Can a new straight for under $10 be any good?

[badgerstate]

I came across this on "Overstock" while wasting time this morning. Some reviews say its a toy and sucks. Others say its a great shaver. I never trust "awesome-ness" reviews. Any ideas?

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Huge-10.5-inch-Straight-Razor-Knife/4134230/product.html

 

[Hubsche1]

It's appears to be a Sweeney Todd movie prop type razor.

I'm sure it's just a Chinese knock-off. It's unlikely to give you a decent shave.

 

[Mike H]

Yes a razor under 10 can be a good shaver, but only if you score a great deal on a vintage ebay. Always a gamble and will require work to bring up to shave ready condition. The Gold Dollar can be purchased new for less than 10 and I have found them to be a good razor, some required more work than others, but the shave was very nice. I would pass on the Sweeney Todd if you are thinking about shaving razor.

 

[Loric]

I'v never used one of these, but I'v read several reviews that say the steel is not of the grade that will take a proper edge for shaving. The cheapest good razors are generally thought (or were two years ago when I first got into straights) to be the Gold Dollars, but they sometimes have grind issues that prevent them from laying flat on your hone. I had 4, and two would not lay flat on the hone with out modification. So they were a bit of a crap shoot at the time. I cant comment on how they may or may not have changed since then.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I would be very surprised if it took a shave-worthy edge. It's a toy for fans of Sweenie Todd. As for the positive reviews. Well, some people like to hear themselves talk (in a manner of speaking).


Like Loric said, GD's take a fine edge (my two did anyway), but there seems to be virtually no QC with regards to making sure they are dead straight, so many people have to grind away sections of them to make them easier to hone. Still, with luck a Gold Dollar is your best bet for a <$10 new razor that is good.

 

[Kentos]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/300179-Sweeney-Todd-Razor?highlight=

Doc took one for the team...

 

[SliceOfLife]

I would wager that blade was made in Pakistan, and they're aware that their rep is so damned awful, they are willing to commit fraud to make you think their blades were made in China now.

 

[Luc]

I really do not think it's a good device for shaving no. If you want to display this razor, sure, otherwise, no. The metal is probably too thick and not good enough to take an edge. My recommendation would be to look for something on BST.

 

[JRobinhood]

Or you can buy a sight unseen deal from whipped dog, I've been very happy with mine so far. I went with the $46 kit so I'd have a strop to learn on and a pasted balsa strop to help keep the blade sharp. If you just want a razor you can get one for as low as $25.

http://whippeddog.com/straightrazors/view/sight-unseen-deal

 

[cb91710]

Gold Dollar is under $10 and, with some modification and a LOT of honing, will take and hold a good edge and shave very nicely.

Everything else is junk.

The specific razor in the OP is marketed on Amazon and eBay as a "Sweeney Todd" razor, but the scales are not even close, and the razors received by the reviewers did not even have the correct profile (tapered wider from heel to toe and spike point).

THAT one is not even a good display piece.
There are other ST replicas (and there were 3 or 4 different scale designs in the movie) that are fine for display, but none are suitable for use as anything more than a letter opener.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Honestly GD honing is no worse than any other blade you have to hone start to finish (The one I got raw was pretty much/possibly right off the grinder... but on a hollow grind that isn't ridiculously hard, it's not THAT much work if you have the right tools (IE a 1k or lower hone).). Hell, it's less work than a frowning vintage.

The real problematic work appears to be filing down the shoulder on ones that need it.

I dare say if I were honing professionally, I'd rather hone a Random GD than a random Vintage. A GD may have manufacturing defects, but from undoing the damage razor sellers have done to the razors they're selling, I have learned to never underestimate people's potential to screw things up.

The best one was the razor buffed so thin that when I set it down on my DMT to bevel, the razors own magnetism caused the blade to bend itself in half, since it was only a few times thicker than tin foil.

 

[ladykate]

I dare say if I were honing professionally, I'd rather hone a Random GD than a random Vintage.

Interesting comment. I hone for pay occasionally - mostly to help out during busy periods - and I've seen some pretty grim vintage razors come in - but most of the time I can get them set and polished fairly quickly. If they've been abused then the time to finish them can get crazy. I butter knife them frequently due to small chipping or slight frowns (the usual problem). If they are full hollow or close, it doesn't take long to get them reset.

The disadvantage of the GD is that it has to have the bevel created as opposed to being reset. The stabilizer issue can be avoided but it can also be tamed quickly with a sanding cylinder on a dremel and then the rubber abrasive wheel to polish it (takes 5 minutes). A warped spine takes longer but I don't mess with them if they are just slightly warped. I put them on the belt sander and clean them up in a minute.

If I had 10 random vintage (assuming they weren't terminal in some way) and 10 GDs, I think I would pick the vintage blades - but you are making me think about it.

 

[badgerstate]

Thank you Gentlemen... Pretty much as I thought. I am always suspicious when the "reviews" are so black and white. Public gives a bad review, sellers counter with great review? It might make a nice cheese knife, one with some conversation value. I'm still miles from taking the straight plunge, remembering how I struggled to get a good edge on grafting knives.
TTFN

 

[Doc226]

I tried one of those, not the same one but I gave up trying to get it shave ready. It would have taken A LOT of work and not sure if I would have ever gotten there.