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  1. #1
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    Default Vintage razor help

    I was looking around a local flea market for a good cheap straight razor to start shaving with. Some of the ones i was looking at had some slight surface rust, some had very small nicks in the blade, and some seemed to be almost new. The three that seemed to be in the best shape were Torrey, Krusius Brothers, and a Magnetic.

    What all should i know about these razors before i buy one? How do i know if their shave ready? What should i stay away from, exc. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
    Member bmc1979's Avatar
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    Being new to straights myself, I can't really tell you much about the manufacturers. Now having said that, from what you've described, I'm going to say that none will come shave ready and finding a shave ready straight at a flea market does not happen often. from the sounds of things, those razors will need a some cleaning to remove any rust and someone to hone them to get them ready to shave with.

  3. #3
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    Any idea what type of place you can get someone to hone them without sending them out? I was thinkin about maybe some old fashoned barber or someone like that.

  4. #4
    RKP
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    You may try to find someone local to hone them,but best best just look on the classfieds. I am sure someone would be glad to hone them for you. I would not find sending mine out a problem.

  5. #5
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    Get a reputable member near you to do the honing, if you can.

    As for the razors, Torrey makes a decent blade, but you may not know what exactly to look for (pitting near the edge, for example) when picking a razor. If you can, I suggest getting close-up pics of all three and posting them on here for people to comment on.

  6. #6
    Senior Member RobertH's Avatar
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    Personally I think you will find that since you need everything else to shave (strop, mug, brush, soap, etc..) the best economic value to start is one of the sets that any of the vendors on this site advertise. Once you factor in the cost of buying the razor from an antique store and sending it out for honing you're going to be near or above the cost of the razor portion of a set depending on how good your flea market/antique store prices are.

    All the antique stores I've been to slap $30+ price tags on any razor just because they're old and hard to find now. Even ones with chips, cracks in the blade, etc...

    Unless you're in love with the nostalgia of a vintage blade and want to spend to bring it back to shaving glory stick to one of the starter sets IMO.

  7. #7
    The Hurdy Gurdy Man thebigspendur's Avatar
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    Many pitfalls. If your starting out stay away from antique shops. Eventually when you know your way around straights then you can dabble in antique shop mdse. By the way anything you buy in an antique shop no matter how good it looks should always be assumed to not be shave ready and need honing.

    My advise is get something from one of the vendors here or from the classifieds.
    No matter how many men you kill you can't kill your successor-Emperor Nero

  8. #8
    Senior Member leadduck's Avatar
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    Vulcan500rider is right about Torrey being an excellent razor. I got mine in an antique shop and I count it among my best razors. However, as thebigspender warned, you do have to know what you're looking for. The kits will come with a brand new razor but it too, will most likely have to be honed. It's very unlikely that it will be shave ready. I know I'm not alone in my opinion that you can't go wrong buying from the Classifieds. The sellers here are all members and not out out to cheat anyone.

  9. #9
    what Dad calls me nun2sharp's Avatar
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    As Big spendur said, be very wary until you know your way around! Of the three mentioned my favorite would be the Torrey, nobody made better steel!
    It is easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled. Twain

  10. #10
    The original Skolor and Gentileman. gugi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lucille92 View Post
    What all should i know about these razors before i buy one? How do i know if their shave ready? What should i stay away from, exc. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    You should know how to evaluate the condition of the razor, what is important and what isn't, as well as some idea of the amount of work involved to bring it to a state that you like it.
    As far as 'shave ready', that's easy - they aren't.

    For suggestions on finding somebody local that can hone for you you should tell us what's local to you.

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