URGENT: Advice needed regarding a razor purchase (Vintage Anton Wingen Jr. 917 Red Point Straight Razor)

[Woodlight06]

I have been wanting to purchase a straight razor for weeks now. I currently use a shavette and much prefer the feel of a straight razor shave to that of modern razors. I am a college student so I can't afford to splurge on a razor. I'm looking to stay around $50 so I figured restoring a vintage myself would be the most cost effective (and gratifying) way to go. Then I found this vintage 5/8” Anton Wingen Jr. 917 Red Point Straight Razor on ebay that is shave ready. I know you can't trust "shave ready" on ebay but the seller said that this is his process for all his shave ready blades: Honed In progression From 1k through 12k and Stropped On aTreated Linen strop and then a leather strop. So I trust that it is shave ready. However, I can't find any kind of information or content on this particular razor/company that would lead me to believe it is reliable.
I'm afraid to pull the trigger on this and get burned. But it also has lots of watchers so I need to act soon if I want to by this. Can someone offer any sound advice before it's too late?

Heres a pic of the listing:

Thanks in advance!

 

[camoloc]

I have been wanting to purchase a straight razor for weeks now. I currently use a shavette and much prefer the feel of a straight razor shave to that of modern razors. I am a college student so I can't afford to splurge on a razor. I'm looking to stay around $50 so I figured restoring a vintage myself would be the most cost effective (and gratifying) way to go. Then I found this vintage 5/8” Anton Wingen Jr. 917 Red Point Straight Razor on ebay that is shave ready. I know you can't trust "shave ready" on ebay but the seller said that this is his process for all his shave ready blades: Honed In progression From 1k through 12k and Stropped On aTreated Linen strop and then a leather strop. So I trust that it is shave ready. However, I can't find any kind of information or content on this particular razor/company that would lead me to believe it is reliable.
I'm afraid to pull the trigger on this and get burned. But it also has lots of watchers so I need to act soon if I want to by this. Can someone offer any sound advice before it's too late?

Heres a pic of the listing:
View attachment 1172673

Thanks in advance!

don't think people can comment on active/live bay sales or other sites for that matter.

do your homework to determine if a seller actually delivers "shave ready."

at a minimum you might want a Strop unless you wanna go the economical newspaper route.

camo

 

[Slash McCoy]

I think it is okay for BIN listings that are still open.

So the seller talks the talk. Doesn't mean he can walk the walk. Not every guy with a collection of rocks and knowledge of the lingo is actually a great honer. Look at his feedback score, and what else he sells. If he sells a lot of razors and lists them as shave ready, and has good feedback, that's a pretty good sign.

But I recognize that seller's name from another forum or maybe this one, actually, and he has been around a while. Don't take this as advice but hypothetically, if it was me, and I couldn't hone my own razors yet, at that price I would go for it. If it was me. You make your own decision. Looks like a decent razor.

You need a strop. Please, no newspaper. That's for emergencies. You aren't having an emergency. Do NOT use a belt. It will end badly and I am not gonna write a book here on why that is. Don't buy a Chinese one. They almost all suck. Probably all do, actually. A member here named @Tony Miller is a popular maker/seller and his basic entry level strop will be just fine. A vintage Illinois or similar will be okay if it is not cracked and has no nicks in it. The "Rich Man" strop from Larry at www.whippeddog.com will do you. The "Poor Man" strop he sells is verrrrry basic and okay for your first couple of weeks but you will definitely want to upgrade after you make your beginner mistakes on the Poor Man. Basically you will be paying as much or more for the strop as for the razor, but it is that important. You need to strop before every shave. Do your homework, look up youtube stropping and shaving vids.

I just checked, and the seller is a member of this forum as well as SRP. You should be good with him. These online shaving forums are a pretty small world and reputations are carefully guarded. Nobody wants to be called out for a crappy edge!

If you are used to a shavette, you will find that most straight razors will not have as much raw cutting power as a shavette and you kind of have to do your part to get a good shave. OTOH, you will probably cut yourself less. Figure on two WTG passes for your first real straight shave. That should get you at least a SAS, Socially Acceptable Shave, with a minimum of trauma. Work from there, as you get experience.

Restoring or even just honing your own razor is not a very good way to start. THIS is a good way to start. Start shaving with a shave ready razor, THEN after you have a few weeks in, come back here, do your homework, buy a Naniwa 12k and learn to touch up your previously sharp edge when it begins to get dull from normal use. That is your best gateway into honing. Once you are good at that, then get yourself a whole progression and look for razors in the rough that need honing from scratch. If you are for real about being on a budget, consider lapping film, instead of rocks. The stone age is over, anyway. Lapping film is very consistent and not hard to get started with. If you read the entire Newbie Honing Compendium, start to finish, including all linked threads therein, you will have the knowledge that you need to create a great edge your first time up, and it will cost a LOT less than a collection of rocks.

Newbie Honing Compendium | Badger & Blade

 

[rbscebu]

It doesn't appear to be a live auction. I know nothing of Anton Wingen SR's. It looks nice but appears there might be a lot of spine wear. Mind you, spine wear does not degrade performance, only aesthetics.

Being new to SR shaving and on a tight budget, I would suggest a new (about $35) SR from @Slash McCoy that is guaranteed shave ready. You will also need at least a strop. Here I suggest you contact @Tony Miller and seek his advice. Tony makes and sells good strops but if they are outside of your budget, he may be able to guide you.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I wouldn't worry that much over a little spine wear. At least you know the previous owner didn't hone it with tape.

 

[Gamma]

There are plenty of fish in this sea - don't rush into anything because you think you 'gotta act now' because you don't. Find out if the seller actually delivers the goods reliably and consistently 1st. Before that - check the BST to see what is being offered by trusted members of this community. You'd be surprised what you can find.

Lastly - getting a razor honed is peanuts, so if you like a blade and it's in your budget and it doesn't shave, getting that fixed isn't a big deal. Often, you'll find guys that will do it for free. Personally, I'd spend more on a blade that isn't honed before compromising to get a so-called 'shave ready' edge from fleabay.

Absolutely lastly - the edge on that blade seems to be honed up into the stabilizer. While it is possible to hone a shaving edge that way it is sloppy and does not take into consideration anything past the moment when the vendor collects your funds. It's ugly and unprofessional and problematic; the right thing to do is to remove part of the heel first.

 

[stone and strop]

The picture shown does not allow me to see that it is honed up on the stabilizer.
I believe many members here have recommended this seller although I have no first hand experience with him.
If you like it buy it.
If its not shave ready send it out.