Walmart Straight Razors

[Doc Dan]

Let me start by saying what I am up to. I would like to buy a cheap razor that I can use to learn to hone. I don't want to put a lot of money into this, as can be imagined. Walmart has razors with carbon steel or stainless. Are any of them good enough for this? Do they have straight spines and edges? Or, are they not worth my trouble.

A knee jerk reaction might be that since they come from Walmart that means they are automatically bad. That isn't necessarily true. I am not looking for a keeper or daily shaver, just something to learn honing.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

I had no clue you could buy a straight at Walmart!
Some people say to buy Gold Dollar Razors to practice with. They are cheap and you can buy a few of them for very little cost. But some need work on the heal before you can start honing them.

I recommend buying vintage American Razors on the bay for 25 or 30 bucks each to learn with. 3 or 4 of them and you will have all you need to learn to hone. And they will be good steel, straight spines, and proper grinding so not many issues with warped or bad blades.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Let me start by saying what I am up to. I would like to buy a cheap razor that I can use to learn to hone. I don't want to put a lot of money into this, as can be imagined. Walmart has razors with carbon steel or stainless. Are any of them good enough for this? Do they have straight spines and edges? Or, are they not worth my trouble.

A knee jerk reaction might be that since they come from Walmart that means they are automatically bad. That isn't necessarily true. I am not looking for a keeper or daily shaver, just something to learn honing.

What are they going for?

Jerry's advice is good. Antique stores can be a good source too and you can actually get a good look at them before you buy. Most of my "learner" razors came from antique stores actually and a couple of them are favorites.

 

[Legion]

I would tend to agree with the above. I have no idea of the quality of the Walmart ones, but I think it would be safer to buy vintage. Condition is more important than the brand, so hold out until you find something old and in good shape, and start with that.

 

[Doc Dan]

No antique stores over here. The mindset is different.

 

[Legion]

No antique stores over here. The mindset is different.

Where are you located?

 

[Doc Dan]

Where are you located?

SE Asia. I have to buy on the internet.

My experience with Gold Dollar razors has not been good.

 

[Legion]

SE Asia. I have to buy on the internet.

My experience with Gold Dollar razors has not been good.

If you are buying on the internet, maybe import a vintage. The shipping from Australia to SE Asia usually isn’t too bad. Have a look on Aussie eBay.

Or put a WTB ad on the BST section.

 

[Doc Dan]

I didn't think about Aussie eBay! Thanks!

 

[Legion]

I didn't think about Aussie eBay! Thanks!

If you see something you like the look of and want a second opinion before you pull the trigger, feel free to PM me a link.

 

[APBinNCA]

Why not Titans?

 

[Doc Dan]

Well, I thought about the Titans. They aren't that cheap over here. Walmart sells SR's for under $20. That's why I asked. I can get two exactly alike, send one for professional honing, and practice on the other one until I get a like edge. That's if any of those razors are any good.

 

[rbscebu]

Shipping from Australia will not be cheap. You will be looking at about US$14.

I would recommend a Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60. No stabiliser/heel issues, better quality than the cheap(er) Gold Dollars and will cost you about US$20 including shipping. Here is a link to my recommendation:

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32900158647.html?spm=a2g0n.productlist.0.0.294f4cdej2bShv&browser_id=1531f0d0bd7e4078a23ffa997cae7992&aff_trace_key=&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=001183260cd329249a1a1721eda13635ed87efed22&gclid=&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21AUD%2138.41%2131.12%21%21%21%21%21%402101d68d16627907132295719e0f8d%2165756855017%21sea&curPageLogUid=A8fuODFxwwaF&algo_pvid=43d9220d-5360-48b9-9331-9e4d763aa463

If you get two and want one honed to shave-ready for comparison, post one to me and I'll hone it free. I'll even pay for the postage to return it to you.

 

[Doc Dan]

Shipping from Australia will not be cheap. You will be looking at about US$14.

I would recommend a Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60. No stabiliser/heel issues, better quality than the cheap(er) Gold Dollars and will cost you about US$20 including shipping. Here is a link to my recommendation:

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32900158647.html?spm=a2g0n.productlist.0.0.294f4cdej2bShv&browser_id=1531f0d0bd7e4078a23ffa997cae7992&aff_trace_key=&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=001183260cd329249a1a1721eda13635ed87efed22&gclid=&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21AUD%2138.41%2131.12%21%21%21%21%21%402101d68d16627907132295719e0f8d%2165756855017%21sea&curPageLogUid=A8fuODFxwwaF&algo_pvid=43d9220d-5360-48b9-9331-9e4d763aa463

If you get two and want one honed to shave-ready for comparison, post one to me and I'll hone it free. I'll even pay for the postage to return it to you.

Thanks! That's mighty nice of you.

That is one of the Titans I had my eye on. Not too terribly expensive.

 

[ShaverAZ]

There's nothing wrong with a cheap razor. Gold Dollars will give you a good shave.
The operative word when buying a new straight razor is: "Shave Ready". You can buy from cheap to moderately priced razors. They may be sharp, but unless they've been honed beforehand, they're not yet shave ready. You can buy a God Dollar really cheap. But when you buy it from many on-line retailers, they hone it to actually make it 'shave ready' This adds to the price of the razor.
When I was around 15 years old, Grandpa taught me how to hone a razor. Today, I have a set of stones that have been in the family for over 125 years. so I can make my own 'shave ready' razor. Cheap razors may shave great but often require more frequent stropping, or even more frequent honing. I got a cheap razor based on the pattern of the handles, and spent time honing and stropping. The edge may not be as durable as my King Cutter, or other vintage razors, but it gives a close and smooth shave.
So Don't be blinded by the price of that cheap razor, when the very same razor when honed to make it truly 'shave ready' will cost you upwards of $20 more.
Not sure about the other brands of cheap razor, but the Gold Dollars aren't very difficult to hone.

 

[rbscebu]

There's nothing wrong with a cheap razor. Gold Dollars will give you a good shave.
The operative word when buying a new straight razor is: "Shave Ready". You can buy from cheap to moderately priced razors. They may be sharp, but unless they've been honed beforehand, they're not yet shave ready. You can buy a God Dollar really cheap. But when you buy it from many on-line retailers, they hone it to actually make it 'shave ready' This adds to the price of the razor.
When I was around 15 years old, Grandpa taught me how to hone a razor. Today, I have a set of stones that have been in the family for over 125 years. so I can make my own 'shave ready' razor. Cheap razors may shave great but often require more frequent stropping, or even more frequent honing. I got a cheap razor based on the pattern of the handles, and spent time honing and stropping. The edge may not be as durable as my King Cutter, or other vintage razors, but it gives a close and smooth shave.
So Don't be blinded by the price of that cheap razor, when the very same razor when honed to make it truly 'shave ready' will cost you upwards of $20 more.
Not sure about the other brands of cheap razor, but the Gold Dollars aren't very difficult to hone.

All generally true but the OP, @Doc Dan, is looking for a SR(s) to learn honing on. Buying a truly shave-ready SR is not what he is looking for.

 

[ShaverAZ]

All generally true but the OP, @Doc Dan, is looking for a SR(s) to learn honing on. Buying a truly shave-ready SR is not what he is looking for.

Don't overlook the last sentence of my reply ...

 

[Frank Shaves]

The Gold Dollar P81/1996 ain't bad - no stinkin' stabilizer . I bought a couple of these but after learning the inexpensive vintage market on eBay, I lost interest in the Gold Dollars.

 

[Doc Dan]

I've not been impressed with Gold Dollars. I think about half have warped blades, uneven grinds, and uneven spines. I have a Gold Monkey, which is a 6/8, and it is so bad it won't hone properly. The blade and spine are both uneven and warped. Also it is very thick behind the edge, more like a pocket knife.

I'm simply looking for good, cheap alternatives to learn to hone. I'm not looking for keep sakes.

 

[Slash McCoy]

The Titan model that @rbscebu mentions is not only the cheapest Titan, but IMHO is the best one that they make, too.

The GD 208 and P-81 are pretty good, way better than an entry level Dovo. Even the 66 is okay. I am disappointed to see that GD has "upgraded" the scales. Looks like a big heavy clunky metal spacer where the wedge should be. Pins are semi-pocketknife-ish. Stupid brass placard on it. Looks cheesier than the old flat cut acrylic scales. Probably sells good though and that's what they want.

Buying vintage on fleabay is an art form. Once you get good at picking them, if you don't mind spending a couple of hours a week shopping, you can put a pretty good collection together pretty quick. You can also end up with a bunch of losers, too. Talking real lemons here.

Best advice I can give on buying on the bay is if you win more than 1 in 10 of the auctions you bid, you are probably bidding too high. There will always be another razor listing. Let them go when the bidding is too high. Use a sniper so you don't get excited by the competition. The madness takes over and you bid twice what the thing is worth. Best bang for the buck is probably mass produced American razors from about 1915 to 1930. I have seen serviceable Genco, Little Valley, Union Spike, Ontario, going for $10 at times. Next best value, mid range Japanese western style razors. The quality is astounding and you get some very nice blades for between $60 and $90, even some NOS pop up sometimes. Avoid cult classics like W&B, Bismarck #2, etc because the collector frenzy pushes the price up a lot. Also while you are learning, give the excellent Swedish razors a pass. The steel can be quite hard.