First Straight Razor Purchase

Thanks for the advice, I will definetly look into those. One of the reasons I was considering the PRC razor is that it's a small business, American made and does seem to have quite a few people who enjoy their product. The King Cutter is still on my short list though. I haven't spent any time researching the Dovo you mentioned, I'll check that out as well. Slash McCoy, can I send you a PM?

Ender81 said:

Thanks for the advice, I will definetly look into those. One of the reasons I was considering the PRC razor is that it's a small business, American made and does seem to have quite a few people who enjoy their product. The King Cutter is still on my short list though. I haven't spent any time researching the Dovo you mentioned, I'll check that out as well. Slash McCoy, can I send you a PM?

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If it is for a question or comment that cannot be asked in open forum, yeah. Otherwise it is better to post it publicly so others can comment. What if I give you some wrong advice? What if someone else wants to ask the same question? Public forum benefits all. PM benefits one person at most. I generally ignore technical questions in PM. PM is for things that are not allowed to be discussed on open forum or things of a personal nature or just anything you have a reason to not share with the membership.

Have a look at www.whippeddog.com, after you browse www.thesuperiorshave.com. They support this forum and we support them, and they have both earned a good reputation here. Both vendors ship only shave-ready razors, too.

Those are good reasons to support a business. (PRC) As long as you have made an informed and logical reason to buy from them, then by all means, keep them on your short list along with the Boker.

stoop said:

I'd recommend checking out the selection at The Superior Shave. Jarrod ensures that the razors are well-honed before shipping and offers a free lifetime honing service.

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I just started wet shaving about a year ago. Like most I started with a DE safety razor. I finally decided to pull the trigger on a straight. I spent the last 2 weeks browsing all the different vendors on B&B. After checking most sites I found myself always back at the The Superior Shave. Jarrod seems to take his time to explain everything into much greater detail than others. He doesn't copy and paste the manufacturers item description. I choose to go with TSS for my 1st straight plus accessories and I cannot be happier. Can't beat life time free honing. Highly recommended!

Makes sense. My question is about honing PRC blades. What's the deal with using tape? I don't know enough about honing to know if that's good or bad. I'm guessing it means that I can probably only send it to them to get it honed?

I've looked at Whipped Dog and I'm not sure vintage is something I'm interested in right now.

I'm looking at TSS and the honing service alone makes a strong case to buy from him. Many thanks.

Honing with tape simply means that you use a layer of tape to protect the spine of the razor while honing. Anyone can do it. Some manufacturers do it on the initial honing to keep a razor looking more new.

Like Slash, I do not recommend doing it. I don't understand why it would rule out PRC though, as they look like normal quarter-hollow razors to me, which means you should be able to hone them however you like, regardless of what the manufacturer states they do. Hopefully he will elaborate on his concern.

PRC can and will hone a razor without tape if you ask. Though if you send the razor in to them to get honed, it is a $20 fee which Probably doesn't cover shipping (I never checked since I don't need to ship my razor to them). The Superior Shave you just pay shipping to them, which is pretty nifty (and a huge money saver if you don't plan on learning how to hone your razor).

Some razors need to be honed with tape because they were made from stock that is too thin to support a shave-able bevel angle, or some such honemeister mumbo jumbo. I don't know if PRC is one of them.

Thanks for all the information, I really appreciate it. I have a lot to think about and consider.

Lmarkow said:

Some razors need to be honed with tape because they were made from stock that is too thin to support a shave-able bevel angle, or some such honemeister mumbo jumbo. I don't know if PRC is one of them.

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FWIW the things look like pretty standard 6/8" to me from the pics. I doubt they require tape.

Here's their honing process:

http://www.portlandrazorco.com/blog/2015/2/23/honing-at-portland-razor-co-part-i

From Part III:

Putting this geometry into practice is quite simple: just set the razor flat on its side on top of the stone. We use 7/32" thick steel stock for 6/8 blades to achieve the proper bevel angle. We apply one layer of Super 88 electrical tape to the razor's spine for the factory hone, as this sets the ideal starting angle for the bevel and protects the spine (we don't feel the razor should arrive from the factory with visible hone marks).

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Excellent. I don't blame a custom maker for wanting his razor to show up looking as new and pristine as possible for his customer. I think most do this.

Yeah I think so too, Larry.

Their honing process sounds pretty standard, except for the bevel setting part where they advocate a couple funky things around lifting the spine initially that made no sense to me until I realized that they are starting with a squared-off edge right off the grinder.

Good to know. I think I've settled with PRC. Many thanks to everyone for all your input. Much appreciated.