What's that razor worth?

Or rather...what's that razor worth...to you? How bad do you want it, and what are you willing to pay? And finally, what criteria are you basing your decision on? Condition? Rarity? With the case and instruction sheet included?

I pretty much just jumped into my first purchase, a 1951 Gillette Milord Super Speed. Most of the gold was worn away, but it was clean, operated flawlessly, and was relatively scratch-free. The seller was close by, had excellent feedback, and offered free shipping. I soon became a bit more selective, and doing research first before buying. The Milord was a good shaver, no doubt, but I could have done better. My second razor was a post-war, NDC (no date code, being made before 1951) ball-end Tech. It was in near-mint condition, but I probably paid more than if I'd been more patient and waited. (It is, by the way, a superb razor when coupled with the right blade.) So, I learned to wait, and resist impulse buying. There are exceptions to this; however, it again depends on what you're wanting. 

I've made nearly all of my purchases off "that auction site", checking the "ending soonest" first, then the "newly listed". And most have been determined by a combination of condition and price. If I find something that interests me, I'll do a specific search for other similar razors to find the best condition for the cheapest price. The most I've paid was $47.05 for a mint 1947 Milord, with the case. Too much? Maybe, but I was willing to pay that. I've lost a few because I thought the price was too high...for me. But someone else didn't. If you miss one, though, there will always be another one showing up. That's where patience pays off.

I really wasn't concerned with cases and instruction sheets, since I had made a stand (of sorts) to display all my razors. I think I have six in their correct (I think) cases. Which comes to this: Is that Type E Schick injector or Simplex Contract in its correct box? That's probably easier to determine than if that vintage Gillette Oxford is in the case that the Berkshire came in (in all probability, they're the same case; Gillette was known to use the same case for different razors). Cases do come in handy, though, especially for traveling. My NOS 1945 Contract Tech came with the correct hard clamshell case; it's my favorite when I'm on the road (performs extremely well with Polsilver blades). And in some instances, the case is a must-have. Why buy a short-handled "travel razor" if it doesn't have the case?

Your mileage may vary

You'll see this a lot when you lurk about the shaving forums. What it simply means is not everyone will get the same results. While you might get a BBS (baby butt smooth) shave with a Red-tip and a Feather razor, I might come away with irritated skin due to mine being more sensitive that yours. There are a lot of variables to consider in your search for the best combination: a razor's blade gap (described as "mild", or narrow, and "aggressive", or wide); your whiskers (I can get by with shaving every other day, while you might have a 5 o'clock shadow at noon); skin condition (smooth and sensitive, or rough and tough?); the blade itself (a vintage carbon steel blade, to me, is much harder on my skin than a Teflon-coated stainless steel blade); pre-shave ritual (some shave before showering, some after, some use a pre-shave oil, some don't, some use hot water to shave, some use cold...you get the picture). All this stuff needs to be taken into consideration if you plan to actually use what you collect. If you only plan to collect NOS (New Old Stock), unopened/unused razors, and keep them locked up in a display case, then all this is moot. But, I like the feel of a vintage razor, both in my hand and on my face. And my entire collection is on display on my bathroom countertop, all within easy reach.

What you use to lather up affects your shave as well. The two main points to consider: It's gotta be moist, and it's gotta be slick. I mainly use Williams Mug Shaving Soap. Now, I've read many a disparaging comment regarding Williams, but they've been making this stuff since like 1840, so they must be doing something right. Once you learn how to lather it up, it works just fine. The trick is keeping it moist, because it can dry up rather quickly. HEB's used to carry it; now, all they have (in the way of pucks) is Van der Hagen scented and/or glycerin (depending on which store you go to). There are a ton of other soaps out there, in tube, puck, powder, or whatever other form they could come in. Go to Google Images and search "shaving soaps", and you'll be amazed at the variety (and cost). You can even get special little bowls, too.

Brushes. I have three. But there are probably as many brushes as there are soaps. My first was a cheapie black acrylic-handled "bristle hair" that came with a stand and bowl. Well, everyone else had more than one brush...and I had that balding Czech brush...so, I started looking for a knot (the bushy part without the handle). I settled for a Maggard synthetic, and mounted it using auto/marine sealant. It was as different as night and day. The synthetic felt like I was applying lather with a soft piece of foam rubber. Too soft, actually, as I had a hard time building up a decent lather. I then found a vintage "pure bristle" Strong Set brush and Old Spice mug at an antique shop in South Carolina, and I do believe this is the best-ever brush devised by man. My bristle-hair has been relegated to the job of "travel brush", and kept in a little pickle jar...

Single-edge Razor *blades*

Unlike double-edge blades, getting good single-edge blades that preform to your needs can be a bit tricky. The variety is just not there. GEM and Personna blades can still be had; in fact, the stainless steel GEM blades available at one of the larger pharmacy chains (which btw, are marked "GEM by Personna") are quite good in a vintage GEM razor (or any other razor taking that type of blade). The coated stainless steel Ted Pella "Personna GEM" (starting to see a pattern here) are equally good, and can be easily found online. I've tried the vintage carbon steel blades, but found them too rough for my sensitive skin. But if you run across a vintage blade or two or three that gives you a good shave, there are tons on online auction sites. In fact, the old GEM "Blue Star" (without "Personna") blade is still being made.

It seems like injector blades can only be found online. Modern Schick injectors are made in China (hence the nickname "Chicks), but are actually pretty good blades. They come in 7-blade injectors, and can be easily ordered here (free shipping!) Personna (yup, they make these, too) has available a 20-blade injector that's of good quality, too. These blades will fit all the old injectors going back to like 1935. 

Something worth mentioning here: I just received an Eversharp-Schick injector razor today which came with a Personna injector of twin blades. Now, from I'd read before buying this, twin blades won't fit the older razors due to their being slightly thicker than single blades. They will, however, fit the Schick L type razors (mid-'60s) and later, and perform quite well. In fact, both Personna and Gillette packaging for twin blades states on the back that twin blades will fit any injector made after 1961 "except razors with rinsing levers, PAL razrors, and Personna regular razors". If in doubt, Google can be your friend. Research before trying to stick a twin in any vintage razor, else risk getting it stuck...removing it may be a real pain, and could cause damage to your razor.