at mate's straight he has produced about 50 so far he may have about 10 available soon and than doesn't know when after that I didn't join to drop grenades I do know that you shaving knoobs take this crap way to serious. Shave ready is thrown around like money at political convention, this guy got one that was good I bet if you send it to another razor geek he would say he had to spend a hour getting it ready. All I am saying is let compare apples to apples like maybe a Hart custom razor to a Nate or the likes, not a full on production to a limit run person.

300 bucks is 300 bucks, My money makes them apples vs apples, full custom or mass production. money spent doesnt know the difference and neither does my face.

 

[shavingisoverrated]

Also let it be known that a Nate's straight is an 11/16 which would be more like a Hart 5/8 which comes in at $269.00 that is a $56.00 price difference. To me that is pretty big price difference. But maybe for some that is peanuts and they like to wait. Oh yeah and if you are unhappy with the shave of the Hart they will fix it for free, but of course most people don't take the time to ask, because they don't like to wait. If I was Hart I would void all warrenties if you hone or strop it right out of the box or don't contact them first before doing anything to a new razor if you didn't like the shave. But only on b&b is everyone perfect every time so all products they receive should also be perfect, nobenefit of the doubt here, or human error happens sometimes when people are trying to make a living. I would what Nates cost would be if he had a few employees to pay plus all the crap that goes along with that from insurance to taxes. Just saying apples to apples.

 

[cleanshaved]

Also let it be known that a Nate's straight is an 11/16 which would be more like a Hart 5/8 which comes in at $269.00 that is a $56.00 price difference. To me that is pretty big price difference. But maybe for some that is peanuts and they like to wait. Oh yeah and if you are unhappy with the shave of the Hart they will fix it for free, but of course most people don't take the time to ask, because they don't like to wait. If I was Hart I would void all warrenties if you hone or strop it right out of the box or don't contact them first before doing anything to a new razor if you didn't like the shave. But only on b&b is everyone perfect every time so all products they receive should also be perfect, nobenefit of the doubt here, or human error happens sometimes when people are trying to make a living. I would what Nates cost would be if he had a few employees to pay plus all the crap that goes along with that from insurance to taxes. Just saying apples to apples.

Really. That's a big call there.......................

 

[SliceOfLife]

Its my understanding that Nate does all the work, start to finish. Yes, it does follow Tim's lines and style, but that doesn't bother me either.

If that's the case, and what you're getting is effectively a Zowada from the 2nd gen instead of 1st gen smith, then these razors sound very interesting.

The argument that you can't debate the merits of a products value without using the product is a pretty big strawman. No one is arguing that there's a definitely better razor out there for less. It's a big statement to say that a razor justifies a nearly $200 price premium ($150 to $335) in all cases, when the vast majority of people I know don't feel that any razor, much less any custom maker guarantee's a superior experience.

As for the honing, well; when I bought my last car, they gave me a free tank of gas. That doesn't impact my opinion of the car. There's gonna be a lot of gas in that car during my ownership of it. Likewise, there's hopefully going to be a lot of edges on a high quality razor over its life. I'd rather have a razor that's smithed one one hundredth of a percent better and shows up with a Gold-dollar quality honing than the alternative showing up with a perfectly executed Jnat finish. Yes, fit and finish should be a standard we expect from high dollar razors. If I bought a Hart or a Livi or anything else and it arrived with a poor finish, I'd note it in a review, but I wouldn't score a blacksmith high points on their product for how well they hone, except as proof of the capability of their product to hold an edge. Likewise I wouldn't score points for a honer for how nice his handwriting is on the return label for my razors. These are niceties, they're not significant measures of the quality of a product. Falling into that trap leads you to the place where you deny that Gold Dollars can shave well because they arrive looking like their QC department is blind, deaf and dumb.

Don't get me wrong, if these are hand-forged blades, that's interesting, and at the price they're at, they sound like a very good deal if the quality is consistently as you've found. But the review comes off as a bit more gushing and focusing on minor details where the razor distinguishes itself, rather than on what I would think would be the lead, that it's a hand forged blade, as opposed to a number of the customs falling around its price range which are steel blanks or bars cut and ground by artisans. That's a pretty huge distinction, that if anything will make a difference in razors (as with all cutting tools) at this price range, is what will. And I'd like to see that put more front and center on Zowada's site. I can't find that information there (Tim Zowada specifically says on his site that he does make his own steel "Start to finish"). I'm surprised there aren't images of the artisans working at the forge. That's what would impress me and convince me to try razors like these over Hart's, Portland Razor Co, etc. The hone job they arrive with? Not so much.

 

[UK_Rich]

@syngent yes 300 is 300 and my face cannot tell the difference for sure! But my heart can! I am not convinced it is apples to apples here at all. These craftsmen are producing probably less than 80 straights a year. They are amazingly talented people and deserve our support when we can. I guess Dovo and the likes can produce in the 100's and that is good too at keeping our hobby going.

I am wanting to buy a straight for this amount give or take, for a special birthday. Dovo does not come into the equation, I want it to be a craftsman produced razor. I am looking at Portland, Koraat, Waterhouse etc and now I guess Nate too.

Did these guys get compared and where did they lose points to Nate? Could we see who comes highly recommended too?

 

[Lmarkow]

 

[rockviper]

... But only on b&b is everyone perfect ...

Methinks someone has never tried one of my edges

 

[shavingisoverrated]

Why not have chosen a Tim Zowada 2H2H they where only $425.00
Or his " carbon series". You say in the beginning you "we pick products that stand out from the pack" but Dovo has been around for decades and Hart has been for 5 years making the same razors, they must not be all bad or they wouldn't be still making them. So here is a maker that has a razor for under $500.00 dollars for 2015 to try, Dylan Rarnham he makes a razor out of a wrench, that stands out to me and it is only $450.00.

 

[Luc]

Guys, if you comment in threads on this forum, it has to be done respectfully, bickering will not be tolerated. Everyone is entitled to their opinion as long as it's done with respect of each other. You can comment on a product but cannot attack someone.

 

[Brooksie967]

Interesting discussion for sure. I don't have a problem with that razor being picked. I've never tried a Zowada or a Nate but have read lots and spoken with people who have them. At this price point there's a lot to choose from, this one happens to be the one that was chosen for the award.

I'm with Ian on this one. What he's saying is absolutely the most important part of this whole debate: the tolerences, precision and quality of material/smithing. Everyone is KIDDING themselves if they think they'll only ever have ONE edge on a razor.....

Also, we here at B and B are perfect, when we makes mistakes, we make sure we do it perfectly wrong.

I will side with the idea that if it's advertised as "Shave ready" then it should be... Problem with that is everyone likes different edges. There is enough talk about coticules here to have a sub-forum on JUST them but I don't enjoy a coticule edge AT ALL. Does that mean if a custom maker hones on a coticule it's shave ready or not? Depends on who is holding the razor.

Voiding a warranty for honing? Insane.

Nate offering free honing for life as long as it's the original user? AMAZING.

How do we compare a single maker to a production facility? Let's look into this a little.

What is being made by each: A razor.

Well that's all I need to hear.

Now, will I be spending that much on one? Nah. Not until custom makers start grinding razors like vintage Fillies will I be buying one. If money was of no issue, I'd get Cedric Christ to make me a 7 day set as his razors, IMHO, are the nicest ground blades on the market from a custom maker. I believe, again IMO, that his recent products where he is paying tribute to some classics, are the nicest looking, simplest, most beautifully made razors out there. I do like that about nates razor, it has very clean, well thought out lines with purpose. No fancy swoops or cutouts or insane filework (there's a time and place for that but not in my shave den and that's OK!).

Perhaps next year there can be some kind of voting process where there are 3 razors picked and we all get to vote on them. I think that'd give a better representation of what the B&B community is thinking. To say this is the best razor from B&B isn't necessarily true as none of the forum members (maybe a few mods?) were involved in it. SO it really should say "Forum Owners Award" or at least stipulate that it doesn't reflect the thoughts of the forum/community.