What's new

Are modern razors overtaking vintage razors

Depends where you live. In the US vintage Gillette razors can be easily found through flea markets and on the bay. Here in Europe they aren't easily found and if you eventually find one it's either in bad condition or high price. But hey if I could find a Fat Boy in good condition I would happily pay 50 euros for it.
 
When I wrote the OP I had in mind DE and SE razors, but as I have been flipping through the online stores I see a spectacular array of new straight razors as well. I have a few modern SRs but the majority in my collection are vintage. All lovingly restored. It is hard to compete with a vintage Boker or George Wostenholm but it is nice to see so many modern SRs on the market.
 
I think it's great our market has the choice

I personally prefer modern milled razors but I've used many vintage razors that worked great.

Modern razors have a better chance at converting newer shavers because most people just won't buy a razor from ebay or an antique shop.

Sent from my LG-H873 using Tapatalk
 
The good thing about the modern razors they are readily available. Or most of them.
And the average Joe don't have to wait for a good and reasonably priced vintage razor to appear on the market.
Not to mention how many crazy priced razors people sell out there on that website! Just like the rare bottom dial for $1200 from yesterday. :a13:
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
Now that modern stainless steel razors are available, there´s no need to go vintage to buy quality.
I don't even think we need modern stainless razors for that. The decent zamaks are just fine. The vintage Gillette's have the whole used by "favorite actor", WWII enlistee, old relative, whatever, feeling to them which attracts many I think. I could care less who used what.

Vintage SE interest me far more than Vintage DE, because I've liked more modern DE over every vintage I've owned. My SE experience has been just the opposite. Everytime I try a modern SE, I realize that Gem and Schick knew their business and the new kids to the game, haven't figured it out yet when it comes to design.

Vintage razors were originally sold as new.

No way. Great grandpa hit the antique shops lusting after his birth year razor, I just know it.
 
A nice looking, well made, pristine razor is a huge part of DE appeal for me - I got bored to death with tacky plastic cartridge razors even though they are very efficient.

I don't care for getting a razor produced in my birth year all that much. To me, the coolness factor ends sometime in the early 1960s, and peaks before the end of WW2, and finding a razor that old that is in a mint shape and doesn't cost an arm and a leg had, so far, proven rather difficult.

Besides, I suspect many of the new razors coming to the market started as a high quality 3D scans of classics anyway.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
A nice looking, well made, pristine razor is a huge part of DE appeal for me - I got bored to death with tacky plastic cartridge razors even though they are very efficient.

I don't care for getting a razor produced in my birth year all that much. To me, the coolness factor ends sometime in the early 1960s, and peaks before the end of WW2, and finding a razor that old that is in a mint shape and doesn't cost an arm and a leg had, so far, proven rather difficult.

Besides, I suspect many of the new razors coming to the market started as a high quality 3D scans of classics anyway.
I honestly never thought of the idea of 3D scanning old razors. There is an idea! Too bad I'm good lookin' and not rich or I'd open a business.
 
I don't care for getting a razor produced in my birth year all that much. To me, the coolness factor ends sometime in the early 1960s, and peaks before the end of WW2, and finding a razor that old that is in a mint shape and doesn't cost an arm and a leg had, so far, proven rather difficult.

I do find the notion of a birth year razor strange. One thing you definitely would not be old enough to do at the time of its manufacture, is shave. A birth year + 18 razor makes more sense to me.
 
I agree with this, especially since I think modern razors tend to be way too heavy, but it's not like they're making any more vintage ones.
may I suggest that in 10 -15 years you look again at these modern razors . why because in that time the will have became vintage and the older ones you now call vintage would be antiques . just my view on the time line so realy they are still making vintage but you cant call them that yet .
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
may I suggest that in 10 -15 years you look again at these modern razors . why because in that time the will have became vintage and the older ones you now call vintage would be antiques . just my view on the time line so realy they are still making vintage but you cant call them that yet .
Best post in the thread!
 
I'd be very happy using vintage DEs if they were efficient enough, but very few are. I sometimes pull out an Old Type but that's it. In any case I always use modern wider handles - handles are so much better these days.
 
I'd be very happy using vintage DEs if they were efficient enough, but very few are. I sometimes pull out an Old Type but that's it. In any case I always use modern wider handles - handles are so much better these days.

I always achieve BBS results with my R41,6S, and Merkur Progress - Despite everything that I try, my (perfect condition) Slim Adjustable leaves me irritated with less than stellar results. Rare case of the problem being the arrow and not the Indian...
 
may I suggest that in 10 -15 years you look again at these modern razors . why because in that time the will have became vintage and the older ones you now call vintage would be antiques . just my view on the time line so realy they are still making vintage but you cant call them that yet .
But they are not making any more of the ones we now call vintage razors.
And the currently modern ones will still be too heavy. How hard can it be to, say, drill out a handle from the bottom?
 
Top Bottom