Have been looking on e bay at a few Straight Razors One I have seen that's in good nick is a one that goes by the name of Enzo has anybody heard of the name if so are they any good? also seen some vintage ones as well and in there description some say they have a slight nick in the blade and there is some slight Piting on the blade can these repaired @ a reasonable cost or is it not worth biding for ?
E bay Razors
- Thread starter Eric62
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As one who has been screwed by eBay and as one who has stumbled onto some fantastic bargains - I am probably going to give you advice that will work only if you ignore it. ;-}
I don't buy blades that have nicks in them as a general rule. I'm sure there will be something out there that I will get one day but for junkers, there isn't really a very good reason to buy them with edges that are chipped or cracked or 'nicked'. There are so many others for the same approximate price that aren't going to take a while to get into shape.
As far as 'patina' and pitting, most of the older blades will have some unless the blade is NOS and even then it may have a little. I don't worry too much unless the 'patina' has black spots on it. Black spots usually indicate deeper corrosion ('patina') and may not be very pleasing if you get it.
On eBay, if the seller is not known and claims the razor is 'shave ready', be skeptical. I've purchased several that were supposedly ready to shave and were not even close. However, I HAVE purchased a couple that were very nice indeed. Surprisingly, I bought a couple of 7 day sets that were exquisitely honed and stropped... of course, I paid a bit for them, too.
I don't try to refinish cheaper blades although you could if you just want to practice. It takes too much time to refurbish a $25 razor.
Any of the German/English/American/French/Swiss steels are probably going to be OK. Generally, any of the older blades are going to be OK. Stay away from new but cheap blades until you know what to look for - and so far, the only one I've found that I think makes a good razor is a Gold Dollar and that takes some work to make into a shaver.
Do you do your own honing? If so, then leap in and buy a junker or two (or go get one at a local junk store) and fix it up. Great experience and I have a handful of them that I've managed to make into great shavers. They still look kinda rough but if I shave in the dark, I can't tell what they look like. ;-}
If you don't do your own work, then I recommend you do NOT buy a junker from eBay. Get a known good but inexpensive razor from someone like Larry A. (www.whippeddog.com).
I'm sure others will weigh in - while we all have our preferences, I think playing it safe is better for your first purchases.
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i'd try for nick free razors, or small nicks, or maybe even a bigger, but still small nick if it doesn't require removing more than a 1/8 or 2 and the result would be more than 4/8s... paying for restoration on a blade can be reasonable. depends on what extent.. all in all it'a compromise question of what you require vs what you desire.
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thanks guys for that info
Another vote for playing it safe on your first straight razor purchase. I would recommend Whipped Dog and his poorman's strop kit which I find invaluable. If you want something nicer, BST is a great place or buy a new Dovo, Thiers Issard, or razors from AOS which might be cheaper at times even though they're made by Dovo and TI.
"good nick" means "good shape" for you fellow Yanks 
Whipped Dog Sight unseen is a heck of a deal. I recently got 2 and they are better than almost all my ebay transactions on straights.
As edge repair and razor restoration goes, do you want to learn to do it for yourself? Do you enjoy that kind of work, spending a couple hours making something nice? If you answered yes, then it might be worth it.
Phil
As edge repair and razor restoration goes, do you want to learn to do it for yourself? Do you enjoy that kind of work, spending a couple hours making something nice? If you answered yes, then it might be worth it.
Phil
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