To Buy or Not to Buy

Found this straight at an antique shop. As I am about as new as they come to straights (still shopping around for my first), I thought I had best get some input from the sages here at B&B. Any one see a reason to pass this blade up? If not, what do you all think would be a decent price for it?

thanks for the input!

P.S. Sorry about the poor picture quality.

I would pass

Looks to have some sognifican hone wear

My biggest concern with it is the bevel is already onto the stabilizer/shoulder area (look at pic 2), this makes honing a pain as that area will lag in wearing away being thicker steel and they are prone to develop the heel frown.

As far as how much, appraisals are not allowed-but not very much at all IMO

As someone new to straight shaving myself (one month in but I seem to own 10 now) I'd pass and recommend something with a rounded point as what's in your pic doesn't look too forgiving to a novice. Take a look in the shaving mall on this site. You'll get a bargain on a quality vintage that's more than likely shave ready to boot. I've also heard whipped dog is good too. Nice guy but I've never bought a razor from him, just lots of accessories.

Doc226 said:

I would pass

Looks to have some sognifican hone wear

My biggest concern with it is the bevel is already onto the stabilizer/shoulder area (look at pic 2), this makes honing a pain as that area will lag in wearing away being thicker steel and they are prone to develop the heel frown.

As far as how much, appraisals are not allowed-but not very much at all IMO

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I'd seriously pass as well

Doc226 said:

appraisals are not allowed-

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My bad. Forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me.

Also, thank you for pointing out what stood out to you. Now I have a better idea what to look for in the future.

Before purchasing a razor, decide what you would prefer in terms of size and shape, this will make it easier to sift through all the options available.

I'm fairly new myself but I agree that I'd pass on this one as well because there's not enough life left in the blade. To give you some idea of pricing without being specific at all. I have a local antique store not too far from me and I often find straights in the $20 to $30 range.

Most vintage razors are good but I would avoid anything that doesn't have a stamped name on it or has Pakistan stamped in it. Pass on anything that says "razor knife" as well as these are cheap novelty items that you can't shave with. Walk away from large chips, cracks, excessive wear, frowns, excessive rust or excessive pitting.

There are so many different brands out there and most of the vintage ones are actually very good quality. The larger or heavier blades seem to cost a bit more but are very desirable so I'll always look for those.

It's tempting to buy everything you see but I'd recommend that you be very selective in what you pick up as you're better off having a few really nice razors instead of a lot of just ok ones. You should buy the ones that appeal to you for some reason or another and not worry about brands too much.

If you was looking for scales, those dont look to be in bad shape (new to straights here)

if you can get it for under $10, I'd give it a shot.

Ours is not to reason why
Ours is but to go forth and buy

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Well done for asking first! I jumped in every time when I started...

If you have bought it then it will be hard work for reasons already given, but the scales are interesting.

Good luck on your hunt!

Pass. I don't like the plastic scales, and the razor is not wide enough for my taste.