Henckels 7/8 Friodur

Here is a pic of mine. Pardon the poor quality, but I got tired of trying to improve the picture. I enjoy this razor alot and it was also a John Crowley purchase. John has sold me many razors and they all have been oustanding IMO. Getting the initial edge was a bit tricky, but once I did maintaining it has been a piece of cake. This is one of only 2 of the 7/8 that I use and I typically prefer 6/8 or 5/8. It is real nice though and the Oryx scales are very unique.

-Scott

This razor is a NOS Friodur from John Crowley (www.shavingshop.com), with custom scales by Robert Williams. The scale material is oryx (or gemsbok) horn, and the wedge is another piece of oryx. Oryx horn has grooves spiralling up the length of it, and these spiralling grooves have been left in the outside surface of the scales, and provide a nice distinctive touch.

The razor arrived with a nice shaving edge on it, and my first shave with it set my benchmark shave for months. I have honed it several times since then - this was one of the razors upon which I learned to hone. Like all Friodurs it can be a bit frustrating to hone the first time; Friodurs have some very hard steel and can take a while to sharpen. But they are more tolerant of hone pressure than a delicate razor like Puma or Dubl Duck, so even a hamfisted beginner can get one shaving sharp given enough time and patience. Give them a bit more delicacy on the hone and they will take a very keen edge, and because of their hardness and corrosion resistance they really hold their edge very well, and are easy to keep sharp with a pasted paddle or fine-grit hone.

I have since acquired many other Friodurs (including an 8/8 in Oryx scales) but this one is still a favorite. It's small enough to be easy to handle, but massive enough that it doesn't really care how much beard its asked to mow down, and despite being a full hollow ground razor it's stiff enough to handle even the toughest beard without flex or chatter. The spike point contributes to the nimbleness, it allows this razor to do detail trimming that my 6/8 and 8/8 round tip Friodurs can't manage as easily.

I've acquired a lot of razors since this one, including the legendary Wonderedge, and this razor remains in a class of its own. Highly recommended, for as long as these are still available NOS.

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