Many many straights do you have/use and what is your favorite?

[seattleshaver]

This is not a collectors question So, how many straights do you have and use and what is your favorite straight as far as how it feels/shaves?

For whatever reason my Boker seems to shave the best but I'm working on getting them all like that.

I have 7 straights and use them fairly randomly.

I have two different types of razors that say "Spike" on the blade, a Boker, Wade & Butcher, WH Morley & Son, one that just says "Berns" on the blade, and a Gold Dollar 66. I've rescaled 3 of them.

What do you actually use? I'm just curious what kinds of straights most people are using.

 

[Kentos]

I have maybe a dozen vintage, 2 custom, 4 Kamisori and 1 Feather AC. I use my kamisori and feather the most.

 

[rduer]

Only have 2 - ralf aust 5/8 and gd66 6/8. I use the ralf aust 99% of the time.

 

[johnh]

I have a Wade & Butcher (seems like a half hollow), my favourite. Seems most comfortable for me. Rescaled.
A Dubl Duck #1 Special.
An Engels Leader.
I really like W&Bs for some reason and might get another one to add.

 

[DFSDAILY]

I have 3 all together, 2 full hollow vintage and a Dovo Natural. I like the Dovo the best as it's a half hollow and I just prefer that grind.

 

[totorlekiller]

So my current rotation
- Thiers Issard Taos 5/8 - metal body, hollow ground
- Dovo Renaissance 6/8 - spanish oak, hollow ground
- Wapienica - near wedge, metal body
- Frederick Reynolds, bones, extra hollow
- Le Grelot frameback
- Le Grelot, ebony, 1/2 Hollow
- Mappin and Webb 6/8, Ivory, extra hollow
- Joseph Elliott, olive wood, 1/2 hollow
- Titan, santal wood, hollow
- Pribly bros, horn, hollow
- Larkin, quinoa wood, hollow
And I just honed today a Filarmonica 14, that will take its place in my rotation tomorrow

My favorite one, oscillates between the Mappin & Webb and the LeGrelot /12 hollow.

 

[mycarver]

400+
200 readily useable. ( the other 200 or so aren't pretty but a hone and they will go . I like them pretty ) 30+ W&Bs that are just sweet.
Love them all. Just bought another 67 pieces and they all look like winners to me. It's a Sophies choice though. Pick one and I'd insult the others and they wouldn't be my friends any more. You can make them all work. The worst performer will blow the pants off a DE any day. And I have a lot of DEs as well.
Just my take on it.

 

[Brianskeet]

12 here. 3 Tim Zowada razors-(2 full custom and a 2H2H prototype), 3 Hart steel including a 7/8 special edition damascus Hart, 6 vintage including one that may soon be a gift to a friend to get him started. My favorite has to be my latest Zowada custom.

 

[totorlekiller]

400+

I thought I had lost my mind when I got ~100. Most of them not usable...yet

 

[cb91710]

Dovo:
Bismarck 6/8
Astrale 5/8
Pearloid Inox 5/8
Revisor 6/8 Inox

Boker stainless 5/8

Wacker Gadsden 15/16

The Wacker is my "#1"... it'll go 6 months on a hone job. Big, heavy beast of a blade that sings like a bird.
My #2 is the pearloid Dovo Inox, but it's only good for a couple or three weeks before it needs to be honed again.

 

[silver]

I have about 2 dozen straights in my quiver.

The one that gets the most love at the moment is my CVH MK 31. Love the grind, size, feel, look, and performance of this one.

 

[Oscroft]

I have seven that belonged to my Grandfather...

* Bengall, Sheffield
* Herbert Robinson, Sheffield
* Green & Green Celebrated, Sheffield
* SD & Co Auk, Germany
* Tilsmith Crown & Sceptre, Germany
* Kropp, made in Sheffield, ground in Hamburg
* Kropp, made and ground in Sheffield

Then the ones I've bought myself...

* Thiers Issard 11/16 'Le grelot form', Thiers
* Revisor 6/8, Solingen
* Revisor 5/8, Solingen
* Filarmonica 13, Spain
* Kobar 5/8, Solingen
* Wade & Butcher Special 4/8, Sheffield
* Joseph Rogers Concave, Sheffield
* Joseph Rogers near-wedge, Sheffield
* Kropp 6/8, Hamburg
* Robert Kelly Diamond Edge, Liverpool
* John Bagshaw, Liverpool
* Ford & Medley frameback, Sheffield
* Le Hyalin frameback, Paris
* Heljestrand MK2, Eskilstuna
* Astral Supreme, Sheffield
* No name, Germany
* No name, Sheffield
* Titan stainless, China
* Gold Dollar 66, China

...and a Vintage Boker King Cutter square-point, Solingen, on the way.

And, wow, I hadn't been counting and it's amazing how quickly they mount up

Favourites? Well, my Granddad's razors are special for obvious reasons, but my favourite for shaving at the moment has to be the Filarmonica. I put a slight smile on the toe when grinding out a chip, and I really love that shape - and the very fine hollow grind takes a great edge and shaves beautifully.

Update: and one more - a no-name razor from eBay for £7 is on its way, for honing practice

 

[Lmarkow]

I have about a dozen shave ready razors of various ages, shapes, size, grinds, and scales. When properly honed, and for the life of me, I cannot tell the difference in shave results from any of them. My "preference," therefore, is a daily discovery.

 

[Brooksie967]

I've had probably 200 pass through my hands, right now in the 'shaving box' in the bedroom there are probably 14 or so that are gems and a cupboard full of stuff that's ready to go but I don't use (gunna sell those) and probably a dozen more that need to be honed.

 

[gonzo4str8rzrs]

Just started building up my Collection

1. Hartford Cutlery Co. Hartford CT, Extra Hollow Ground
2. Shumate Barbers De Lux Straight Razor
3. Geo Wostenholm and Son Original True Pipe Razor My oldest probably late 1800's
4. Norvell Shapleigh Hardware No.35 Snap Black
5. Heinrich Klein Solingen First Class from World Cutlery 7802
6. A.W. Wadsworth & Sons Germany XLNT

I am getting back five of them from honing on Tuesday, so I can not make a great decision on which is best yet. I will be excited to be able to use them all.

 

[jpcwon]

I have approx. 30 razors ATM....All different makes, models, grinds and sizes....I try to keep most of them shave-ready, but I do have a few that need to be honed...Out of those 30, I have 6-7 that are my "gems"...These include a 7/8" TI Eagle, a 6/8" Le Grelot, an 8/8" Dorko, 3 CVH's, etc etc....

 

[Antique Hoosier]

I only have 5 straights to include:

My Great Great Grandfather's Wade & Butcher
The FW Engels 5/8 #45 that got me back to straights after a short dalliance with DE's
A 7/8 Bengall regrind
Two Heljestrand MK 31's

My favorite shaver is either MK 31.... They are truly wonderful

 

[AndroiDad75]

Have most of you bought your gems from the fleabay or from B/S/T here? I am just wondering how most of you have come by your gems.

OP if you would rather I ask that in a separate thread, I can open a new one. Just thought it would be cool to see what/how many people have and where they got their gems.

 

[Acmemfg]

Ten in all-

Hart Steel 7/8 square point is my runaway favorite
Boker Silver Steel 6/8 is in second
Boker Edelweiss 5/8 takes third

A newly acquired Thiers Issard 7/8 is much too new to the fold for a proper ranking within the quiver, but it looks like it will be a real contender.

Also in no particular order (except the last two) would be-

Boker Tree Brand 4/8
Dovo Palisander 6/8
Dovo Natural 5/8
Henckels Graef & Schmidt 11/16

...and bringing up the rear a pair of Chinese 6/8 blades
Krodor Special Double Arrow
Gold Dollar 66...still not close to shave ready, but it's getting there

 

[Oscroft]

Have most of you bought your gems from the fleabay or from B/S/T here?

A couple from B/S/T, a couple new from dealers, and the rest from the Bay of E.