I use both the ss blades and the wedges in my razor, and find the wedge to be a little smoother but as ever ymmv.
Just my 2p.
Just my 2p.
A week with........The Henckels Rapide
- Thread starter MajorBurnz
- Start date
What is the difference in a Rapide and a Wotan?
William, this might answer your question.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/202358-Henckels-Wotan
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)
Any idea why the bottom knob of handle on this Razor turns?
.German Rapide SE....
Second Shot.....
Third Shot....
Fourth Shot....
Shim Shot.....
The German Rapide was invented by a man called Scharff in 1894 and when his US Patent expired in 1911 the razor mechanism became very popular and was copied and reproduced by many other Manufacture's including, Henckels, Wester Brothers, Solingen and many others.....
The Rapide was designed to use a Single Wedge Blade...Some of the Rapide variation's will take a Modern SE Blade easier than others....Many a Rapide has been resigned to being what is commonly known as a PAPERWEIGHT because people cannot get them shave ready with a Modern SE Blade....This is due to the fact that some of the Rapide Variants have somewhat small and delicate blade stops that will not hold a Modern Blade so easily......The original Wedge Blade that was originally intended for the Rapide are literally Wedged into place and the blade stops only provide a minor and secondary function in securing the wedge blade.....
The variant that I am introducing here was marketed as the RAPIDE and it is the most commonest variant you will find on EBay ...This Variant was made by many companies, but they are otherwise identical and it is this Model that is more likely to be resigned as a PAPERWEIGHT more than any other because it does indeed have small & and delicate blade stops that will not hold a Modern Blade so easily.....
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT WILL.....
I am utilizing a "Full GEM Spine" & "Half a GEM Spine" in the Rapide as a Shimming method that will get the Rapide Shave Ready with a Modern GEM SE Blade.....You will see that in the Fourth Shot I am displaying the Rapide with a "Full GEM Spine" & "Half a GEM Spine" in placement with a Modern GEM Blade Clamped Down Securely in the Blade Stops as displayed in the Third Shot.....The bottom shot is displaying the "Full GEM Spine" & "Half a GEM Spine" that I am utilizing for this purpose......
PLEASE NOTE.....
It can be a wee bit fiddly to get the blade to seat securely, but once you find it the first time, you are off for the Test Drive of your Life to experience the wonders of shaving with a German Rapide that I can only equate to shaving with a BLUNDERBUST 1912 ON STEROIDS..
As the Germans would say...
WUNDERBAR...
Billy
Second Shot.....
Third Shot....
Fourth Shot....
Shim Shot.....
The German Rapide was invented by a man called Scharff in 1894 and when his US Patent expired in 1911 the razor mechanism became very popular and was copied and reproduced by many other Manufacture's including, Henckels, Wester Brothers, Solingen and many others.....
The Rapide was designed to use a Single Wedge Blade...Some of the Rapide variation's will take a Modern SE Blade easier than others....Many a Rapide has been resigned to being what is commonly known as a PAPERWEIGHT because people cannot get them shave ready with a Modern SE Blade....This is due to the fact that some of the Rapide Variants have somewhat small and delicate blade stops that will not hold a Modern Blade so easily......The original Wedge Blade that was originally intended for the Rapide are literally Wedged into place and the blade stops only provide a minor and secondary function in securing the wedge blade.....
The variant that I am introducing here was marketed as the RAPIDE and it is the most commonest variant you will find on EBay ...This Variant was made by many companies, but they are otherwise identical and it is this Model that is more likely to be resigned as a PAPERWEIGHT more than any other because it does indeed have small & and delicate blade stops that will not hold a Modern Blade so easily.....
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT WILL.....
I am utilizing a "Full GEM Spine" & "Half a GEM Spine" in the Rapide as a Shimming method that will get the Rapide Shave Ready with a Modern GEM SE Blade.....You will see that in the Fourth Shot I am displaying the Rapide with a "Full GEM Spine" & "Half a GEM Spine" in placement with a Modern GEM Blade Clamped Down Securely in the Blade Stops as displayed in the Third Shot.....The bottom shot is displaying the "Full GEM Spine" & "Half a GEM Spine" that I am utilizing for this purpose......
PLEASE NOTE.....
It can be a wee bit fiddly to get the blade to seat securely, but once you find it the first time, you are off for the Test Drive of your Life to experience the wonders of shaving with a German Rapide that I can only equate to shaving with a BLUNDERBUST 1912 ON STEROIDS..
As the Germans would say...
WUNDERBAR...
Billy
Last edited:
I have Scooby Doo's version as well as an identical appearing one except for the blade holding details. The one like Doo's has the Scharff markings on the handle while the other one is unmarked but came in a Heinkels name marked metal case. The Scharff marked one came in a similar metal case but the case does not say Heinkels anywhere on it. It does though have the Heinkels twins logo. Did Heinkels make some razors for Scharff before the patent expired?
The razor in the Heinkels name marked case has the blade stops and spring loaded blade guides and works great with Gem blades. The one like Scooby Doo's has blade height marks but I can run my finger nail over them and they provide no stop at all. Makes me nervous about trying it with a Gem blade though I will probably try it eventually with a shim similar to what Scooby made up. I have picked up multiple versions including an Ostaso clone so no rush to try the stopless version.
The razor in the Heinkels name marked case has the blade stops and spring loaded blade guides and works great with Gem blades. The one like Scooby Doo's has blade height marks but I can run my finger nail over them and they provide no stop at all. Makes me nervous about trying it with a Gem blade though I will probably try it eventually with a shim similar to what Scooby made up. I have picked up multiple versions including an Ostaso clone so no rush to try the stopless version.
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.
I have a few razors like this. My favorite (in fact my favorite safety razor of them all) is the Safacto. It looks like this razor, and I use it with a Pal or Blue Star blade (though I do have the wedge blade). It gives a very close and comfortable shave. Single edged are my favorites, all of them, but I favored the Gem 1904 and the Ever Ready 1906, until I tried the Safacto. I do not use the wedge blade for a reason. When I maintain a blade I use a straight razor. If I use a safety razor I am in something of a hurry, and therefore use a disposable blade.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previously reviewed in this series:
The Classic Shaving Cobra Classic
Gillette New Improved Big Fellow
The EverReady Streamline
The Gillette NEW (modified)
If I want a close shave and absolutely don't want a nick or weeper, I turn to my Sharff Rapide. It's an old friend now, and old friends don't bite.
I now have two Rapides with the large blade stops with a third in the mail as well as an Ostaso so no need to take a chance with the Scharff stamped no blade stops version. I will try that one with a wedge blade eventually or make a shim to hold a Valet blade.
Two shaves in, I'm now trying out my new Henckels Rapide. I have for the last two shaves enjoyed using the Rapide it has been a delight. The razor was loaded with a Heljestrand wedge for the first shave and today I utilized a DORKO blade both shaves have been CCS with no irritation to speak of. I must say I like the fit and feel of the razor in my hands and I'm dialing in the angle that's best for this mug. I will continue to use this razor all week and for one of my shaves I will try a Vintage Gem Double life blade to see how it goes.
Now I want one of these! Can someone post a picture of the larger vesus smaller stops. I want to know what to look for. Also just checked out the bay and didn't find one, how rare are these?
Imatabor, I don't know how rare they are but I know they are hard to come by. Maybe the owners don't won't to part with them. Check out this old thread @spidey9 has some photos that you may be interested in
Early German Rapide Blade Compatibility
Thanks for the read. Now I want one even more. There is just something about these minimalistic designs.
You're welcome, yes I absolutely agree about the designs they sure are a pleasure to use. Happy hunting hope you find one soon
They do show up on ebay and seem to get minimum winning bids in the $60 to $70 range for a uncased one or a poor listing and over $100 for a cased one with multiple blades and a nice case. I paid $200 for a cased one in almost NOS condition with the Henckels factory optional Allegro blade sharpener in the case.
Rwoodreno, are you using the Allegro and if so does it produce a nice edge on your blades? What model is it?
No model marks on the sharpener but the instructions show it is an early Model E for wedge and single edge blades. It is a model specifically made for Henckels as it includes cutouts for razor storage and the razor and Allegro sharpener are in a Henckels marked fitted leather case. Per a sales brochure from the original retailer that came with it the whole assembly is a model 643 Henckels set. I have not yet tried a original wedge blade sharpened and stropped in the Allegro. Hope this helps.
The Allegro model L is the common one for DE blades. The commonest by far. The Model E seems to be much less common and was for SE blades and most wedge blades. The earliest DE blade model is a Model D. There was also a model DD that handled some oddball blades. Never seen one of those.
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