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View Full Version : A primer for buying straight razors



cevulirn
04-08-2011, 08:33 PM
I'm no expert, but I do seem to be the local razor guy, so I figured I'd share a few tips on buying antique straight razors. I mostly collect them with an eye towards use, but a good razor with some nice history is generally going to be something that could be made into a shaver.

Things to look for:

There are so many straight razor manufactures out there that it would be impossible for me to list the good ones, but the best straights come out of Sheffield, England and Solingen, Germany. Any razor stamped with one of these locations is worth a closer look. There are also quality razors made in the USA, but they're not really tied to location.


Pay attention to the blade, most older blades will have a patina, this is fine. Be wary of pitting though, especially on the edge. Pitting can cause pinholes through the blade, and the only way to 'fix' them is to remove material from the edge. Also take a VERY close look at the edge. If you can, lightly drag the edge across the edge of a fingernail. Any roughness or catching is bad, and means more work to hone the blade. (And can be used to argue down the price!) Also, make sure the blade isn't warped. Also pay attention to the 'other' curve of the blade. You want the blade to either be perfectly straight, or have a 'smile'. If a razor has a 'frown' stay away, it will take a lot of material removal to make it anything but something to look at.

Pay attention to the scales as well, unless you intend to re-scale the razor, there are a few things to take note of. The scales can be made of many materials, Horn and Celluloid are common in older razors, Bakelite, Plastic, and even Ivory are also out there, (among many others.) Pay attention to the way the blade closes, when it swings shut, it should be centered between the scales. If the scales have shrunk or warped it might not make a good user unless it's re-scaled.

Now that you have no more attention to pay, be wary of any blade that's too shiny. Some of the highest quality blades were brought to a mirror polish, but alot of cheep junk is really shiny too. If it's shiny AND made in Solingen or Sheffield, it could very well be a keeper. If it looks too shiny and has no recognizable maker, it may be good for nothing more then sitting there and looking pretty.


One last note. The going price for an antique straight razor at an antique shop is between $20 and $30, but expect a mirror polish Solingen with a gold inlay on the blade to go for quite a bit more :D

cevulirn
04-08-2011, 08:34 PM
There's more information about straight razors then I could possible sum up in one post, but I'll try to add some of the basics here.

withoutink
04-08-2011, 08:39 PM
big fan of straights... i have 5 or 6 of them. a couple barbers hones + CrOX paste & a nice strop and you are good to go.

also a big fan of double edged safety razors, i have 10 of them. blades are ~10 cents a pop and last a week to two for me. I have some slants, techs, gillettes, gems, and others...

fun comes in mixing the different shavers + blades + creams + aftershaves.

love it.

Richard Simmons
04-09-2011, 06:49 AM
Excellent info. Thank you Cevulirn.

Question. Do/did they make straight razors in right and left hand versions or does one work for all?

cevulirn
04-09-2011, 08:09 AM
European/American straight razors are symmetrical, and can be used with either hand. Japanese straight razors aren't, they have the bevel/grind cut into one side, sort of like a chisel.