How much $$$ is too much for a straight razor???

[Darth Scandalous]

As for "how much is too much", I think my purchases were all reasonable. And that is true because I am satisfied with those purchases.

This is really what it comes down to. A corollary, for me, is "will razor x for y dollars make me happier than the ones I already have?" Sometimes the answer is yes, often the answer is no.

I was mentally going through my modest collection and realized that I have only exceeded $200 on two razors. And yes, they were both worth it to me.

 

[Acmemfg]

Paid about $475 for a Zowada some time back. Don‘t regret it but from a practical standpoint, it shaves no better than many razors I’ve obtained priced at $200 or less

 

[buserror]

For me I place value in helping the makers, if I can. I can get a completely custom made razor for less than £300, to my own specification and quirks, and that also put some food on these makers table.
I COULD spend the same for a Fili of course, and it would be lovely, but all I'd do is help a speculator. For 'vintage' razors I wouldn't spend more than £100 really, very likely considerably less. My favourite 'vintages' are costed me less than £40.

So I started in june, but I've now a pretty nice collection of customs, some of them in transit, some of them on order.

+ I have 3 ART razors, because I'm helping Ukraine *directly* by doing that. I'm giving money to people who haven't run away from their country and stay there in Kiev with the power cuts and the rockets, amazing guys. One of the razor is a custom creation I designed, and that Yurii now sells as a new 'model' -- very happy with that.

+ I have 3 Drew Dick -- the guy lives 20 minutes from me, he is the only one I know who actually *forges* absolutely amazing blades. He gets injured, he's outside in all weather, he has a family, he lives in the (expensive) UK, I'll do all I can to help him. I have a fourth razor on order, a very fancy Cu Mai blade with a copper layer, and that's goign to cost me probably just short of £500. Well worth it.

+ I have an Edward Brice -- I got it second hand (eBay) -very cheap- I WISH he was still making razors as this razor is amazing as it's a fantastic shaver, AND it looks gorgeous. If he was still working, I'd commision another.

+ I (now) have a Riviere Razor, because I wanted something with french elegance, by a french maker -- that guy apprenticed with Drew Dick, so can't be rubbish. The razor is in the post.

Also, as it runs out, I have a heavy beard, so these new customs are pretty much all 7/8+ blades, and that's just the ticket for me really. I can't use a 5/8 hollow, it feels like paper on my beard!

So all in all, I can afford it, and quite frankly given the amount of work and talent going into making a custom razor, $300+ is cheap. You can *easily* get a piece of rubbish fo that money. I can't even buy a phone for that money, and that phone would last you 2-3 years tops before becoming landfill. My razors will hopefully one day land on eBay2050 as highly collectable and make someone else happy, by commissioning these, I'm making a little bit of history of that occupation.