Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Let's talk about single and double edged razors and the blades that they use.
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MensSoapCo
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Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by MensSoapCo »

Rolls Razor

I love the the engineering, artistry and detail that was put into this device for shaving. It's one of my favorite.
Check out my video: Vintage Imperial No. 2 Nickel Plated Rolls Razor

What's yours?

Thanks!
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drmoss_ca
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by drmoss_ca »

Ditto repeato with respect to my comments on your sig file.

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jww
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by jww »

This is a marvelous piece of engineering indeed.
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Pauldog
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by Pauldog »

I have an interesting old Ever-Ready lather catcher with a tiny, curvaceous black-painted wood handle. I've used it with recent Gem blades, and I think it was originally made to take a wedge blade, though I'm not sure. (That's something I'm not clear on with SE razors - (1) Could you use a disposable blade on ones that were made before there was such a thing as a disposable SE blade? and (2) Were some razors designed to take a wedge blade or a disposable? My guess is that disposable blades were fairly easy to retrofit to some older models, due to blade design.)

I had posted pictures in the old gallery, and I hope to get around to posting new ones so people can see it again.
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by brothers »

I've got a couple of favorites, one of which is an old English-made gold plated single edge "Yankee" razor. It's a rattle trap due to a slightly loose mechanism. It works just fine. (I can't swear to this, but I think it's considered a Shovel Head.) Anyway, it's pretty cool. Once I even found a shaving forum conversation somewhere between two guys, one of whom once owned this very same razor, as they discussed it. The photos were unmistakably the same razor. Probably a hundred years old. The forum where I located this razor's past was theoriginalsafety (D.Irving - SMF member).


Obviously the super shiny cobalt stainless Darwin Deluxe with the original case is another favorite. It shaves remarkably close and smooth without being overly aggressive.
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Karl
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by Karl »

I have a bit of a collection of old razors. I use and like several but my favorite is the Valet Autostrop.
Image
I do not like the Feather blade prices and just cannot effectively strop the blades (I mostly dull them) but I still like the close, neatly trimmed, non-irritating shave more than any other modern or antique razor.
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Pauldog
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by Pauldog »

You'd probably have better luck stropping the Feather carbon steel SE blades, assuming you're now using the stainless ones. If you strop a stainless blade, it's hard to avoid removing the coating, and then it would be harsh.
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by MensSoapCo »

Very nice, thanks for sharing!
Karl wrote: Fri Jul 27, 2018 5:14 pm I have a bit of a collection of old razors. I use and like several but my favorite is the Valet Autostrop.
Image
I do not like the Feather blade prices and just cannot effectively strop the blades (I mostly dull them) but I still like the close, neatly trimmed, non-irritating shave more than any other modern or antique razor.
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Karl
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by Karl »

Pauldog wrote: Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:19 pm You'd probably have better luck stropping the Feather carbon steel SE blades, assuming you're now using the stainless ones. If you strop a stainless blade, it's hard to avoid removing the coating, and then it would be harsh.
I bought and tried the Feather carbon steel blades too. They strop a little less badly than stainless but, for me at least, are a much less smooth shave when they are brand new so not a great trade off. IF I coat my stop with 3in1 oil (which is the opposite of what the directions say to do) I can get an old Feather blade just sharp enough for the worst shave that I can still call a shave. My wife says that it looks like I shaved but does not feel like I shaved. Despite this and the high cost of blades ($1.-0.80 each vs $0.05 for a Derby DE) my Valet is my favorite razor.
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Re: Do You Have a Favorite Vintage Razor?

Post by Pauldog »

Karl wrote: Mon Jul 30, 2018 2:59 pm a much less smooth shave when they are brand new

I was thinking of getting some of the carbon steel Feather SE blades, but now I don't see a reason for it. I've used the stainless Feather SE blades in Gem-type razors, using a transplanted spine, and my recollection is that they worked pretty well. I'm about to try one in a Valet, and also refresh my memory about Gem razors.
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