it was just a curiosity, I don’t think it will be used frequently. I gave it two tries and will come back to it sometime. $12 to try a piece of shaving history? Sure!
I have noticed on eBay the prices of vintage GEM and Ever Ready SE razors are increasing. Are they still worth purchasing?
- Thread starter Psychtec
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- #22
That makes sense.
If you don’t try SE’s, you won’t know if you will like them.
They are not for everyone.
If you don’t try SE’s, you won’t know if you will like them.
They are not for everyone.
I bought my GEM handles (1924 Ever-Ready, MicroMatic Open Comb and Safety Bar (bullet tip)) for between $10-$18 shipped each here in the USA. None were collector grade. All were in good shaving condition and only needed a thorough cleaning, disinfecting and light polishing.
I figured if I spent less than the typical mass produced mid-level DE, I was doing pretty well.
I figured if I spent less than the typical mass produced mid-level DE, I was doing pretty well.
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- #24
Sounds like you are happy with your handle purchases and their purchase prices.
I am guessing you have heads, so you can use your new handles. What type of heads do you have.
Sound like you enjoy both SE and DE razors.
Are the handles going to be daily drivers or part of a rotation?
Enjoy your new handles. Have a nice day.
@Psychtec - the handles include the heads - it's the complete razor.
Yes, I use both SE and DE razors. Though I'm slowly dispensing with my DE razors and am down to two slants in favor of the SE types.
Yes, I use both SE and DE razors. Though I'm slowly dispensing with my DE razors and am down to two slants in favor of the SE types.
As always, YMMV, but in my experience SE and injector razors are superior to DE. Stiffer blades, less movement and less likely to nick yourself. Closer to straight razors, but don't require honing and stropping and are easier to learn than straights.
Ebay is good for finding exactly what you want, but prices seem to vary widely from time to time. Case in point, after my son tried my antique store MicroMatic OC, I looked to Ebay for one for him (too busy to antique). I saw one with the brown bakelite case, both used/new blade banks, a box of blades and instructions for $12 but the razor had plating issues. Another "Buy it Now" was listed for more, but the razor was in much better shape and in a ivory colored case w/blade banks, so I negotiated a lower price, kept the new cased razor and gave him my old one. If you really want a certain razor, look to Ebay, but it's a crap shoot and you're at the whim of what is out there, and you have to be disciplined to not overbid or get in a bidding war. If you're into the hunt, and patient, there are bargain razors out there to be had, so I look to antique stores and put "hands on" i.e., last Friday I picked up a GEM 1912 "Damaskeene" for under $10 and a 1907 Ever Ready Lather Catcher w/wooden handle for $10. Okay, I have several 1912s, but not a Damaskeene, and no one passes on a near-mint Lather Catcher (even if you have 1 or 2 already), no one. I also took a chance on a Lucite Rubberset 750 Badger brush (soft spot for Lucite) that appeared to be deteriorated/crusty beyond saving but was only covered in a 1/16" layer of old shaving soap; plus a vintage leather SR strop to restore. Go hunting if able, or just stop by an antique store when you happen across them, you just never know.
Also be aware of the shipping charges. I got one tremendous price for a razor, except I didn’t look at shipping which was 35 times the price of the razor.
Some great advice. When looking for a particular razor or brush on eBay or wherever, I always scroll down and see what multiple vendors have for sale. Sometimes you can find the same razor in better condition for a lower price. I haven't had much luck searching in antique shops, even very large ones. Vintage razors, etc. are out there- where do the sellers on eBay find theirs? - but I haven't found them. I'll just keep looking.
Vintage Razors in prime condition continue to rise in price.
I often question some of the prices people pay for Vintage Razors.
Recently a Fatboy started at 99 cents, sold way over $260.00.
It was almost NOS, it was Mint, though it went too high.
I often question some of the prices people pay for Vintage Razors.
Recently a Fatboy started at 99 cents, sold way over $260.00.
It was almost NOS, it was Mint, though it went too high.
If you bid at an auction on eBay or wherever, always have your maximum bid in mind and stop when the bidding reaches that point. $260 for a Fatboy is insane, but if someone is willing to pay that much in an auction, I guess it's worth that. From my experiences with eBay auctions, most of the bidding occurs during the last 15 minutes of bidding.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
When I bid on something on EBay I simply bid the highest amount I am prepared to pay, no matter what the current high bid is, then I forget about the auction. If someone beats my bid then it does not matter if they do so five seconds, or five days before the end of the auction, because they have paid more than I was prepared to pay. My time is worth too much to me to waste it watching an auction countdown to try to bid at the last moment. Besides, I want to pay a fair price, not the cheapest price possible - I am happy to say that my conscience would not let me enjoy shaving with a Toggle that cost me $5.
Good strategy. Once a market starts to rise too dramatically (whether it's razors, baseball cards, real estate, etc.), look out for a correction.
Not only unrealistic but some are indeed unethical and are fishing for someone who doesn't know the true value of what they are bidding on. There are some sellers who don't know any better though. I noticed someone selling vintage blades for up to $10 each. The lady had inherited a bunch of shaving items. Afa the blades, she did not know that what she was selling was almost worthless. She was grateful that I took the time to send her a couple links so she could be more informed. The old adage holds true: buyer beware, but buyer be aware might be more fitting.
I bought several GEMs on Ebay not too long ago. All are user grade in nice shape. The most expensive was a Gold Micromatic in a good original case that was $16. The least expensive was a GEM Junior with Bakelite handle that was around $8. I thought those prices were pretty good, there were several more expensive ones I passed by, though. The $8 razor shaves great, too.
I've been out of the auction site game for just a bit, to the great relief to the Chairwoman of my Finance Committee. However, when I was playing I would focus on Buy It Now listings, if possible. If you are online when a well priced listing pops up then bargains can be had. Most of my purchases would be considered user grade and just as @NorthernSoul says, they shave great too!
Good advice, I always add in the cost of shipping into the max price of what I'm willing to pay for an item (a la EclipseRedRing). With auctions and buy it now pricing, the seller can accept a lower negotiated price, but they can't change the shipping price once it's set--they would have to bring the ad down and relist it (one seller said they would do a refund of shipping charges, but, ah, yeah, I'll pass). That's the conundrum I had with the Buy it now MicroMatic I just bought -- there was the $12 MMOC with plating issues in a case with blade banks but in brown and the near mint MicroMatic in Ivory (which I'd not seen before) but it was priced higher and the shipping was set at like $9. I was willing to pay up a bit for the nicer plating and ivory case over the brown cased razor, so I negotiated the ivory price down enough to cover the shipping cost. Had the seller not brought the price of the ivory cased razor down, I would have taken a pass on both the brown and ivory cased MicroMatics and walked away happy.
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