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Star razor

fathandle

fathandle

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So this is the first time I tried this razor and it did great. Might be better than the Techs I have been using. The head is slightly thinner than the Techs and the baseplate is flat compared to a bit of curve in the Techs.

I had a 2 day growth of beard and it cleared it off easily. No irritation and BBS. I just ordered another one a few minutes ago. hehe 3 Techs, 3 Old, 2 New and now 2 Stars. A EJ89 and Fatip that never get used.

Might have to thin the herd sometime here. Getting overrun.
 
fathandle

fathandle

Highspeedlane said:
Excellent.

How would you stack the performance against the pre or post-war Tech?
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Just one shave in but, the Star seemed a bit more efficient to me. I took 2 days beard off with no dragging. Still up in the air on which I will prefer but I was impressed with this shave for sure. The Old and even the New are razors that can bite me if I get too hurried or press with them. The Star and the Tech seem almost immune to that problem, though they are not as efficient as the New-Old, they are quite good with less concern for irritation.
 
T

TobyC

I have two Star DE razors, and love them dearly! To me they are a little milder than a pre-war Tech, but much more efficient than the much later zamak head Tech. The fit between the cap and base is incredible compared to most razors, pretty much zero movement in any direction and no alignment issues.
 
Bookworm

Bookworm

I like both of my Star razors as well. I may sell/pif one, as I only need one to shave with when the mood strikes me. I think their plating wasn't as good as Gillette's, but they've held up over the years.
 
S

santamariasteve

The Star DE razor from the 1950s is a fav of mine. It's a slightly more efficient shaver that the post war Tech. The engineering, build quality, and appearance are superior to the Tech.
 
Bookworm

Bookworm

Maybe appearance, but I'd say the engineering and quality is about the same, a bit lower for the plating. The plating on mine is intact, but it's that weird yellow "gold" color, and has artifacts in the coating that I think were probably there from the beginning.

I REALLY like the handle on mine - I'll try to post a picture later. It's a six 'pointed' handle, with really rough grip knurling on the top of each of the points. Very heavy.
 
Spang

Spang

I'd echo the majority of the comments above: IMO, the Star is a very underappreciated vintage DE. While it is often compared to the Tech, which it resembles in build style (and I'd guess was meant to compete with), I find it to be a superior shaver. Like several of the other posters, I personally find the Star every bit as comfortable and smooth as a Tech, but noticeably more efficient. In most discussions of vintage DEs, especially starter kits, the Star hardly sees a mention. That's too bad because it really is an excellent razor on the milder side of the spectrum. And, it can often be picked up very inexpensively.
 
S

santamariasteve

Bookworm, have you noticed that each of the two alignment pins has a lateral protrusion? That is good engineering, as it makes for a more precise and secure mating of the safety bar and the cap, resulting in less wiggle room for the blade.

Good engineering contributes to the overall quality of the product. The Star DE razor also has a long comb that I love, similar to the LC NEW, though the Star's long comb is closed. Its attention-grabbing handle is very secure in the hand. Its an admirable mix of beauty and practicality. The original handle is the handle as shown in the original post, not the handle on Toby C's razor as shown in #13.

For its economical price and humble market position the Star DE razor is outstanding, based upon its engineering, build quality and appearance. I see it as a vastly improved Tech.
 
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Bookworm

Bookworm

santamariasteve said:
Bookworm, have you noticed that each of the two alignment pins has a lateral protrusion? That is good engineering, as it makes for a more precise and secure mating of the safety bar and the cap, resulting in less wiggle room for the blade.

Good engineering contributes to the overall quality of the product. The Star DE razor also has a long comb that I love, similar to the LC NEW, though the long comb is closed. Its attention-grabbing handle is an admirable mix of beauty and practicality. The handle is the handle as shown in the original post, not the handle on Toby C's razor as shown in #13.

For its economical price and humble market position the Star DE razor is outstanding, based upon its engineering, build quality and appearance! I see it as a vastly improved Tech.
Click to expand...

I noticed the lateral pins. I will agree that it's well engineered. I can't come straight out and say it's improved from the Techs, it's DIFFERENT from the techs. When you add something like those blade stabilizers, that's another wear point, plus increases the machining costs slightly. The finish leaves something to be desired. I don't think I like the lacquered feeling of mine, vs the straight plated feel of the various Gillettes.

I'll be keeping an eye out for the OC version, but I won't go ape hunting for it :) I have a bunch of razors to finish PIFing and then selling before getting more.
 
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