Not Yet Another Rabbit Hole

[Acmemfg]

I have a serious collection of straight razors…too many really.
The majority are made by some high end craftsmen. I’ve owned (or own) razors from respected marques like:
Koraat (Ulrik Beyer), Brian Brown, Wacker, Ertan Suer, Ralf Aust, Tim Zowada, Robert Williams, and some fine production blades by Boker, Thiers-Issard, Dovo, Hart Steel, Portland Razor Co., you get the idea.
Recently, on kind of a whim I picked up a couple ancient (pre/post WWII) Japanese razors. Wow!!! I gotta get a few more of these. Unbelievable. Crazy sharp, silly smooth, and they have a cool factor as a bonus.

 

[CpnStumpy]

I think the big rabbit hole you just toed is - vintage, if I read your first paragraph correctly, I think you've only got new straight razors so far?

Buddy.. Japanese vintage is great, but you really need to start digging into vintage wholesale if you're this far into the rabbit hole and never have. Get something from 1890s Sheffield and Germany, get a Genco, or other American from 1900-1930, get a German blade from 1900-1930, get a French blade from 1940s, get a swedish blade from 1930-1960..

There's so many eras and origins to explore, you have a lot of ground to cover if you've only had new razors. Enjoy watching your collection get a hell of a lot larger when you realize there's great razors across the gamut of time and region

 

[Wid]

Vintage Japanese razors are great, I was buying some there for a bit too. I think I have 4 or 5 right now and wouldn't be opposed to a few more They do rival the best of the best from other manufactures.

Enjoy

 

[Eastcoast30]

 

[Frank Shaves]

Vintage Japanese very good!

 

[Eastcoast30]

Roughly half my collection is vintage Japan. If you can find them in NOS condition, like the Tosuke below, the results will be stellar!

 

[Wid]

Roughly half my collection is vintage Japan. If you can find them in NOS condition, like the Tosuke below, the results will be stellar!

View attachment 1566602

Beautiful razor, wouldn’t mind finding one like this.

 

[Billhanna]

Ugh. I’ve just started searching out straights. Luckily, I’ve set up guardrails. US only, and I'm finding out my home state has a good history. I could go PA only to protect my(wallet)self

 

[CpnStumpy]

Ugh. I’ve just started searching out straights. Luckily, I’ve set up guardrails. US only, and I'm finding out my home state has a good history. I could go PA only to protect my(wallet)self

If you've concern for your wallet, you could set the guardrail of a max number and max price - I started with a max price of ~$30 and well.. frankly it wasn't even difficult finding amazing blades in that range.

Regarding PA or even US only, I would recommend trying blades from various places, all the better for variety to find your preferences and have more choices. Given an era and region, certain styles were dominant, so aiming for US specifically will find you with little variety in your razors.

 

[rbscebu]

@Billhanna, I agree with @CpnStumpy. Don't limit yourself to a region. There is a whole world out there to explore.

By all means, limit your maximum spend per SR and the number you have at any one time. A limit of USD 50 per SR (plus shipping) gives you a great selection of used vintage SRs. I try and limit myself to about 30 SRs at any one time. This gives my good variety over a month. The hard part is to decide which one to sell or PIF when you need want to buy another.

Before you get into straights, read this:

Don't Waste Your Time Even Thinking About Getting Into Straight Razor Shaving!

So, you have been thinking about trying out this SR shaving thing. Let me tell you, you are a fool for doing so. Here is why: It is the most dangerous way to shave. The population was much less when only SRs were available to shave with. You can guess the reason. It takes what seems like...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Eastcoast30]

Okay, here's the thing. And I know you are trying. But the thing with rabbit holes is that you don't actually know you fell in until it is way too late to climb out.

 

[CpnStumpy]

Okay, here's the thing. And I know you are trying. But the thing with rabbit holes is that you don't actually know you fell in until it is way too late to climb out.

Translation: climb on in, the water's fine

 

[Billhanna]

Buying stones too fine for home knife use is what’s brought me to this particular hole.

And @stringer bean is an enabler.

I think the actual root of the issue is buying an Idwal from @cotedupy

Scoundrels, the both of them.