Thread: Main things to watch out for when buying vintage low cost razors

Hi guys, I've been watching a few ads on ebay for vintage razors in the 30-60 dollar range, I was wondering what are the main things to try and look out for when trying to tell the quality, and how difficult is it to learn to restore blades in just slightly run-down condition. Sorry if this has been covered already. I also wanted to know if there is some resource where I can look up estimated values of vintage blades?

Thanks in advance for the responses, really liking the crowd at this forum very friendly and helpful =].

only a newb myself, but i look out for little or no hone wear on the spine, little or no rust, especially near edge, respected manufacturers, a nice straight shaving edge, keep away from razors with a frown, and razors that have excessive hone wear on the toe, not to say they won't shave ok, but there are alot out there in that price range in good to mint condition. Plenty of info on here about the razors to avoid. Hope this helps, oh and keep away from Kama razors, no good.

Always look at the pics that's the number one thing we tell newbies looking on the bay. The reason we tell you to look at the pics is to find all the things we look for in razors from warped scales to cracked or broken. To rust on the blade to pitting and chips and cracks and hone wear there are a lot of things to look at and as time goes one you will become more efficient at looking at the good and the bad and to determine which you want. Hope this helps

Make sure the pics are of both sides of the blade.

I look for auctions with multiple close-up pictures and then check the scales around the pivot pins to look for cracking.

Looking at the blades I make sure there are no chips in the bevel itself and minimum pitting in the rest of the blade.

If I can see actual rust I pass on that auction. Sometimes I'll actually prefer a cracked scale if the blade is in good condition if I'm planning on remaking the scales.

That will usually result in a lower price. There are a few names that I like in my preferred price range. I've had good luck and generally will stick with those.

I like W.H. Morley and Sons, Union Cutlery "Spike" and Torrey to name a few. I prefer 5/8's but have 4/8's and 6/8's.

Most of mine are in the lower price ranges and frequently I'll go after "Buy Me Now" prices particularly ones that also have "Make Me an Offer" options.

With auctions I'll bid where there are no bids when I first check them out and then I'll make and stick with a low bid. If I lose that auction...no big deal.

Some auctions are listed more or less incorrectly so less regular bidders are aware of the auction due to the way it's listed.

Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: Feb 2011

There is some help

Plenty of good advice here.
Stay away from Pakistani made blades.
Sometimes I'll gamble on poor pictures in exchange for an exceptional low price. I'd like to think I have a good feel for quality razors despite poor pictures, but it's mainly a gamble that I enjoy taking. I've gotten some amazing razors this way.

The advice above is good but I might add to it a bit.
First don't assume that a higher opening bid price means quality.
Pass on anything with the words Pakawood, China, or Pakistan
Be suspicious of auctions with bad photos. This includes poor lighting, out of focus, or too few photos. Many times reflections can be misleading too.
Its easier for a beginner to hone a straight edge than a smiling (curved) edge.
There are more bargains to be had on razors made from quality steel that have black handles simply because they aren't as pretty.
USA, Germany, England, and Sweden made the bulk of good quality razors.
If I had to choose a single very reputable manufacturing location it would be Solingen, Germany.
Good luck. I hope you get something good and have a lot of fun with it.

Regarding repairing/light restoring... I haven't found it too terribly difficult or too expensive. There are so many good videos on every aspect of purchasing, honing, stropping, bevel setting, popping scales, re-pinning. To be perfectly honest, my belief is that if you are asking the question then you either feel you have the knowledge and ability to begin with the right materials or have the heart to learn from scratch... So, that only leaves the next step of Going For It!

Lots of information about razor purchases above and the only thing I can emphasize more there is to misspell things, do weird searches, use words like "Group", "Lot", "Bundle", etc in your searches for straight razors as well as all the other terms like "Cut Throat", "Cutthroat", etc and you may find auctions nobody else is bidding on or very few have found and can make great deals.

As far as repairing/restoring... You can pick up Straight Razor Repinning kits on eBay for about $14 (enough to pin about 10 razors) and the rest of the tools are pretty basic... Flush Cutters, Peening Hammer and File.

Have fun, make mistakes, learn, have more fun, make bigger mistakes, learn... You get the idea. Take your time and go very gently through every process... But, most of all... Have fun!

Check out "Razors to Avoid" in the Wiki Click Here