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Why are straight razor prices over inflated?

I have a datapoint saying 100 years ago straight razors of various brands ranged from about $20 - $50 in today's dollars.
Why are razors selling for multiple hundreds of dollars today?

Note though there are razors available now for about the same price as 100 years ago -- My two modern razors cost $35 and $17.
 

lasta

Blade Biter
Well, inflation is the trend right now haha.

Straight razors are no longer tools, but toys, it's worth as much as people are willing to pay for them.

FWTW, my favorite was a Soviet era stainless Raketa. Light, nimble, great grip and despite initial reservations about stainless, was the easiest honing razor I've ever had. It had a nice and bright scale as well as fancy etching too, so satisfies (my) aesthetic preferences. Best of all, I bought it for $14.

I had much more fun using and maintaining that razor than I did with my Thiers Issards and fancy Sheffields.
 
100 years ago, a gentleman could walk into any hardware store or general store and buy a new straight razor. Or order one from a mail order catalog. The market was saturated and a razor was a tool that every man needed, whether a straight or a safety razor.

Today a straight is a niche item, there are far fewer manufacturers making new razors. Demand has resurged over the past 20 years or so but I don't think production has caught up with demand, with the handful of companies mass producing razors. On top of that, today's consumer skews much further toward the quality side of the spectrum over pure utility. But 100 years ago, there was so much competitive pressure that even a hardware store razor would be high quality, even if it wasn't fancy.
 
Inflation. A $100 in 1922 would require $1,400 - $1,600 dollars in 2022 depending on the inflation variable. $500- $600 in today dollars is acceptable given the $50.00 benchmark cited by the OP.
 
Inflation. A $100 in 1922 would require $1,400 - $1,600 dollars in 2022 depending on the inflation variable. $500- $600 in today dollars is acceptable given the $50.00 benchmark cited by the OP.
i quoted prices already in current dollars
 
Crossing over the line from DE over to my friends here at SR, DE users experience the same thing.
I'll use the 195 (Fat Boy) as the example.
Original cost of the razor in the 60's $1.95
Cost today would be roughly $30
People are paying upwards of $200+
today. Crazy!
 
Inflation. A $100 in 1922 would require $1,400 - $1,600 dollars in 2022 depending on the inflation variable. $500- $600 in today dollars is acceptable given the $50.00 benchmark cited by the OP.
i quoted prices already in current dollars
100 years ago, a gentleman could walk into any hardware store or general store and buy a new straight razor. Or order one from a mail order catalog. The market was saturated and a razor was a tool that every man needed, whether a straight or a safety razor.

Today a straight is a niche item, there are far fewer manufacturers making new razors. Demand has resurged over the past 20 years or so but I don't think production has caught up with demand, with the handful of companies mass producing razors. On top of that, today's consumer skews much further toward the quality side of the spectrum over pure utility. But 100 years ago, there was so much competitive pressure that even a hardware store razor would be high quality, even if it wasn't fancy.
i participate in several nitch markets but they dont require affluence
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
Supply and demand. Back in the day there were thousands of makers, building millions of razors. There was no disposable Bic option. There were no electric razors.

Large competition and supply means lower cost.
I think this about nails it.
 
Best bang for the buck would be a good vintage razor. You can get something that will work for as little as a ten spot. You can get something really nice for under $60. Some vintage razors have powerful cult followings and are worth the price to their fans but while excellent razors, aren't worth that to you. Filarmonica, Dubl Duck, Dorko, Wade and Butcher, anything Swedish come to mind. Prewar Solingen, and US mass produced, are generally good values. If I had to name a brand, for low cost but high usability, it would be Genco or Geneva Cutlery, same company just changed name. Next would be the Union Spike, and these go crazy cheap but the point can gouge a chunk out of you if it is not muted and you are not careful. Old Bokers, Henckels, and the like are good German razors.
The thing is, if you limit yourself even to a dozen brands, you are only picking from a very small percentage of razors available. Look for any known brand that is reasonably well regarded, in decent condition, not honed to a toothpick and not cracked or deeply pitted. For a brand new razor, proceed with caution if the price is under about $80 because there are very few modern cheapies I would recommend to a newbie. Those few are basically the cream of the crop from China, the Gold Dollars, Gold Monkey, etc and they are not without issues. My rec for a Chinese razor would be the Gold Dollar 1996 model. Most in that price category are unusable junk that can't be honed or won't stay sharp. Anything from Pakistan, unless someone you can trust says different, should be avoided. So it is not, for your first razor, a question of what to get, but more a question of what NOT to get.
A razor must be sharp before you can shave with it. It is not like a knife. Don't think for a second that you can "sharpen" it like your pocketknife on your trusty carborumdum stone and make it shave. Shave arm hair? LOL that is how you test a pocketknife, not a razor, which needs to be way sharper than that. Believe me, you need to first experience a truly shave ready edge and shave with it successfully before you even understand what a shave ready edge is, how it feels and looks, how you know you got one. So for now you basically have two choices. Buy shave ready, or buy and have someone hone it for you. Either way, you need to have someone known and reliable do the honing. Fleabay is full of shave ready razors sold by people who don't even shave with a straight razor. How could they know? They can't. And don't. Shave Ready has become a buzz word on ebay that is included to help sell razors. The sellers on ebay who can be trusted to deliver true shave ready razors is verrrrry short. Always verify a seller on this or another straight shaving forum before you pull the trigger.
If you always get an opinion from one of the major straight razor forums, you will have a reasonable assurance of edge quality. Likewise, an edge honed by a member who has his reputation to think about. Typical cost for having a razor honed vary between around $15 to about $25 if the razor is of decent grind and condition. Some guys will do it free just because they like to hone, just pay the postage both ways. You can learn to do it yourself, but wait until you have a couple dozen shaves under your belt with at least two razors. When you think you are ready, do your homework before you start spending money on all sorts of rocks and stuff.
You need a usable strop. Not a "good" one, not yet, because you will damage it while learning, but a usable one. Whippeddog.com Larry's Poor Man strop is okay for learning. The 2/1/2" wide (not the 2" wide) strop sold on fleabay by "thexbay" is okay and sells for under $10. Upgrade later. No, don't use your belt. It is for holding your pants up. Don't get a naugahyde special from China, either. Phone book, newspaper, those are emergency strops, not learner strops. Get something made for the job. Youtube is your friend. Watch stropping vids. Do your forum research. Read read read. Practice the motion with a butter knife or a purposely dulled Gold Dollar. Don't start shaving without a shave ready razor and a strop. And a brush and soap or cream.
Real shave cream does not come out of a can. Canned goo comes out of a can. The goo does a poor job of lubricating and cushioning the skin. Don't even try. In fact, I suggest you get a good shave soap and a good brush and learn to make a good lather before you ever buy a straight razor. Good face prep and lather will do a lot to make your cartridge or throwaway shave better. Practice before your date with destiny. Be ready in every respect before putting sharp naked steel to face. Cheapest soap you can get that is easy to use and gives great lather is Arko, at about a buck a stick in quantity online. Cheapest cream that does a really great job is Godrej Rich Lather, in the red tube. Get it from your local Indian shop. C.O. Bigelow is just Proraso rebranded for the US market, and is good, in either the soap or the cream version, in any of the 3 or 4 formulas you are likely to encounter. Don't bother looking at Walgreens or Rite Aid or Walmart. You might find something usable at Target. There are synthetic, boar, badger, and horse brushes. Badger has the edge. Black badger is about as prickly as boar but holds more water, which is good. Higher grades of badger are silky smooth on the skin and Whipped Dog sells decent Silvertip grade badgers pretty darn cheap. Chinese brushes are usually a bit cheaper but only Virginia Sheng or VS is worth bothering with currently. There was a brand called Frank Shaving that was a good buy but quality went down and price went up and they are now off the radar. Noname Chinese brushes 9 out of 10 times will be very poor quality. Boar is very prickly but softens after about a 30 day breakin period. They don't hold as much water or product as a badger but they are very cheap. Horse is usually a bit on the floppy side. Synthetic IMHO is getting better but not there just yet.
 
Talking about the cost of razors. i’m not convinced it’s because its a nitch market. more likely people are paying for immaterial aspects. i’m a nuts and bolts type. they are just razors.
 
Just curious, what do you define as ‘affluence’?
at a median hourly wage of $25 and the median cost of for instance a dovo being something like $200 thats more than a day’s take home pay.
i define affluence as being able spend without concern
 
This shaving business is what you make it and what you enjoy, and can afford. I have a David Issard razor that I bought on the Bay from France for £10+£8 shipping that shaves wonderfully and always has even before I became competent in honing.
I have a TI with Mammoth scales that cost me £650 and it shaves wonderfully, I enjoy them both and they both make a chore into a joy.
By the way, I am not rich just keen, this is the TI in mammoth.
20220713_094758.jpg
 
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