Would you mind giving me your opinion on these straights ?

You're right that the scales look okay (as far as the pictures show) and their are no frowns. Hard to impossible to turn a frown upside down, but when you have chipped edges and spine and edge not parallel you have a problem as well.

 

Look at lots of photos on ebay and on the forums. Look at the "What Straight Did You Shave With Today" forum. The shape of straights are generally straight with spine and edge forming parallel lines. Some razors have a smile, but this should be due to the way the razor was made. The smile should follow the lines of the spine.

So yes, get a decent razor to judge by, if photos don't help you. Larry at Whippeddog can set you up with one for cheap that still have some life left and would show you what a normal straight looks like. And if you still want to buy one of the straights pictured, go for the Our Pride. It is really the only one you can learn honing or restoring on, even in the future after you've used straights for a while and it doesn't have a lot of spine left either. Keep looking. These will not help you now or later.

 

I have recently been on the whipped dog website, great products and knowledge there. I will definitely buy my usable straight from there. I will pick up the F.W. Engels for sure because one of the factors that started all this recent interest in straights is seeing one of Doug Korn's brushes and thinking they would look good together. A matching color beehive shaped handle.
Thanks in advance for all the information and advice everyone.

 

As Kevin said the one razor is a little past ti's prime, from the few shots that are they they do not look bad. What little bit of edge issues that are there can be honed out. When you have them in hand look to see that they are straight and they open and close fairly straight, that there are no cracks lurking in the edge. If you are looking for future restoration and honing blades those ones will work just fine and the prices look good too. The pipe razor may be a bit more of a restoration challenge than the others but likely can be cleaned and honed and be a functionally shaver

 

To try to learn to shave AND restore on the same straight razors is a recipe for disaster.

These are from some very reputable makers, but they need a lot of love. I think most of these are good projects for a skilled restorer. Definitely out of the ballpark for someone new to restoration.

If their only ten bucks a shot, pick up the FWE, the C-Mon, and the Wosty, and put them up for a while until after you've smashed some softballs. Develop your restoration skills on some easy guys first, then attack these. Some day you'll snicker at the fact that you only paid ten bucks each for them .

 

I agree with you completely. To advanced for a novice yet to good of a price to pass up.

 

I have a CMON and Wosterholm Pipe Razor and they are nice shavers. My pipe razor is a wedge.