Item Description
Price = The Schick Double Edged Razor (later marketed as the 'Krona') was continually produced for nearly two decades from the 60's to the 70's. Later models had the word 'Krona' stamped on the head, earlier ones did not. Same razor.
There are a lot of them out there. Because of numbers and lack of collector demand, they can be still be purchased quite cheaply on ebay. I picked up mine still in its original packaging for $5.
Quality= The Krona is well made razor. Even after 40 years, the thick plastic handles are still going strong.
On the nitpicking side of things, its one quirk is that the tolerance of the center-bar on some of the later models is a hair off. This requires that you make sure you center the blade before closing the doors. If you're not careful you can have a hair (and I mean a thin hair) more blade exposure on one side of the DE than the other. That said, this is not necessarily a bad thing - you can use the more blade side to go WTG and the less blade side for ATG - a ghetto adjustable
.Grip = The Krona has a wonderful long knurled hard plastic no-slip handle. If the Gillette Super Speeds feel small in your hands the Krona may be just right. Warning: Don't boil a Krona to disinfect. The handle will melt and deform and render the razor useless.
Aggressiveness = If a Gillette Super Speed is a 5 on a 1-10 scale, the Krona is a 5.75. Just a tad more aggressive than the Super Speed. Personally I don't get a smooth shave from a SS, they are too mild. The Krona's extra aggressiveness consistently gives me a great shave. It also seems a bit more forgiving should you apply more pressure than you should.
Adjustability = None, unless you consider the center bar quirk on the later models a feature rather than a bug.
Balance = Excellent
Overall = To quote paydepst "The Krona is an underrated and I think under appreciated razor that is well deserving of an accolade now and again. I think it's an excellent razor for someone new to DE wetshaving as it so forgiving and you need that starting out. The balance and heft of the razor is perfect. If you're thinking about trying one then I encourage you to give it a go. It might just join your rotation and never leave it."
