Help a noob find a second straight

Hey folks, I've been SR shaving for close to 3 months now with my Ralf Aust and it has been my daily shaver since. Now it's time for SR #2. Only problem is I'm not sure what to buy. I've read B&B's wiki page about which razors are good and which to stay away from but I haven't seen many of the brands listed as good for sale.

I've been keeping my eye on the B/S/T forums here on B&B and also clicked through ebay a little bit. So many razors for sale but no idea which ones are worth the buy and which ones aren't.

Not looking to drop a large chunk of money but I do like quality and value over cheap. Looking for something that would be shave ready when it got here. I've checked out whipped dog but I don't like the idea of not knowing what I'm getting.

Any ideas where to look or what to look at? New or used is fine with me as long as it's a good razor and ready to cut whiskers.

Thanks for reading!

Budget?

A Palisander from Jarrod at www.thesuperiorshave.com is one I would like to have. A Whipped Dog is a good buy. Maybe maybe not, for your second razor. Your first one it really doesn't matter what you get since you have no preferences yet. The second, I can see not wanting to go sight unseen, but nevertheless it is a good value for the money and worth a second consideration. Buca is selling shave ready Gold Dollars but I have not seen any reviews yet of his work. Of course, that is not a bad thing. No complaints! The thing is, he is selling his really really cheap. I think Ken at RupRazor was selling his for $40 but he doesn't do them any more. I don't do them on a regular basis due to lack of time but I don't sell mine for less than that. (I mostly only sell at flea markets and stuff, not online.) Most guys sell plain vanilla GD66's for $30 or so, shave ready. Buca is selling his for $22, I think, and that is really cheap. Nobody will hone one for you that cheap, much less provide the razor, too. I say it's a deal. When properly set up, these razors are great shavers.

Don't give up on BST. And check out the hobbyist/vendor ads. Seraphim has sold some for pretty low prices considering the amount of work he puts into them. His look pretty nice to me. A lot of guys are selling restored vintage blades for very good prices.

Avoid ebay for now. Really. 99% chance you will be disappointed unless you know how to pick them, and how to repair and hone them. Later on it may be a very productive hunting ground for you. Same goes for flea markets, antique shops, etc.

smokin3000gt said:

So many razors for sale but no idea which ones are worth the buy and which ones aren't.
New or used is fine with me as long as it's a good razor and ready to cut whiskers.

Thanks for reading!

Click to expand...

"Worth the buy" is always in the eye of the beholder. If you are going the vintage route, condition is the primary concern. Many people that venture into the world of vintage straights are drawn to a particular maker or a particular set of colorful scales. Most vintage razors will shave your face because that is what razors were meant to do a century ago. The real question when looking at the vintage razors is whether or not the blade, through neglect or abuse, will ever render another shave. If you go the vintage route, pay attention to rust near the bevel, excessive wear to the spine, lack of even bevel wear (a smile is generally good, while a frown is not a good choice for a second razor), cracked blades are no good, small chips may be salvaged, etc. I tend to steer clear of highly polished blades on vintage razors because some that I have seen have the tell-tale signs of loss of heat treatment from mechanical rust removal.

Generally if you find a vintage American, French, Swedish, German, Japanese, or English razor with a blade that has not been neglected, abused, or over-honed, you stand a strong chance of finding a fine shaver. The skill you must acquire, though, is knowing what to spot in making the decision to buy or to pass. Some of my best shavers come from names that are rarely mentioned in the various wiki's, so do not be overly concerned about pedigree unless you find yourself having to have a popular brand name (but expect to pay a premium for that decision). If you find a razor that is exceptional, it is probably best to keep the information to yourself or you will see the prices rise for any future razors.

Slash McCoy said:

Budget?

A Palisander from Jarrod at www.thesuperiorshave.com is one I would like to have. A Whipped Dog is a good buy. Maybe maybe not, for your second razor. Your first one it really doesn't matter what you get since you have no preferences yet. The second, I can see not wanting to go sight unseen, but nevertheless it is a good value for the money and worth a second consideration. Buca is selling shave ready Gold Dollars but I have not seen any reviews yet of his work. Of course, that is not a bad thing. No complaints! The thing is, he is selling his really really cheap. I think Ken at RupRazor was selling his for $40 but he doesn't do them any more. I don't do them on a regular basis due to lack of time but I don't sell mine for less than that. (I mostly only sell at flea markets and stuff, not online.) Most guys sell plain vanilla GD66's for $30 or so, shave ready. Buca is selling his for $22, I think, and that is really cheap. Nobody will hone one for you that cheap, much less provide the razor, too. I say it's a deal. When properly set up, these razors are great shavers.

Don't give up on BST. And check out the hobbyist/vendor ads. Seraphim has sold some for pretty low prices considering the amount of work he puts into them. His look pretty nice to me. A lot of guys are selling restored vintage blades for very good prices.

Avoid ebay for now. Really. 99% chance you will be disappointed unless you know how to pick them, and how to repair and hone them. Later on it may be a very productive hunting ground for you. Same goes for flea markets, antique shops, etc.

Click to expand...

+1 to every word of this.

Unless you know how to repair and hone a straight, stay away from Ebay. There's a lot you can't see from just pictures.. usually a lot of surprises. I'd stick with B/S/T just because the community is very honest and reasonably priced. If it says 'shave ready', you know damn well that you'll be able to shave with it as soon as you get it, no surprises.

Also, don't turn your back on the Gold Dollar 66's. They're a fantastic razor once properly honed and polished like Slash says.

And in case you're wondering our opinion on a 2nd razor, personally, I'm hunting a Dubl Duck (preferably a Goldedge).

Great advice here. I would also point out that whipped dog often has specific razors for sale in addition to the sight unseen.

I was in the same situation, using my Ralf Aust 5/8 daily. Decided to pickup a second SR - GD66 from buca3152 for $22.00 (shipping incl). He provided a very sharp razor and excellent service, plus you get a 2nd honing free.

All great advice so far IMO. Do you have a specific budget range you're looking in between? It may help with more specific recommendations.

I agree, tons of great advice here! Thanks everyone.

As far as budget, I'm leaning towards something used in the BST forum for < $100 but preferably around $50 ish. Does that seem reasonable?

I've read about the GD 66 and although I won't be picking one up for me just yet, I will most likely end up getting one for a buddy of mine to see if I can't get him started and rope him in.

$50 to $100 is reasonable for a nice shave ready razor. There was a great French blade (IMO) just last night that sold for $80.

$60 seems to be a popular cutoff point. You can definitely find something nice for that price. Your $100 budget leaves you room for a Big Daddy strop or a new Whipped Dog silvertip!

rduer said:

I was in the same situation, using my Ralf Aust 5/8 daily. Decided to pickup a second SR - GD66 from buca3152 for $22.00 (shipping incl). He provided a very sharp razor and excellent service, plus you get a 2nd honing free.

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So you liked your GD from Buca? That's good news but no surprise to me. I expected it would be pretty nice. I didn't realize he was also doing free shipping and a free re-honing. That's got to be the best buy out there. No way I would do it that cheap. Hats off to a great Badger! I should just buy from him instead of doing my own LOL!

smokin3000gt said:

Hey folks, I've been SR shaving for close to 3 months now with my Ralf Aust and it has been my daily shaver since. Now it's time for SR #2. Only problem is I'm not sure what to buy. I've read B&B's wiki page about which razors are good and which to stay away from but I haven't seen many of the brands listed as good for sale.

I've been keeping my eye on the B/S/T forums here on B&B and also clicked through ebay a little bit. So many razors for sale but no idea which ones are worth the buy and which ones aren't.

Not looking to drop a large chunk of money but I do like quality and value over cheap. Looking for something that would be shave ready when it got here. I've checked out whipped dog but I don't like the idea of not knowing what I'm getting.

Any ideas where to look or what to look at? New or used is fine with me as long as it's a good razor and ready to cut whiskers.

Thanks for reading!

Click to expand...

I think you're wise in getting a second razor, because you can compare the two and always have a feel for what "shave ready" is.

What you get should depend on what you have. Do you like Ralf Aust? Do you want something comparable or do you want to try something else, like a different size or grind?

I would get something that looks well made and visually appealing. I'd make sure the blade centers in the scales when closed and make sure the pivot pin is tight. It is hard to strop and hone a blade that is loose in the scales. Ask the seller if the razor he's selling meets these requirements. I've tried both name brand and lesser known brands. I would avoid razors made in Pakistan, India, or China since you're relatively new at straight shaving. The ShaveWiki section of this site makes some suggestions to help guide new straight shavers toward razors they would be happy with.

I bought one of Buca's Gold Dollars to work on honing with new stones. I shaved with his edge first and it was very nice. Hard to beat a shave ready 6/8 for $22.

As well as BST check out the Hobbyist/Vendor section. There are at least two nice, shave ready straights on there right now for under $100. For me, the hard part isn't finding nice razors at that price point, it's trying not to buy them all

If I were you, I'd look for something different than what you have: if your first razor is a 5/8 try something bigger; if it's full hollow look for a 1/4 hollow or wedge. The only way you'll know what you really like is to try different styles.

If you buy your third and fourth razor at the same time you can combine shipping and you'll be _saving_ money that way...

California Cajun said:

I think you're wise in getting a second razor, because you can compare the two and always have a feel for what "shave ready" is.

What you get should depend on what you have. Do you like Ralf Aust? Do you want something comparable or do you want to try something else, like a different size or grind?

I would get something that looks well made and visually appealing. I'd make sure the blade centers in the scales when closed and make sure the pivot pin is tight. It is hard to strop and hone a blade that is loose in the scales. Ask the seller if the razor he's selling meets these requirements. I've tried both name brand and lesser known brands. I would avoid razors made in Pakistan, India, or China since you're relatively new at straight shaving. The ShaveWiki section of this site makes some suggestions to help guide new straight shavers toward razors they would be happy with.

Click to expand...

I do like my Ralf Aust but I don't have anything to compare it to. When I got it new, it was honed and shave ready by SRD where I got it from but like most noobs, immediately killed the edge with poor stropping. A little chromium oxide and slightly better stropping technique got an edge back that shaves decent and passes the HHT but I've been wanting another razor to experience true shave readiness and also give me something to shave with while I get the RA honed back to goodness.

I haven't given much consideration to size or especially grind. I don't even know what hollow ground is or what the other types of grind are TBH.

BillC said:

I bought one of Buca's Gold Dollars to work on honing with new stones. I shaved with his edge first and it was very nice. Hard to beat a shave ready 6/8 for $22.

As well as BST check out the Hobbyist/Vendor section. There are at least two nice, shave ready straights on there right now for under $100. For me, the hard part isn't finding nice razors at that price point, it's trying not to buy them all

If I were you, I'd look for something different than what you have: if your first razor is a 5/8 try something bigger; if it's full hollow look for a 1/4 hollow or wedge. The only way you'll know what you really like is to try different styles.

If you buy your third and fourth razor at the same time you can combine shipping and you'll be _saving_ money that way...

Click to expand...

lol.. you sound like me and how I justify buying multiple boxes of cigars at once. It's all about 'saving' money!

Thanks for the advice, I didn't even think to check the hobbyist/vendor section! As far as hollow or 1/4 hollow, what would you recommend?

All I know is my RA is 6/8 and carbon with a round point (which I'm pretty sure I want to stick with the round point).

smokin3000gt said:

I do like my Ralf Aust but I don't have anything to compare it to. When I got it new, it was honed and shave ready by SRD where I got it from but like most noobs, immediately killed the edge with poor stropping. A little chromium oxide and slightly better stropping technique got an edge back that shaves decent and passes the HHT but I've been wanting another razor to experience true shave readiness and also give me something to shave with while I get the RA honed back to goodness.

I haven't given much consideration to size or especially grind. I don't even know what hollow ground is or what the other types of grind are TBH.

Click to expand...

I still don't pay much attention to the grind and I have been straight shaving 3 1/2 years. For me, the more hollow the grind, the more feedback you feel on your face while you're shaving. I get the least amount of feedback with a wedge, and I suspect that's the case with most people. I enjoy shaving with a wedge the least because I like to feel those whiskers getting shaved. My favorite size is 5/8 or 6/8, but when I started I liked the big "meat choppers" (7/8 or 8/8) because for me they removed the whiskers easier when I lacked skill. I can shave with just about anything that's sharp enough, but for some people it really makes a difference.

I don't have a Ralf Aust, so I really don't know how to compare it to another one. You might ask SRD what is comparable if you want to get something similar. Just get one that is shave ready. Later on you can develop your honing skills, but focus now on mastering your shave technique.

Another thing I don't worry about is killing the edge with "poor stropping." I still struggle with cutting my strop because I'm a klutz but I'm certain that I never ruined an edge. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm of the opinion that you have to do something kind of extreme to ruin the edge. Beginners are a little too hard on themselves and kind of beat themselves up when things don't go right if they are like I was. When you strop, you are removing any free metal, soap, and water debris that accumulated during honing or shaving. This gives you a smoother edge with less irritation on your face. The chromium oxide is more abrasive and I use it right after honing to make sure the blade is free of loose metal debris.

One thing I did (and still do) to make myself feel confident about my edge is to look at it with a 100X microscope. You can get one for about $15.00 either at Radio Shack or Amazon that takes either 2 AAA batteries or watch batteries. Seeing your edge at 100X magnification is a confidence builder and at least for me eliminated the guess work. This is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/Carson-Micro-...id=1377904993&sr=8-5&keywords=100x+microscope. There are other similar ones. It takes practice to learn to hold it steady but it's really an essential item for me. Here is a picture of mine: