Thread: Best Razor to Hone and Retail

Hello everyone!

A little background: I own a small store where I sell soaps, serums, creams, etc. We have very few products that aren't "consumable" and I would like to begin offering some. Because we sell soaps, including soaps that are excellent for shaving, I've become interested in offering straight razors to my customers.

It's very important to me that we offer a great value, and I know very little about the straight razor market. Having just spent several hours researching straight razors, it's evident to me that there is far more nuance to the industry than I would have guessed. As a result, after stumbling upon this forum, I'm humbly requesting assistance from those who are more knowledgeable on the subject.

What I would like to do is purchase straight razors at wholesale price and sell them at retail. I'm not looking for anything overly decorative or ornate, just a respectable looking razor, ideally made of natural materials, that is of as good of quality as is possible for the price.

I do have a Work Sharp Ken Onion Blade Sharpener, which I believe I can use to hone blades myself. I reason that in this manner I can potentially add value to the blades to help justify the markup. For this reason the blade doesn't need to be "shave ready" so much as "honeable" and able to hold the edge.

There are countless razors on sites like AliExpress for little cost, and there are others that are made in the USA for hundreds of dollars. I'm looking for something on the less expensive side (a loose guide would be wholesale under $30, but I'm open to suggestions) that would be considered great quality for the pricepoint, at least once honed. I would love to support an American business, but I can't find anything made in the USA that would be in our price range. Additionally, any import would need to avoid Chinese lettering or cultural symbols if possible (it simply wouldn't work with my business' branding). Japanese may be acceptable; European would work well.

I hope I've conveyed what I'm trying to do and I appreciate any advice from this community. It may be that my idea is simply hair-brained and unworkable. One thing business has taught me is that it's better to ask the people who know and find out early than spend untold time and money learning the hard way.

In either case thanks in advance for any insights.

PS - If I posted this in the wrong forum, please feel free to move it. Thanks mods.

Originally Posted by Saponica

I do have a Work Sharp Ken Onion Blade Sharpener, which I believe I can use to hone blades myself.

Welcome to SRP, I would suggest you learn to shave with a straight first. If you are going to retail a product, you should be able to stand by it.
The Ken Onion Blade Sharpener will not do at all, although some of the so called razors on Aliexpress would benefit from it. Ken could probably cut onions with one,,maybe...
Have a look at the honing threads here to get a better idea what you are in for.

Grazor is correct. If it is a "sharpener" it is definitely not a razor hone.

There are several razor makers in this forum. They can supply you with product. Several brands of straight razors are still made. They can be contacted.

If you get blades from SRP members they will be shave ready. If you buy commercial razors they will be called "shave ready" but 99% are NOT shave ready. You will need someone to hone them.

I agree. Learn how to shave with a straight razor. You will then have an appreciation of what your store offers.

Good luck

All I can say is that I have to agree with the previous comments.

There are plenty of razors on the do not buy list in this forum's Library section.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...azors_to_Avoid

Check out the Library section to see what is involved in buying and using a straight razor.

Honing a straight razor begins where sharpening a knife stops. Teaching yourself to hone a straight razor to the point where you can consistently produce a shave ready edge can be a long and frustrating procedure. It looks deceptively easy but is not in the learning stage.

Bob

I am not aware of any razor in the price range you speak of that won't simply be disappointment for buyers, and frustration for you as the seller.

I completely agree that it would be better for you to learn to use one first, and at least have learned some honing basics. It always helps when a seller knows something about his product.

One of the modern brands that is of recognized quality is DOVO. I just viewed their "Best Quality" basic model retailing for about $137.00 CAD/$102.00 USD. No idea what the wholesale would be on that one. That site acknowledges that it may need honing before it's first use even though it was sharpened at the factory. I think your wholesale price point for a quality razor is too low to be realistic.

There are plenty of Razor Shaped Objects (RSOs) out there to definitely avoid. See the "do not buy" list in my previous post.

Bob

I contacted several manufacturers years ago. Reputable brands of good quality. You will find nothing in that price range that would be worth it.

Like said learn to shave and know what a truly shave ready razor feels like. I sharpened knives since a kid. Razors are a whole new world. It took me a while and many hours and months to get it right. To the point it was a natural thing. I can now hone and look away without stopping. Go slow. One step at a time.

Originally Posted by BobH

One of the modern brands that is of recognized quality is DOVO. I just viewed their "Best Quality" basic model retailing for about $137.00 CAD/$102.00 USD. No idea what the wholesale would be on that one. That site acknowledges that it may need honing before it's first use even though it was sharpened at the factory. I think your wholesale price point for a quality razor is too low to be realistic.

There are plenty of Razor Shaped Objects (RSOs) out there to definitely avoid. See the "do not buy" list in my previous post.

Bob

The Dovo blade I own is a great razor, but something to keep in mind is that they call their blades shave ready from the box. The one I bought wasn't even close. Some more reputable retailers hone them before shipping, or at least offer the caveat that "shave ready" might be a stretch.

I am not knocking the brand in any way, just as a perspective retailer, I wouldn't look at the "shave ready" claim and think it was a saved step in the process.

Originally Posted by Grazor

Welcome to SRP, I would suggest you learn to shave with a straight first. If you are going to retail a product, you should be able to stand by it.
The Ken Onion Blade Sharpener will not do at all, although some of the so called razors on Aliexpress would benefit from it. Ken could probably cut onions with one,,maybe...
Have a look at the honing threads here to get a better idea what you are in for.

I had to look up what that sharpener is, I wouldn't even let my beater pocket knives near that thing.

Razors will have to be hand honed on a good razor stone. There's no way around that. They don't just have to be sharp, they have to be comfortable to shave with. Accomplishing that with a naked blade is no easy task.

Cheaper blades will not be hardened properly. The steel will be soft and either unable to take a sharp enough edge to shave, or dull very fast.

If you want to retail a blade, Dovo and Thiers Issard are the two that immediately come to mind. Maybe Hart as well. But they won't be cheap, as stated before Dovo's retail price begins at $100.

There are very few razors for sale that are shave ready and under or around $30. If you shop around for honing it runs somewhere from $15 to $25 plus shipping. So for $30 you can ship a razor and have it honed, but that is without the razor. There are some cut rates brands out there from China that can be purchased for around $5 each if you buy it bulk. They will all need extra work. If you buy the hones and other item and learn to do it yourself you can fix the well known issues with the cheap razors and hone them. It will require some output of time and money. The math simply does not work. You will not be able to turn a profit with those numbers. The model will have to be changed before you can make a business case.