Item Description
Purchased this blade about three months ago from Rasurpur. Martin provides great customer service. I sent him quite a few emails, and he was always very polite, answering all of my questions and more.
The razor gives a great, very smooth shave. Behaves in all the ways that a proper full hollow should. Doesn't "sing" as much as vintage extra hollows, but provides good feedback and shaves just as well as an old W&B or Friodur. The razor is made of Carbonsong C135 steel, named because supposedly it has 1.35% carbon. Takes a very sharp edge. Blade longevity is fantastic. I honed it up myself when I first got it, and although I have almost exclusively used this blade for the past few months it did not need a touch-up until very recently - today, in fact!
I really like the look of the blade. Great lines. The point is what Martin calls a "French Nose", which basically a straight point with a curved top edge. Combines the best of functionality and aesthetics. Bottom jimps. Tang isn't very tall, but it makes up for it in width and is really very comfortable to hold. The blade has a black logo on it that reads "Best Sheffield Silver Steel." I'm not too sure as to why, maybe because the blade composition is closer to that of a vintage razor? Kind of an odd choice of words, but in any case, it is very nice looking. In case you're wondering about the "Z" on the back of the razor, it is how TI tracks their razor batches to know which ones were made when, and by whom.
I don't know what it is about Thiers Issard scales, but they are consistently among the highest quality plastic scales I've ever seen. They have a beautiful shape, contrasting white spacer, and the pins are nice and tight. They even have a good feel to them - more 'resin' than plastic, really. In the right light they could be easily mistaken for black horn!
One nitpick I have about the razor is the small gap between the edge of the razor and the end of the scales. (Click here and here for pictures) There's about a 3/8ths inch space, and it is easy to tell that these are mass-produced scales and not fit to each individual razor. Not a huge deal, but one that I definitely notice from time to time.
The price was €109.24, which as of 4/5/2010 is $147.80. I gotta say, pretty damn good price for what I feel is one of the best current production razors out there. All in all, I think it is an outstanding razor that looks good and shaves great.
