Le Grelot 1/4 grind

matt321 · Post by **matt321** » Wed Aug 10, 2011 9:11 pm

EastTexasMan wrote:Raspur.de says on their web site that he will have 1/4 grind Le Grelots for sale at the end of July and 3/4 grinds at the end of September.

Believe it or not, these are back in stock at Rasurpur right now!

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Thu Aug 11, 2011 5:01 am

I'll take a look Matt. I've got the mighty Boker 7/8 in the pipeline right now, with the shaving budget decimated accordingly. Maybe I'm not meant to have the handsome Grelot.

matt321 · Post by **matt321** » Thu Aug 11, 2011 12:38 pm

brothers wrote:I'll take a look Matt. I've got the mighty Boker 7/8 in the pipeline right now

Right, I'm not feeling much sympathy!

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 2:45 pm

I've been able to secure my own vintage Le Grelot TI quarter hollow razor now. Today was the first shave with it. It's just as nice to shave with as they say. I'm very appreciative of it. I'm pretty much through buying any straight razors now. That's not my head telling me that, it's coming from my guts. So it's probably true. This has been a good year for the laying in of the razors I want, and the selling off of those I've learned from and graduated from. Not to mention, the maturing of the management of the hones and strops involved, again buying and selling in order to get just the right setup.

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 5:55 pm

Following Carl Sagan's advice, I try not to think with my guts. So, assuming you do likewise, I foresee many enjoyable straight razors in your future!

Chris
and then come the hones.....

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:17 pm

I generally do well when I trust mine.

Hawkeye5 · Post by **Hawkeye5** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:26 pm

I agree, nothing special. I've a plain jane Dorko quarter hollow that out shines the Le Grelot.

Good razors, I've owned two 6/8ths quarter hollow plus a 13/16ths Lotus forged by Le Grelot in the same shoulderless thumb notch pattern. No longer own any of the three. Still have the Dorko.

I do still own one Le Grelot, but it will not make it into the "must keep" group.

Lets face reality. There are truck loads of excellent razors, but what really matters is personal preference.

Enjoy the razor, Brothers.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:48 am

John, what were the primary negatives you noticed as applied to the Grelot razor?

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:13 am

I've used the LG twice now, since it arrived. It's going to work out just fine. I went with the Williams/Arko blended stick today, and the tight lather provided a nice slick and protective (and great smelling) shave. Here's today's setup, gotta show off my pretty little shaving buddy -

matt321 · Post by **matt321** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:47 am

Nice photo and nice razor.

OK, what is the lavender tube in the foreground, and what is that black round thing next to it?

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:54 am

Matt, the tube is 444 mentholated aftershave from Portugal, available only from Vince/Leon @ The Vintage Scent (as far as I know). The black thingie is the cap for the soap stick (repurposed Brut push up deodorant container).

Oscar11 · Post by **Oscar11** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:23 pm

Very nice.

greyhawk · Post by **greyhawk** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:19 am

brothers wrote:I've been able to secure my own vintage Le Grelot TI quarter hollow razor now. Today was the first shave with it. It's just as nice to shave with as they say. I'm very appreciative of it.

I picked one of these up a while ago, and I agree--it's really a great shaver. Mine has some hone wear, but I think it will be a keeper since they are relatively hard to get and it's a little different from most of my others. Congrats on finally landing one!

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:38 am

It came to me as shave ready, but one person's opinion on that subjective quality is different from the next person's, so sometime in the next week or so I'm going to give it the full treatment and then I'll get to experience the best this razor has to offer.

pinklather · Post by **pinklather** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:07 pm

drmoss_ca wrote:I have the EJ version on the wall of shame. I didn't think it anything special. If you want a good thick 1/4 grind I'd steer you towards a Wacker (but be prepared for some serious honing!)

Chris

Now there's a man who knows a good heavy grind!

In hindsight, I should have just bought the 2 razor set with the Keilschliff Wedge and the 1/4 hollow spanish point. They're both favorites. The 1/4 hollow was such a thrill when I started, I have a 2nd one, NIB unhoned, in case anything happened to the one I use weekly.

They're expensive. What I've noticed lately is the Swedish heavy grinds. Heljestrand, Hellberge. 'Tried 3 and each was flawless in execution - grind, scales, etc. If funds are tight - you may want to try a heavy Swede.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:25 pm

I picked up a 1/4 ground SSA, and find it to be a very good dependable razor. Holds an edge as well as any.

pinklather · Post by **pinklather** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:32 am

I seem to also be developing a fetish for the Swedish blades. I don't feel like I've gotten the recipe completely down for the smoothness on them, but that's not the blade's fault.

I'm completely taken by the heavy grind swedes. They're the only blades that have gone toe to toe w/ the costly Wacker heavy grinds. Though I've only handled about 1/2 dz of them, I've yet to find one with a flaw that wasn't caused by the owner. If that continues to hold true, that would make them the highest quality region I've found. Next would be the US blades, which I find indistinguishable from the Soligens, but slightly ahead in in quality (warp/wave).

'Hope we hear more about your SSA when she's in use. I'll be you love it.

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 2:13 pm

I found the Swedish steel in the Bergischer Lowe razors very stiff and they shave like they are 1/4 hollows rather than full hollows. I just checked to see if they still use Swedish steel and I discover they no longer appear on any sites selling Dovo's straight razors. Discontinued? My pair will be even more valuable when I sell them!
Incidentally, have you seen the disclaimer Classic Shaving have on their Dovo page?

ATTENTION: Please note that the professional honing Classic Shaving offers on our selection of Dovo razors is done by our own in-house, affiliate craftsmen to our standards. It is Dovo’s policy that sharpening done by ANYONE (including you, the buyer) outside of their own factory craftsmen renders their 2-year warranty null and void. By purchasing a Dovo razor that is professionally-sharpened by ClassicShaving, you are acknowledging Dovo’s policy on its warranty status.

Dovo's straights are not shaveworthy from the factory but you can't hone them without negating the warranty? Even if they were sharp they wouldn't last the warranty period before needing honing. Ludicrous! Sounds like buyers should spend their money elsewhere...

Chris

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:08 pm

Chris, the B-L razors are in stock at the 3 places I just checked, Amazon, West Coast Shaving, and Royal Shaving. This doesn't mean they aren't discontinued, of course. So anybody wanting one for Auld Lang Sine should stock up while they can. I just now checked Jarrod at The Superior Shave, and he's also got plenty of these in stock at this time. Too bad I don't need any more 5/8 razors. (I've sold all of the ones I used to have.)

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 5:16 pm

Quite so Chris, to sell a product that requires edge maintenance while saying touching the edge voids the warranty is a complete abrogation of responsibility. Too bad there are many managers who believe corporate skirts are long enough to cover a multitude of sins.

Fortunately the law steps in with an implied warrant of merchantability that is a hurdle too high for corporate skirts to easily leap.