Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
The conundrum is as a beginner you may have a good chance of mutilating that nice 200.00 razor- say 1 in 4 chance maybe?
I would get the nice one, but then get a beater to practice with.
For 200.00 I would get what appeals to YOU mostthey should all shave well enough.
+1
I would get a whippeddog for honing practice, and in fact I would use it for learning to strop and shave, before even opening a nice new one. And yeah the Le Grelot would be an excellent new razor to keep as an heirloom. Avoid the fancy stuff like worked spines and gold wash, for sure. Keep in mind that the razor might still be in use 200 years from now. A plain ordinary blade will still look presentable, and you won't be hesitant to hone it normally.
Stainless, Schmainless. Don't worry about it. A decent stainless blade will hone up just fine. But it WILL rust if given the perfect opportunity. A carbon steel blade will rust much quicker, but it doesn't need to rust at all if you care for it properly. I have a LOT of carbon steel razors that are over 100 years old, and most of them have never to my knowledge had any rust issues. Just dry and clean your blade well, give it a light stropping after use as well as the regular 40 licks before use, preferably on pasted balsa, and never let any water run down into the pivot area, and you will be fine. Don't store it in a damp location. You can keep it oiled if you wish. Going with carbon steel has one main advantage... more choices of razor.
Don't worry overly much about scales. Plastic, micarta, wood, horn, whatever. They will want replacing in 100 years or so, anyway. But I would go with micarta or plastic/resin of some kind.
