choosing a straight

J

j4son

Messages
10
hello,

i see many i've just got to buy, but i just cant make my mind up what to buy

could you help steer me into buying correctly

i've previously brough this 2 weeks ago
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320649264298#ht_3114wt_1139">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 114wt_1139</a><!-- m -->
but whilst i've been waiting for my sharpening blocks and hones to arrive as it as blunt as could be
i have read that it is junk (possibly on SRP) and wont sharpen correctly have any of you come across this with this blade or will it take the HH test
or should i just use it for practice and buy something else and if so please recommend some to me please.
 
Dear Sir! I tried and read your post several times, but failed to reach the end every time. However I think your avatar´s a keeper :lol:

That razor´s prob. not very good. Check Neil Millers site, stropshop, in the bargain straight razor section - good quality blades there, even though not restored they´re shave ready by a pro + have got nice steel in them (not many new razors have that, I think). You can also check the buy and sell section here or at SRP (straightrazorplace). Don´t buy a to expensive one to start with though, you could loose interested or maybe damage the razor before you know how to handle it. Good luck!
 
Dear Sir, your avatar is disgraceful, and in the finest traditions of TSR. Well done.

I did make it to the end of your post, eventually. In general I'm in agreement with Mikael, which is usually the case. The strop is almost certainly junk, and if the razor is capable of taking a decent edge it would be a surprise. Most likely it will have been tempered badly and inaccurately ground, both of which will make it frustrating even for honing practice. I suggest you procure a good, reliable razor to get things started, and revisit that one at a later date when you feel competent to assess it.

There are two ways to go with this, new or vintage. Leaving the custom makers aside, the only reputable names for modern razors are Dovo, Thiers Issard and Revisor. A couple of respected British companies are selling rebranded straights which are superficially attractive, but best avoided. I won't name them, but Neil will! A read of this post will sound the appropriate alarm bells. You're looking at about £60 for an entry level new razor, and it may well need honing: it depends where you get it from.

Vintage razors. This would be my suggestion, though it can be a minefield. Far and away the easiest way to get a good one is to buy it from Neil. His bargains are just that because you can rest assured that they will shave properly, and a price of £25 - £35 is more than fair. Just because there's nothing on the bargains page at any given time doesn't necessarily mean that he can't help out, so it would be a good plan to PM him. As Mikael will tell you, it's possible to spend a lot of money on a vintage blade, but that's if you're chasing the very best and rarest ever made. A budget Kropp, Ern or whatever will shave very well indeed, and will leave some money for buying a strop.

Finally, a word on the HHT. This is coming up with increasing frequency, and for some reason newcomers seem to see it as some kind of absolute. It's nothing of the sort. A razor which cuts one hair may very well fail with another, and results vary with humidity. It is useful for honers as a way of assessing progress, but it takes some practice to get meaningful information from the results, and it tells you nothing about whether shaving will be comfortable. For a while I was using a borrowed Spyderco UF stone, which produced very impressive HHT results, and the edges certainly shaved easily enough, but were harsh and not very pleasant to use. One hears stories of people getting HHT passes from 600 grit diamond plates, and that's one helluva coarse finish. Nowadays I'm aiming for a good HHT pass, but final assessment of the edge is done by test shaving. For more on this, see this article.
 
Thank you very much chaps.
your humor regarding my Punctuation, did make me laugh.
The advice you had to offer is fantastic. i have now PM'd Neil and awaiting his reply. I have visited his website and this razor appeals to me. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.strop-shop.co.uk/product/6%7C8_Vintage_Kropp_Straight_Razor_KROPP-05">http://www.strop-shop.co.uk/product/6%7 ... r_KROPP-05</a><!-- m -->
i shall be back with updates, once i've made my purchase. With note's on my progression.
 
Arrowhead said:
Dear Sir, your avatar is disgraceful, and in the finest traditions of TSR. Well done.

I did make it to the end of your post, eventually. In general I'm in agreement with Mikael, which is usually the case. The strop is almost certainly junk, and if the razor is capable of taking a decent edge it would be a surprise. Most likely it will have been tempered badly and inaccurately ground, both of which will make it frustrating even for honing practice. I suggest you procure a good, reliable razor to get things started, and revisit that one at a later date when you feel competent to assess it.

There are two ways to go with this, new or vintage. Leaving the custom makers aside, the only reputable names for modern razors are Dovo, Thiers Issard and Revisor. A couple of respected British companies are selling rebranded straights which are superficially attractive, but best avoided. I won't name them, but Neil will! A read of this post will sound the appropriate alarm bells. You're looking at about £60 for an entry level new razor, and it may well need honing: it depends where you get it from.

Vintage razors. This would be my suggestion, though it can be a minefield. Far and away the easiest way to get a good one is to buy it from Neil. His bargains are just that because you can rest assured that they will shave properly, and a price of £25 - £35 is more than fair. Just because there's nothing on the bargains page at any given time doesn't necessarily mean that he can't help out, so it would be a good plan to PM him. As Mikael will tell you, it's possible to spend a lot of money on a vintage blade, but that's if you're chasing the very best and rarest ever made. A budget Kropp, Ern or whatever will shave very well indeed, and will leave some money for buying a strop.

Finally, a word on the HHT. This is coming up with increasing frequency, and for some reason newcomers seem to see it as some kind of absolute. It's nothing of the sort. A razor which cuts one hair may very well fail with another, and results vary with humidity. It is useful for honers as a way of assessing progress, but it takes some practice to get meaningful information from the results, and it tells you nothing about whether shaving will be comfortable. For a while I was using a borrowed Spyderco UF stone, which produced very impressive HHT results, and the edges certainly shaved easily enough, but were harsh and not very pleasant to use. One hears stories of people getting HHT passes from 600 grit diamond plates, and that's one helluva coarse finish. Nowadays I'm aiming for a good HHT pass, but final assessment of the edge is done by test shaving. For more on this, see this article.
Click to expand...

I agree with the comment about the strop. I got a similar one (I went for cheap) and it was useless. I could not get an edge on my razor at all. Following advice on this forum I bought one from Neil at the Stropshop and my god what a difference it made. I don't know about the razor but you get what you pay for.

I bought mine from Neils bargin basement and it was only about £20. Well worth checking out.
 
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