I should have posted this review almost a week ago, but I couldn't get the time to devote to it.
Last week (week of the 15th), I shaved with the Henckels Rapide, using a modern SE blade (GEM Ted Pella SS) instead of the wedge blade the razor was provided with.
The Henckels Rapide is a single-edge razor made by the Henckels company (Germany) that was famous for their straight razors. The Henckels straights are famous for being excellent shavers which take really nice edges. Probably feeling the tide change, with the introduction of safety razors, they introduced the Rapide, a safety that accepted wedge blades (made by Henckels). There were many of these clones made in Europe in the early part of the last century.
Here are some pics of the razor with a wedge (henckels) blade:
The wedge blade provided is essentially a piece of a straight. I say 'wedge' blade because the original blades were true wedges, but the Rapide blades were essentially hollow-ground blades. These had to be honed and stropped like any other straight. They provide excellent shaves when they're properly maintained.
I used to use the Henckels Rapide as it was designed to be used, but I'll be honest and say that the maintenance of the blade was a pain. So, when I heard from a friend that this razor could be used with a regular SE blade, I was determined to try it.
So last week I used it with a 'regular' SE blade - the GEM stainless blade (Ted Pella). These blades have the advantage that they don't need sharpening, and the edges they have are pretty sharp.
Here's what it looks like with a Ted Pella:
The Rapide handle itself is a really well-designed, deeply knurled handle that fits well in the hand. The finish is superb. It is heavier than a GEM 1912 SE razor, but not by much. Blade placement is easy. You loosen the nut at the base of the head and the little wire tab at the back of the head moves off the head allowing the insertion of the blade under the spring-loaded tabs at the side of the head (very similar to a GEM lather catcher - just with better construction). The wire-tab plays a similar role to the spring-loaded tab at the back of the GEM and ER lather catcher heads. Not being spring loaded, it is much more secure, and the tension can be adjusted. The blade is never moving in this razor once it's been secured.
There is no head-cap over the blade on this razor, so the shaving angle can be almost anything you want. So, by extension, this razor can be as aggressive as you could desire. It is a very similar setup to a lather catcher, and it shaves similarly, except that the construction is more 'solid' so the shave is correspondingly more aggressive. The head design scoops and holds lather like a lather catcher does, so a long pass is possible without the necessity to rinse. The head is almost exactly the size of an SE blade, so it is very maneuverable.
You'll notice the constant use of the word 'aggressive' here - this razor is just that - aggressive! It is not a razor for a neophyte. Your prep has to be perfect or you'll pay for it. Also, your touch has to be light, or you're inviting nicks galore. While my shaves were mostly excellent from the start, it took me a couple of days before my shave was comfortable all over.
Once mastered, however, the shaves from this were smooth and close with less work than with any other safety razor I've used. After one pass my face was smooth enough for a presentable shave but, given my hair growth patterns, some ATG was necessary. My face was still mostly smooth a day later, and I shaved only because of habit.....more than because I had to.
Given all that, the care needed for a shave, and the price paid for any carelessness makes this razor one that I wouldn't use more than occasionally. I prefer the balance between a close shave and comfort that the ER Streamline affords me, with this one edging the Streamline on closeness, but losing out on the comfort factor.
Also, I'd like to point out that the razor may perform better with a smoother blade than the Ted Pella. The shave with the original wedge blade (honed by me), was a lot smoother than with the Ted Pella. So this may benefit from a Gem Blue Star, for example. I have to give that a shot. Also, the extra weight of the wedge blade gives this razor a different balance when compared to the light weight of the Ted Pella - perhaps that affects the shave as well.
So, the verdict is that this is an excellent shaver - in the right hands.
The razor can be found on Ebay for a decent price, but they generally run about $70 if they're in good repair, so it's not a cheap one to buy. The clones may be as good, but I haven't tried them all.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previously reviewed in this series:
The Classic Shaving Cobra Classic
Gillette New Improved Big Fellow
The EverReady Streamline
The Gillette NEW (modified)
Last week (week of the 15th), I shaved with the Henckels Rapide, using a modern SE blade (GEM Ted Pella SS) instead of the wedge blade the razor was provided with.
The Henckels Rapide is a single-edge razor made by the Henckels company (Germany) that was famous for their straight razors. The Henckels straights are famous for being excellent shavers which take really nice edges. Probably feeling the tide change, with the introduction of safety razors, they introduced the Rapide, a safety that accepted wedge blades (made by Henckels). There were many of these clones made in Europe in the early part of the last century.
Here are some pics of the razor with a wedge (henckels) blade:
The wedge blade provided is essentially a piece of a straight. I say 'wedge' blade because the original blades were true wedges, but the Rapide blades were essentially hollow-ground blades. These had to be honed and stropped like any other straight. They provide excellent shaves when they're properly maintained.
I used to use the Henckels Rapide as it was designed to be used, but I'll be honest and say that the maintenance of the blade was a pain. So, when I heard from a friend that this razor could be used with a regular SE blade, I was determined to try it.
So last week I used it with a 'regular' SE blade - the GEM stainless blade (Ted Pella). These blades have the advantage that they don't need sharpening, and the edges they have are pretty sharp.
Here's what it looks like with a Ted Pella:
The Rapide handle itself is a really well-designed, deeply knurled handle that fits well in the hand. The finish is superb. It is heavier than a GEM 1912 SE razor, but not by much. Blade placement is easy. You loosen the nut at the base of the head and the little wire tab at the back of the head moves off the head allowing the insertion of the blade under the spring-loaded tabs at the side of the head (very similar to a GEM lather catcher - just with better construction). The wire-tab plays a similar role to the spring-loaded tab at the back of the GEM and ER lather catcher heads. Not being spring loaded, it is much more secure, and the tension can be adjusted. The blade is never moving in this razor once it's been secured.
There is no head-cap over the blade on this razor, so the shaving angle can be almost anything you want. So, by extension, this razor can be as aggressive as you could desire. It is a very similar setup to a lather catcher, and it shaves similarly, except that the construction is more 'solid' so the shave is correspondingly more aggressive. The head design scoops and holds lather like a lather catcher does, so a long pass is possible without the necessity to rinse. The head is almost exactly the size of an SE blade, so it is very maneuverable.
You'll notice the constant use of the word 'aggressive' here - this razor is just that - aggressive! It is not a razor for a neophyte. Your prep has to be perfect or you'll pay for it. Also, your touch has to be light, or you're inviting nicks galore. While my shaves were mostly excellent from the start, it took me a couple of days before my shave was comfortable all over.
Once mastered, however, the shaves from this were smooth and close with less work than with any other safety razor I've used. After one pass my face was smooth enough for a presentable shave but, given my hair growth patterns, some ATG was necessary. My face was still mostly smooth a day later, and I shaved only because of habit.....more than because I had to.
Given all that, the care needed for a shave, and the price paid for any carelessness makes this razor one that I wouldn't use more than occasionally. I prefer the balance between a close shave and comfort that the ER Streamline affords me, with this one edging the Streamline on closeness, but losing out on the comfort factor.
Also, I'd like to point out that the razor may perform better with a smoother blade than the Ted Pella. The shave with the original wedge blade (honed by me), was a lot smoother than with the Ted Pella. So this may benefit from a Gem Blue Star, for example. I have to give that a shot. Also, the extra weight of the wedge blade gives this razor a different balance when compared to the light weight of the Ted Pella - perhaps that affects the shave as well.
So, the verdict is that this is an excellent shaver - in the right hands.
The razor can be found on Ebay for a decent price, but they generally run about $70 if they're in good repair, so it's not a cheap one to buy. The clones may be as good, but I haven't tried them all.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previously reviewed in this series:
The Classic Shaving Cobra Classic
Gillette New Improved Big Fellow
The EverReady Streamline
The Gillette NEW (modified)
with a Walgreens SE blade. It now sits in my collection, I go for more tame razors like the open - comb Micromatic for single edge adventures
, but it does say JA Henckles and has the two people on it...
