60% Off Beginner’s Straight Razor Shaving Set with Camel Bone Straight Razor & Practice Razor for $39.99 + $5.00 shipping
For that extra close shave all the boys on Fleet Street prefer.
Reviews:
http://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/ksjar/test_drive_gb_buckingham_and_sons_damascus_steel/
http://straightrazorplace.com/razors/76033-so-i-tried-gb-buckingham-sons-razor.html
http://straightrazorplace.com/member-introductions/74143-hi-virginia.html
http://straightrazorplace.com/srpwiki/index.php/Brands_of_Straight_Razors_to_avoid
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/251571-Is-the-Jury-still-out-on-Vintagestraightrazor.com
http://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/m1u05/gb_buckingham_and_sons_razor_testing_to_the_limit/
The product being offered on this "deal" is a pocket knife shaped like a straight razor. The steel is not the right type or is not tempered correctly and will not hold an edge.
The seller is using a kitchen knife sharper to hone the razors as he has yet to provide any proof otherwise. You can shave your arm hair or legs with a pocket knife but never try to shave your face with one.
I got this deal a while back and honed the razor up myself and the blade was tugging after half a pass on my cheek hair. Technique is not the issue the steel is.
Link has been corrected.
I had purchased the camel bone razor in a previous deal. The vendor removed the stamp and sent a razor unfit for shaving. The blade was sharpened with an electric knife sharpener and the metal was of very poor quality. For a high carbon steel it should not feel cheap and should not come with pits.
I got the dovo deal from this seller a while back and am very happy with it. I don't know anything about the razor in this deal first hand (and with all the negative reviews I don't plan to) but the dovo is great and came shave ready as promised. The seller processed and shipped the order promptly and if I don't start honing them myself I will definitely take advantage of the lifetime honing.
[MOD: Removed advertisement for another retailer. Not cool]
This would be great if you were planning to go as Sweeney Todd next Halloween.
@dome555: The DOVO is not manufactured by Luke/VSR. It is of a known good quality.
As Psywiped posted above, there have been complaints and concerns about this seller's in-house brand blades. My blade showed up warped, Luke did offer to replace it, but I chose to keep it and use it for practice stropping. I have not shaved with mine due to the condition of the blade, so I can't personally comment on it.
That having been said, I have seen Zero complaints, and I do mean Zero about Luke trying to make his customers happy. If you do purchase this, and you do have issues please contact him for a replacement and/or refund.
And yes, you will see the same complaints about the blade quality repeatedly on his threads, and you will also see his attempts to make right by his customers in those same threads.
If you are looking to practice sharpening a straight razor/don't want to destroy a "good" strop in the process this is actually a good deal for that purpose. If you're looking for a quality razor to shave with, I doubt this will be satisfactory for most people.
I didn't realize mentioning other sites was against the rules. I had actually only discovered the retailer I mentioned through the comments section in one this retailer's past deals. I do apologize though and hope the following edit is acceptable.
Having said that in the post above, there are other retailers who have similarly priced starter kits with nothing but positive feedback everywhere. If you have your heart set on ordering from this retailer I'd suggest purchasing the more expensive dovo kit.
Does this include an old-timey barber with a handlebar mustache?
I'm also going to point out that this is a "beginners" shave set... and to get a strope, a decent set of scales (camel bone), and a practice razor is a good deal to me... I probably wouldn't shave with the razor attached to the camel bone, but I would recommend practicing with the other one (if you have a very square jaw it takes some getting used to, especially the chin area).
Also, if you do have any problems with the product, ask yourself what you would pay extra just to have the company care about your order personally and do what they could to make you happy... If you buy a heavily discounted item online (ebay) you rarely hear from the seller and sometimes it's a nightmare to get damaged item replaced (Home Depot... I'm looking at you...).
I might not like the straight razor in the deal, but the business gets an upvote from me.
@xavoc: So you're saying I should buy this "razor" not because I actually might want to shave, but because I wish to deal with a very nice guy by the name of Luke?
Your logic is flawed.
Is the beginners kit meant to weed out the people who shouldn't be using a straight razor in the first place?
@jgskeate: I'm confused. Does Home Depot sell straight razors? If not, why did you mention them in regard to customer service issues?
Okay, here is what I think. I have never used a straight razor. So, Luke, send me one, and I will give an honest and open review (complete with low quality video).
It is a win/win situation, I get a free razor, and you, and my fellow Wooters, get the benefit of my non-expert opinion (plus my wife will stop telling me to shave off my beard lol).
See what kind of guy I am,I am willing to bleed for Woot.
@Jumbowoot, please take note of my offered sacrifice.
@cavimike: No, you want to buy it if you're serious about wanting to shave with a straight razor but you're honest enough to not want to fsck up the blade on a "Good" blade.
Stropping and periodic rehoning is required for these things, and if you don't know what you're doing you will not only screw up your razor, but you'll destroy your strop in the process.
Now, Luke does offer free re-honing for life if you do screw it up, but reviews claim these things won't hold their edge properly through even one full shave.
@atd15: He sent some to people at StraightRazorPlace and the above product not only ended up on their "Do not buy!" list, but he managed to get his own account banned from the site outright in the process.
@atd15: You beat me to it.
I'm still interested in trying this whole "shave with an archaic system for the novelty" idea, but the only positive comments I can ever see coming from this seller are "He's a nice guy." Sorry, but I'd rather buy from a mean guy if it's a good product. Just my opinion. That said, how do I find (or decide) what makes for a good product?
OK I have had my hands full to say the least over the last 48hrs...
I can see my buddies have been busy take the opportunity to talk some trash while I was gone. Rest assured everyone the blades above are great blades and shave well despite what some member of another tribe in cyber space may tell you.
@atd15: Send me your mailing address and I will be happy to get you a pakka blade. BTW I have sold thousands of these to fellow Wooters. I think we all can agree that if they were garbage like the same 4 people (who do have a "dog" in the fight) propose they are I would have countless complaints. I DONT.
Reality is I have been selling my straight razors on here for over 7 Months and I have the same handful of forum members still talking trash every week and EVERY SINGLE WEEK I HAVE REPEAT CUSTOMERS! So yes @atd15 happy to get you a blade and guidance on how to start shaving straight.
Regards,
Luke
@smirltastic: Our products are great products and are prices are the best online. We sell DOVO's for the best prices with the best service. DOVO straight razors are the finest in the business. Our DOVO's come with free lifetime blade sharpening, strops, shipping and a leather travel pouch.
We stand behind all our blades and offer peace of mind for all our clients.
Regards,
Luke
@smirltastic: The Dovo blades he sells are a good blade, but that's because he doesn't make them.
The problem is w/ his house brand GB Buckingham & Sons (Which makes it sound old, and well regarded, yet his name doesn't start with a G, a B, and his lastname isn't Buckingham either...) The blades don't seem to be hard enough to properly hold an edge, and the closeup photos I've seen show what looks like impurities in the steel.
@xavoc: That well known website is a great place for anyone who is not competition for the owner or the handful of moderators that also own blade and/or blade restoration businesses.
I like many aspects of "the site". My issue is the site is bias and they do not honor/follow their own forum rules. However reality is it's their site they can run it how they see fit. I just don't see the point in having rules if they are arbitrary.
Regards,
Luke
@psywiped: Perhaps I am taking the bait here... I just got an email saying and I quote "Ask psywiped about IMGUR and KETO NSFL" Not sure if you sent it to me from the site or not? But I don't know what to do with that code or what it means?
Either way I hope you have a great night and sorry to see you still are an angry man...
Regards,
Luke
@straightrazor: Sounds like someone thinks you need to lose some weight and could use some advice.
@psywiped: LOL not sure what any of that means. Either way have a good night and keep on trucking...
Regards,
Luke
Well, Luke kept his word and is mailing me a straight razor.
My wife is a Licensed Cosmetologist in the Sate of Ohio (although not doing it for a living), and also a Registered Nurse (hopefully I won't need one).
I will keep my end of the deal, post video on YouTube, and give an unbiased opinion.
Got to say I am nervous; but, lets all see how this works out.
@atd15: =D Be safe and shave well. Shoot me an email when/before it arrives and I will give you some links on how to prep and start out.
Regards,
Luke
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