Thread: learning blade preferences w/out going broke

Hi All,
About 5 wks into str8s, with my imagination well hooked (line & sinker).

'Have the normal 5/8 round tips, one new production, one lovely plain jane Genco that is a pleasure, and a couple 1/2" vintage. All full hollow. I've searched & asked about bigger blades, stiffer grind profiles, and it seems too closely tied to personal subjective preference to know what will work without trying a decent example of each.

That being the case, are there any methods or strategies for trying or acquiring blades without going broke acquiring ones that won't be keepers? It's not aversion to paying for quality, but don't know how to try a blade type w/out dropping $500+ for one of each kind and taking a bath selling the ones you discover you don't like.

Ideally, if the community was large enough, it would be great to find local people who have blades that would be willing to let someone try them - maybe for the price of a dinner or something. Buying each style adds up quickly.

Is it better to by the cheap ugly ducklings that give a feel for their blade styles? or to drop more money into a better example on the basis that you can recover more of the investment? I'm not skilled at or interested becoming a great trader - always finding the lowest prices, getting the highest on sale. An example now is wanting to try a 6-7/8 in something closer to a wedge. 'Would love to support the Hart Steel entry - they seem well aimed & respectable quality. Even used, it's $200. At that price, some of the nicer Wackers could be had new. Better to chase the better known name? Is there a way to do this w/out sacrificing months of disposable funds?

Many Thx. for your thoughts.

Where are you located ? Maybe there is a member nearby who would let you try a blade or more. I have looked for ebay or antique shop, classifieds on SRP and found reasonably priced razors. As you mentioned you can usually get your money out of the them if you buy wisely. It really is personal preference so the only way you'll know is to try. IME they are all good.

I'm outside of Portland, OR. Your thoughts parallel what limited luck I've had. Antique stores have been best so far. I don't do Ebay, which IS limiting. I'm sure that's likely the most cost effective. 'Got the Genco Fluid Steel for $15, A Shumate Barber's Deluxe for $22 (too much, but that's splitting hairs), and the Dovo Astral at an Antique show for $40 - looking almost untouched, though uncared for. While I'm no expert, it has helped to at least begin my learning on the stones. I shave with my own edges, and compare them to the edge GSSixgunner placed on the Astral (sigh). So far, the larger blades seem easier to control precisely, which makes me seek the larger, heavier blades. I'm really not gripped that badly by RAD, but am mildly out of my mind, trying to master all the skills involved, and to find which blades work best for me. I appreciate your kind help, Jimmy.

Originally Posted by pinklather

I'm really not gripped that badly by RAD, but am mildly out of my mind, trying to master all the skills involved, and to find which blades work best for me.

Setting aside some of the other stuff, I wanted to focus on this part. The good thing is that since you don't really know yet what you're looking for (and since RAD hasn't set in yet ), you can take your time and have fun with the process. Don't sweat trying to master all of the skills... instead, how about one skill at a time and add to your toolkit. If you have a couple right now, experiment until you can use them flawlessly, by that time you'll have no doubt picked up another one that you can master.

If this gives any perspective... I started out with a definite preference for near wedge razors, now I really like full hollows. Who knows, maybe they work better for me now because I have built up experience , I don't really care all that much though. As my skills improve, I can get good shaves with all of my razors regardless of sizes and shapes (although I do have preferences still for full hollows).

If I have not made my point clear, I'd say just relax and enjoy the ride... the knowledge will come with experience, and your preferences will change as you increase in both.

Good luck and all the best!

Dave

I would say slow down and relax. You don't have to run out and buy every imaginable type in short order. Most of us have been doing this for years before we settled on what we prefer. You will also learn more doing it that way. Just vary your purchases and soon you will see what you like without having to buy everything.

'Drives me nuts to have long learning curves. 'Not that I haven't signed up to and had some successes, but the awkward in between stage is unpleasant. The good part is that I'm getting really good shaves now. 'Saw a couple decent blades this morn on an antique store run (Vulcan, Carbo Magnetic, Geneva pyramid), but each was the same types of blades I have already, so I passed. (Carbo & Vulcan were in unusually good shape, needing only a minor cleanup & honing) They wanted $47 each, which might have worked, had I not already had the 3 5/8 hollows. Anyway, I sure appreciate your kindness to the struggling noobs. Thank you, Gents - each of your. -r

Where are you located Pinklather? It is a good idea to put your town or region under your information that way someone that would like to make you an offer would know if it is practical.


Take Care,
Richard

Originally Posted by pinklather

Hi All,
About 5 wks into str8s, with my imagination well hooked (line & sinker).

'Have the normal
....snip....
That being the case, are there any methods or strategies for trying or acquiring blades without going broke acquiring ones that won't be keepers? It's not aversion to paying for quality, but don't know how to try a blade type w/out dropping $500+ for one of each kind and taking a bath selling the ones you discover you don't like.
snip....

At five weeks $500 is too much to spend (IMO).

Slow down and watch the group's Classified....
and also watch for sales at the sponsors sites.

If you have one or two good 5/8 or 6/8 razors that you
can keep sharp you are golden. I think I saw
you say you had three 5/8 razors which indicates
to me that you are in GOOD shape and can
slow down and do some opportunity buying.

Over the next six months watch the blades in the
50-150 dollar price range. You should see some fine
steel pass by with serviceable scales and a bit of "character" to
give you a sample of what there is...

You shouldn't assume you have a set preference until you've shaved for at least a year or two.
Not sure how many kinds you think you want to try but if you want to spend significantly less than $500 on that you have to stay out of newly made razors. Dovo different than yours will be more than $150, large TI will be over $200.
Of course the question is how much of a loss you will take to just try a new razor and you should expect $30-$70, so for half of $500 you can try 3-5 new razors, and that's probably just about the number of different razors that are currently made.
The alternative is to try 'used' and 'vintage' razors. If you can't find variety at your local market look at the classifieds and on ebay. You'll have to figure out where is your balance on being patient vs. being cheap and how much you are willing to pay for nice looks.
I mean if somebody buys a 7/8-1" celebrated w&b for really cheap (in the current market) say $50, then has it restored and rescaled for another $150, now they have spent at least $200 on something that looks rather nice and is fairly desirable, so it's a bit unrealistic to expect that they'll sell it for $100, when they can sell it for $200-$250, that's the basic economics.

May be there are enough members near you and somebody would be willing to organize a local meeting you can go to, but even then a lot of razors may be unavailable for trying. I know that personally I am not going to let people I haven't known for a while, shave with at least half of my razors.

So there really isn't an answer, so just relax and take the time to learn shaving with the razors you have and when you have an opportunity get something else that's different.

I would just focus on the blade Glen honed for you and use that for your shaves for the next 2 months. This way you can practice shaving and take a variable out of the equation.