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Filarmonica straights

I am not seriously considering getting into straights for a while yet ( I do have a shavette though) but as these razors are being discontinued, I was wondering, are these straights good enough to warrant a purchase?
Warm regards,
Alex
 
Yes they are. You won't be wrong with razors coming from Germany, France, England, Sweden, USA, Spain and some older Russian and Chinese ones...

Nenad
 
AJS said:
I am not seriously considering getting into straights for a while yet ( I do have a shavette though) but as these razors are being discontinued, I was wondering, are these straights good enough to warrant a purchase?
Warm regards,
Alex

Depends on the price... I have had a half a dozen or so "Filly's" and I didn't pay more than $30 for any of them.... that goes for the 8/8th, 7/8ths and 5/8ths. If you can get one for $30 or less - go for it, anything more than that, isn't that superb of a deal.
 
joel said:
Depends on the price... I have had a half a dozen or so "Filly's" and I didn't pay more than $30 for any of them.... that goes for the 8/8th, 7/8ths and 5/8ths. If you can get one for $30 or less - go for it, anything more than that, isn't that superb of a deal.


Is there anything specific you don't like about these straights? Any quality or manufacturing concerns, or is it more of a personal preference thing? Like I said, I'm not seriously considering a straight yet, but I don't want to find out I missed the chance of getting a great razor after they are all gone (if Filarmonica's are great razors that is.) To be honest, I can't really find much information on these razors, I posted the same query on straightrazorplace.com and everyone who replied said that these were great razors, but there were other posts where people weren't exactly complementary about them. The only source I have is classicshaving.com where the 7/8th is $99.99, is that really a bad deal? I would prefer a new one, being OCD I am slightly germophobic and I wouldn't have the first idea about restoring a used straight anyway.
Warm regards,
Alex
 

Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
Ross Cutlery in San Francisco ought to have some left as well in various sizes. They do turn up on eBay occasionaly and fetch a good price. I found mine difficult to initially hone but rate it as one of my best shavers and as good as my best Thiers-Issard razors.

Tony
 
AJS said:
Is there anything specific you don't like about these straights? Any quality or manufacturing concerns, or is it more of a personal preference thing? Like I said, I'm not seriously considering a straight yet, but I don't want to find out I missed the chance of getting a great razor after they are all gone (if Filarmonica's are great razors that is.) To be honest, I can't really find much information on these razors, I posted the same query on straightrazorplace.com and everyone who replied said that these were great razors, but there were other posts where people weren't exactly complementary about them. The only source I have is classicshaving.com where the 7/8th is $99.99, is that really a bad deal? I would prefer a new one, being OCD I am slightly germophobic and I wouldn't have the first idea about restoring a used straight anyway.
Warm regards,
Alex

Alex,
Nothing wrong with Filarmonicas, no real downside, they are superb razors, however they can be had much cheaper than the ones offered at classicshaving, and much nicer/fancier models with gold inlays and such. To each their own, but $99 for a plane jane filarmonica like those sold at classic is not a good deal... again great razor, nothing wrong with it - but it would be like paying $45K for a Honda Accord - great car, but for $45K you can get nicer cars.

Honestly though - straight razor shaving doesn't sound like it would be for you.... the first straight you have/use should NOT be new - period. If you do not have a razor that has been honed by someone who knows what they are doing, and has shaved with it and dubbed it "shave worthy" chances are - you'll never get the razor nearly as sharp as it could/should be to get a proper shave from. I have personally never experienced a new razor that was shave ready out of the box. If you are still weary about germs after rubbing down the blade with alcohol to steralize it - then I don't think straights are really your deal...
 
Thanks for the replies Joel and Tony. Joel, I wasn't sure about those particular aspects of straight razors myself; that's why I got a shavette for a taster, no worries about germs or honing. I was thinking about graduating to a Feather AC, but you hear so many horror stories I doubt I would ever be ready to use it. I was told that classicshaving sends their straights to Lynn Abrams for honing and that sounded worthwhile to me because I have never seen anything but high praise for the mans razor sharpening abilities. Still your Honda Accord analogy puts things into perspective.
Like I said I am not seriously considering a straight in the immediate future, but it would be nice to have an obvious route for further experimentation when (more accurately if) I master my DE.
Warm regards,
AJS
 
AJS said:
I am not seriously considering getting into straights for a while yet ( I do have a shavette though) but as these razors are being discontinued, I was wondering, are these straights good enough to warrant a purchase?
I have found that a few brands are superior, and Filarmonica is one of them. I now have quite a few Filies in various sizes, some gotten new and some restored. I have never had a blade that didn't sharpen up easily to a superb edge. Many razors just can't get that kind of edge.

On the price issue, the kinds of prices Joel mentions, you may find on Ebay, but a new one will cost you. The one Classic Shaving has for $100 is a great workhorse, not as pretty as most Fillies, but what a razor. It's built for the kind of heavy duty use a barber would give it.
 
FWIW I think straight razor shaving is for you if you want it to be. Its not rocket science, it just takes a good hand and attention to detail both with respect to the edge sbd to your face. As for the filly, I have considered buying that razor as well, but found that for the price or slightly more, you can get really excellent blades. Sterilization is not an issue since it can be done so easily with alcohol and a match if you are really paranoid. If that's good enough to keep germs out of a petri dish, where any impurity flourishes, its probably good enough for our faces.
 
russellnyc said:
FWIW I think straight razor shaving is for you if you want it to be.
There are plenty of guys out there who wanted to succeed and couldn't. In the old days, lots of men grew beards because of their inability with str8s. It wasn't just a style. If you have any doubt left, look at some of the abused razors you find on Ebay. Obviously, there were people who didn't know how to hone and likely failed because of that.

It may not be rocket science, but it requires enough different abilities so it's not a sure thing. I wonder how the success rates of DEs and str8s compare.

As for the filly, I have considered buying that razor as well, but found that for the price or slightly more, you can get really excellent blades.
It IS a really excellent blade. It just doesn't have any of the niceties. At that price I doubt you can get a blade that's any better for shaving. And it's a heavy duty razor in all respects. FIlarmonica made some great stuff.
 

Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
Thanks guys. I send out my razors for honing now and they are even better than before!

Iwan, you razor is on it's way back from my honer and will be on it's way Tuesday.

Tony
 
Tony already has a lot of my dollars, and he's soon to get more! A first class vendor who actually uses straights, strops, and is, well, not the president, but a member!

Randy
 
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