New Straight Razor Reco

[peecee]

Hi,

I've been shaving with a Gold Dollar for the past 8 months. I love it.
I started with GD to see if I'd like straight razor shaving. (Turns out I love it)
Now, I'm looking to upgrade.
I want to buy my second pair of straight razor.
I'm looking for a recommendation.
I look forward to your recommendations.
Thank you.

 

[AdamAZ]

Ralf Aust is the one that I would recommend for someone wanting a really good quality razor for a reasonable price. He hones his own creations to very shave ready, so you do not have to invest in immediately having someone bring the edge to shave ready condition right after you purchase it. Also, his knives are very well made and they are of good quality steel which is superior to the Gold Dollar Chinese steel.

Don't strop his razor for your first shave. You will likely only degrade his edge as they come as sharp as they can get already.
He is a really good producer of modern razors!

 

[peecee]

Thank you.

Would you know where I could get one?

(Sorry. Not lazy. Just that there are so many stores that sell them)

 

[R7photo]

Vintage and new razors shave ready

New Straight Razors

Men's Straight Razors - Elevate your grooming routine with our selection of professional straight Razors. Discover our highest quality range of straight razors for sale. Don't wait!

www.griffithshavinggoods.com

 

[Eastcoast30]

Maggards carries the R Aust; that's where I got mine. It was shave ready.

 

[kjbarth]

Buy directly from Ralf Aust through his website. You can see what he offers and options. I bought 2 from him directly a couple years ago and he sent me one of his nice knives gratis.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Slash McCoy]

An Aust would be good, yeah. Do a web search if you want to get the best possible price. You might also think about a Dovo Bismarck. www.thesuperiorshave.com is a known vendor on this forum that usually has Bismarcks for sale and he hones everything he sells.You could also keep an eye out for a vintage Bismarck #2 which is the same razor but before Dovo bought the company. A lot of Solingen made razors are based on the exact same blade blank. You will know it by the thumb notch and the diamond shaped spine cross section. Very ergonomic.

 

[KW Driver]

Depends on where you’re located and if you need shave ready. Your budget counts too.

 

[peecee]

Thank you all for your responses. I really appreciate it.
I’m in the US.
Budget: 200?

 

[SterFry]

I'm going to jump in on this and also ask for recommendations on a quality razor. Specifically a sub $200 quarter hollow

 

[Eastcoast30]

My Ralf Aust with horn scales was about $180 at Maggards.

 

[rbscebu]

With 8 months shaving with a Gold Dollar, you probably have your honing routine pretty well worked out. That open you up to a lot more choices in SR selection as shave-readiness is now not so much a consideration.

With a budget of USD 200 you can go beyond selecting an SR based on mainly just shave quality and start considering aesthetics. Decide on your preferred profile, grind, point style, scales material and go start looking.

Find a few of what you like and report back here for comments.

 

[KW Driver]

The superior shave

Griffith shaving

I bought an Aust directly from his site.

if you‘ve got your honing game sorted, vintages also will give you the opportunity to get a high quality razor within your price point.

 

[AdamAZ]

I'm going to jump in on this and also ask for recommendations on a quality razor. Specifically a sub $200 quarter hollow

The only quarter hollow that I have seen new is on Maggard's and it is their own blade which is made by TTFFC (Through The Fire Fine Craft). Unfortunately, they have only had the naked blade available for some time as all of the scaled blades have been sold out. I broke down and purchased the blade along with a Ralf Aust horn scale set and had the Razor Emporium drill and install the blade as they are local to me. I then brought the bevel set blade to shave ready on my Naniwa stones and it is a real cleaver.

It does not have the feedback of a hollow razor as it truly is a quarter hollow blade. It is slightly more hollow than a near wedge as a quarter hollow should be. I have to be careful as it requires a little bit lighter technique than a full hollow grind. It is nice though.

If you choose to go this route, it will almost require that you use the Ralf Aust scales as I searched for months to find ones that were long enough to accommodate the blade length. The blade barely fits with a pivot hole to blade tip of 4.8" per the rating on the scales.

Forgive the dust, I haven't shaved with this one in a while and it is dusty in Arizona.

 

[02flhtci]

Ralf Aust is the one that I would recommend for someone wanting a really good quality razor for a reasonable price. He hones his own creations to very shave ready, so you do not have to invest in immediately having someone bring the edge to shave ready condition right after you purchase it. Also, his knives are very well made and they are of good quality steel which is superior to the Gold Dollar Chinese steel.

Don't strop his razor for your first shave. You will likely only degrade his edge as they come as sharp as they can get already.
He is a really good producer of modern razors!

View attachment 1273798

This. After a lot of reading and research, this was the route I chose for my first straight razor earlier this month. From what I learned, for me this would undoubtedly be the best bang for the buck. I ordered a 5/8 round point Aust from Maggard’s on a Saturday and had it on a Tuesday, or something ridiculously fast like that.
Cost was around $120 shipped.
The only thing that stopped me from ordering one from Herr Aust himself, was the fact that due to COVID, shipping was likely to be delayed, and a delivery date could not be guaranteed.

 

[SterFry]

The only quarter hollow that I have seen new is on Maggard's and it is their own blade which is made by TTFFC (Through The Fire Fine Craft). Unfortunately, they have only had the naked blade available for some time as all of the scaled blades have been sold out. I broke down and purchased the blade along with a Ralf Aust horn scale set and had the Razor Emporium drill and install the blade as they are local to me. I then brought the bevel set blade to shave ready on my Naniwa stones and it is a real cleaver.

It does not have the feedback of a hollow razor as it truly is a quarter hollow blade. It is slightly more hollow than a near wedge as a quarter hollow should be. I have to be careful as it requires a little bit lighter technique than a full hollow grind. It is nice though.

If you choose to go this route, it will almost require that you use the Ralf Aust scales as I searched for months to find ones that were long enough to accommodate the blade length. The blade barely fits with a pivot hole to blade tip of 4.8" per the rating on the scales.

Forgive the dust, I haven't shaved with this one in a while and it is dusty in Arizona.

View attachment 1274322View attachment 1274323View attachment 1274324

Thank you very much for the insight and information. Are you saying the edge of almost five inches long?! Or the whole of the spine and tang? Are all the Maggard blades this size?

 

[KW Driver]

This. After a lot of reading and research, this was the route I chose for my first straight razor earlier this month. From what I learned, for me this would undoubtedly be the best bang for the buck. I ordered a 5/8 round point Aust from Maggard’s on a Saturday and had it on a Tuesday, or something ridiculously fast like that.
Cost was around $120 shipped.
The only thing that stopped me from ordering one from Herr Aust himself, was the fact that due to COVID, shipping was likely to be delayed, and a delivery date could not be guaranteed.

I bought mine (6/8) during Covid, from him, and from the time we agreed to the parameters and “signed an agreement” per his site rules and system (one day email exchange) I think he had it shipped in 5 days (per his statement of processing and finishing the blade) and I had it at about a week later in the US. That travel time is probably ideal and didn’t involve customs holding it, and USPS not screwing up or delaying the delivery enroute.

$120 for a 5/8 from within the US is a fantastic price point and hard to beat, if it had the features you wanted/could live with. I got mine with the exact specifications I wanted in two weeks. It could have taken a lot longer these days with shipping delays beyond either of our control, and I accepted that.

a couple years ago I picked up a Le Grelot 6/8 (TI C135 blank) with plastic scales from Griffith on sale for $135, shave ready, because I wanted to try out a C135 blade. It’s a fantastic razor, especially at that price point. And another new razor I would recommend to @peecee in either a 5/8 or 6/8. Just know it’s a harder steel that takes a bit longer to hone, but holds an edge longer too.

 

[AdamAZ]

The edge is 3" long but the distance between the pivot hole and the bottom tip of the blade is 4 13/16". The latter measurement is critical in determining the size of scales necessary to scale the razor. The Ralf Aust scales sold by Maggard is approximately 4.8" for the 6/8 scales.

If you notice the pivot hole on my razor you will see that it is at the very end of the scales whereas the Ralf Aust in my previous post has the pivot hole further in from the end of the scale.

 

[Dominic]

The only quarter hollow that I have seen new is on Maggard's and it is their own blade which is made by TTFFC (Through The Fire Fine Craft). Unfortunately, they have only had the naked blade available for some time as all of the scaled blades have been sold out. I broke down and purchased the blade along with a Ralf Aust horn scale set and had the Razor Emporium drill and install the blade as they are local to me. I then brought the bevel set blade to shave ready on my Naniwa stones and it is a real cleaver.

It does not have the feedback of a hollow razor as it truly is a quarter hollow blade. It is slightly more hollow than a near wedge as a quarter hollow should be. I have to be careful as it requires a little bit lighter technique than a full hollow grind. It is nice though.

If you choose to go this route, it will almost require that you use the Ralf Aust scales as I searched for months to find ones that were long enough to accommodate the blade length. The blade barely fits with a pivot hole to blade tip of 4.8" per the rating on the scales.

Forgive the dust, I haven't shaved with this one in a while and it is dusty in Arizona.

View attachment 1274322View attachment 1274323View attachment 1274324

That top picture looks like a full wedge.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Indeed a well honed Gold Dollar razor with good geometry is a fine razor and will last many years. You can't beat the price. I have a couple of GDs and I am always impressed at how well they hold an edge. As for a second razor, it seems Ralph Aust razors are getting lots of votes. I have one and it is a fine razor. I can also recommend Dovo and Boker. Also very good razors. If you are considering vintage there are many more choices, but make sure you buy from someone who is not trying to unload a lemon. Razor Emporium is a good choice. Contact Matt and have a chat and he can advise. Many vintage razors are excellent shavers at a reasonable price.