I’m willing to try them. Sacrificing my face for science.
I did not mean to cause panic or influence anyone's opinion with this post; only to give some history that I was able to find. According to the wrappers, the blades in the PIF are the later Ardell Industries Hammer Brand blades, not the earlier ones sold under the Vulcan Hammer Brand. So you should good putting the tourniquets away.WOW!! I tried researching these blades and ended up in a complex web of knives and blades backroom intrigue!! These blades come with a lot of history!!
Using some of @Trainer7 and @tbhoff information, I found that the Imperial Blade (later Imperial Knife) was supplying Sears with various pen and pocket knives. Sometime around WW2, Sears approached Albert Baer, Imperial Blade, to begin supplying Sears with double edge safety razor blades, and a joint venture named Vulcan Safety Razor Corp was formed (along with a fellow named Arthur Tuerff). Vulcan produced blades under the Vulcan, Sears, Craftsmans, and Hammer labels. During the early days, a lubricant supplier messed with the blade perservative formula and caused several million blades to begin corroding, thus producing "less than quality shaves".
The venture would last into the 1970's and would also produce the official Boy Scouts Hand-Kraft Knife for woodcarving and model making.
Imperial Knife Associated Companies, Schrade Walden, and Ardell Industries would all be part of this fascinating adventure born from Sears desire to jump into the double edge razor blade business.
So what you're saying is we now need Vulcan, Sears, and Craftsman DE blades to compare. I wonder if Lowe's will honor the "lifetime" Craftsman guarantee on the DE blades ;-)
I want in too! I'll PM my address @tbhoff ! If others want in just ignore me brother.If you still have a spot available, then I would like to be in. It has been years since I participated in something like this.
Looks like there was a lawsuit between the USA against American Safety Razor and Ardell. I'm not a lawyer so I don't really know what the lawsuit was about, but there's some interesting info in the filing. Both companies make more than just DE blades, of course, but according to the filing "Based on 1988 United States sales data, ASR and Ardell market shares were, respectively, about 36 percent and 11 percent."
Here's a link to the document https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/940621/download
This document talks about the result of that lawsuit (at least I think it's the same suit) https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/947386/download
It seems Ardell is still around making fake eyelashes and stuff like that.
Looks like there was a lawsuit between the USA against American Safety Razor and Ardell. I'm not a lawyer so I don't really know what the lawsuit was about, but there's some interesting info in the filing. Both companies make more than just DE blades, of course, but according to the filing "Based on 1988 United States sales data, ASR and Ardell market shares were, respectively, about 36 percent and 11 percent."
Here's a link to the document https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/940621/download
This document talks about the result of that lawsuit (at least I think it's the same suit) https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/947386/download
It seems Ardell is still around making fake eyelashes and stuff like that.
I love the looks of those wrappers. Cool vibe.If I had a Hammer... oh wait ... I DO have a Hammer... a NOS Hammer Brand Blade!! What!! Blades arrived today, safe and sound!! I will Hammer Out Some Shaves starting Monday!!
View attachment 1157235
Thank you, @tbhoff, for the chance to try these!!
If I had a Hammer... oh wait ... I DO have a Hammer... a NOS Hammer Brand Blade!! What!! Blades arrived today, safe and sound!! I will Hammer Out Some Shaves starting Monday!!
View attachment 1157235
Thank you, @tbhoff, for the chance to try these!!
Hammered Out Shaves #1 And #2
TL;DR: a step into yesteryear, decent vintage shaves, feels a little different then modern blades
Equipment: Vintage is as vintage does; in the spirit of these NOS Hammer Brand blades, I've been using my Birth Year/Quarter Gillette Slim on 4. I can just imagine someone 50+ years ago, loading one of these up in a similar razor.
Hammer Shaves: so far, the shaves have been good, SAS+, but I can feel a slight difference in the edge of the blade. To me, it seems that the edge on the modern blades are a bit finer than these. That said, my first Hammer Brand Blade is doing a good job on my whiskers.
Truing The Edge: I acquired a Fedtro Blade Sharpener from Etsy that I'm going to pass this blade thru and see how tomorrow's shave is effected.