Best Brand razor - I give up

[totorlekiller]

So I bought one of these, figuring it was cheap enough (about $20) for an experiment. Since it is all stainless steel, I figured if it honed up nice, it would be a good razor to travel with as 1/ it would not rust in proximity to a moist toothbrush, 2/ if the bags get lost or TSA confiscate it, it would be easy to replace.

Well, it did not work out. The blade seems too thin to have a proper bevel. I tried up to 2 layers of tape, but then the bevel did not stay straight. I had to reset it flat and try again. I figured maybe the tape was to blame, so I tried without.
I finally got a bevel, then honed, but the edge is too fragile. After the King 6K, I tried a few lap on the fine side of the swaty and it tear the edge.
Oh well. I like the scales, so I'll reuse those.

 

[buca3152]

There are lots of razor shaped objects. Many of them have too thin a spine to get a correct angle. Get a GD, they hone up fine and take and keep an edge well.

 

[oakeshott]

Thanks for doing the research though. You saved the rest of us the trouble.

What about getting a beater 5/8ths and keeping it in a silicon sleeve in your dopp kit when you travel? I've been doing this for about a year and it works out pretty well.

 

[Amenrab]

There are lots of razor shaped objects. Many of them have too thin a spine to get a correct angle. Get a GD, they hone up fine and take and keep an edge well.

Don't GD's require a bit more modification than that? Something about correcting the whole geometry of the blade, not just honing it.

http://straightrazorplace.com/srpwiki/index.php/Brands_of_Straight_Razors_to_avoid

And almost any vintage razor from america, solingen, sheffield, france, japan, sweden, etc is also good.

 

[buca3152]

You can get a shave ready 66 for about 23 shipped. All the work is done for you. Further hones would not be a problem. Or grind the stabilizers with a dremel before you hone it.

 

[totorlekiller]

I have one of those.
I was going to rescale it and have not yet.
Maybe I'll just use that blade in those scales.

 

[Seraphim]

Don't GD's require a bit more modification than that? Something about correcting the whole geometry of the blade, not just honing it.

http://straightrazorplace.com/srpwiki/index.php/Brands_of_Straight_Razors_to_avoid

And almost any vintage razor from america, solingen, sheffield, france, japan, sweden, etc is also good.

GDs simply need the big heel stabilizer ground down to get it out of the way while honing. Other than that, it's simply a matter of setting the bevel, as with any razor. You actually don't even NEED to grind down the heel, it just makes it easier to hone if you do that.

 

[Gamma]

Or you can buy an inexpensive vintage on eBay for about 15 bucks and hone it and take it anywhere you want without worrying about it.
I just scored a French frame back for 12 with shipping - from Canada no less.
Great vintage razors sell for low dollars every day.

 

[Seraphim]

Or, more realistically, he can simply take along any of the 3,000 LeGrelots, TI's, etc, etc he has laying about his shave den....Not like he's about to run out of razors....

 

[Loner16]

There are lots of razor shaped objects. Many of them have too thin a spine to get a correct angle. Get a GD, they hone up fine and take and keep an edge well.

To me, A Gold Dollar is no more than a razor shaped object ... and a poor one at that!

 

[Georgia Straight]

 

[Seraphim]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.














No matter how very, very wrong they are!

 

[buca3152]

Well, the GDs all take and keep an edge while others never will. Theres a big difference there IMO.

 

[dangler575]

So I'm new to all of this. I went into AOS and impulsively bought a $225 bamboo straight edge. Still haven't used it. I read a bunch of stuff about how AOS straights are not pre-honed and that it will be dangerous for me to use this as a first time user with likely poor technique. What's my play here? Ignore the critics and give this thing a try (I'd wager I have pretty steady hands) or should I send it out to get honed (where would I do that btw)?

 

[Haggises]

Dangler, 4 points
1. Unless they said it was honed, you can have a steady a hand as you like but it won't cut hair effectiviely
2. We have a honers compendium in the Wiki, or check out the Vendor/Hobbyist board
3. No manscaping topics allowed on this site
4. Welcome to B&B!

 

[SliceOfLife]

I can't speak for the factory finish of AOS, but generally, the razor's always going to be sharper if you get a skilled honer to hone it for you. What passes for shave ready by the overwhelming majority of shavers is painfully dull by more exacting standards. Even dovo's are supposedly shipped "shave ready", and there are plenty of reviews from honers complaining that their "shave ready" is insufficient.

That said, a razor that's not sharp enough is more likely to cause razor burn, ingrown hairs, etc general unpleasantness; than actually
be any more DANGEROUS than a properly honed razor. Most nicks I've had came from really sharp razors, most discomfort came from dull ones (sharp razor nicks are painless except during aftershave application).

 

[dangler575]

SliceOfLife + Haggises,

Thanks for the info. Apparently AOS tells all of their customers that their blades are pre-honed however I've seen a lot of posts saying thats all fluff and they aren't honed correctly. I will check out the honers compendium and the vendor/hobbyist board. Still trying to decide whether to give this thing a test run or not . Can using the strop excessively make a "factory blade" shave ready? Box says it's high quality German steel. . . Also did I definitely overpay for it?

 

[buca3152]

Aos razors are factory edge. Send it out to hone as was suggested.

 

[totorlekiller]

So I'm new to all of this. I went into AOS and impulsively bought a $225 bamboo straight edge. Still haven't used it. I read a bunch of stuff about how AOS straights are not pre-honed and that it will be dangerous for me to use this as a first time user with likely poor technique. What's my play here? Ignore the critics and give this thing a try (I'd wager I have pretty steady hands) or should I send it out to get honed (where would I do that btw)?

My first razor was a Thiers Issard I bought at AoS and it was fine. I shaved with it out of the box.
I did not have as much luck with a Dovo that my wife got for me from a different seller, but was still with factory edge. One of my frined though got his Dovo from AoS and it was fine as well.

So I'd give it a try first.

 

[totorlekiller]

Or, more realistically, he can simply take along any of the 3,000 LeGrelots, TI's, etc, etc he has laying about his shave den....Not like he's about to run out of razors....

Yes, but those I don't want to lose. They all feel irreplaceable.