Attention Darwin Razor Owners

[Copierguy]

Congrats on such a marvelous score.

I must agree, they were way ahead of their time. Been using a De-luxe this last week through today. Excellent shaving tool!

Yours looks to be one with a faceted end on the handle, 6 sided like the rest of the handle. Am I seeing it right?
Those are thought to be earlier than the ones with the round end on the handle.

 

[BullGoose]

Congrats on such a marvelous score.

I must agree, they were way ahead of their time. Been using a De-luxe this last week through today. Excellent shaving tool!

Yours looks to be one with a faceted end on the handle, 6 sided like the rest of the handle. Am I seeing it right?
Those are thought to be earlier than the ones with the round end on the handle.

Thank you. Yes, the end of the handle is faceted like the rest of the handle. I was not even positive this was a Darwin Deluxe but it seemed to be from what I have seen on the net. I had heard that the Darwin was a great shaver and my experience mirrors that assessment.

 

[Intrigued]

I was lucky to recently pick up a Darwin Deluxe. These razors were way ahead of their time. They are very efficient shavers but also not harsh at all. It is by far my favorite vintage razor. The case in the photos is not a Darwin case.

Thank you. Yes, the end of the handle is faceted like the rest of the handle. I was not even positive this was a Darwin Deluxe but it seemed to be from what I have seen on the net. I had heard that the Darwin was a great shaver and my experience mirrors that assessment.

Beautiful Darwin you've got there!! Great pickup!

That style is the Darwin Standard.


Here is a picture of a De-Luxe (left) & Standard (right). The De-Luxe (usually) has the Registration No. on the cap while the Standard (usually) has the Patent No.



The De-Luxe has the pins on the guard that go up through the cap.


The Standard has the pins on the cap that go down through the guard.

 

[BullGoose]

Thank you for the information Connie! I am really impressed with how the standard shaves and with how securely it holds the blade (no blade chatter). Do the Standard and Deluxe shave similarly or is one more aggressive than the other?

 

[Intrigued]

Thank you for the information Connie! I am really impressed with how the standard shaves and with how securely it holds the blade (no blade chatter). Do the Standard and Deluxe shave similarly or is one more aggressive than the other?

I believe they have a very similar shave. They both give very good shaves and really shine when paired with a smooth, sharp blade such as a SI. Tom will probably chime in again soon as he has used both.

 

[BullGoose]

I believe they have a very similar shave. They both give very good shaves and really shine when paired with a smooth, sharp blade such as a SI. Tom will probably chime in again soon as he has used both.

Thank you for the quick reply Connie. I have been pairing it with a Super Iridium and could not be happier with the performance. It truly is a special razor.

 

[dfoulk]

Love the way they shave TexLaw.


This is a long overdue post about an amazing lady that introduced me to the world of Darwins. One evening last summer I commented to Intrigued aka Connie about my curiosity on some aspect of the Darwin razor. She totally blew me away by suggesting I find out for myself. She granted me some time with a Standard and one of her De-luxe Darwins. I have held off saying much about the experience because I was hooked before the first shave. When I first held one, knew I'd be looking for my own Darwin and felt if I said anything I could drive interest on these unique razors even higher. So rightly or wrongly I've remained silent till now.


Thank you so much Connie.



And here is my Standard Darwin, wonderful shave.

View attachment 631334

I'm glad you got one. I read about that in you post where Connie got the Sniper award. That was seriously over the top generous of her to let you try it out. I know what these cost so that got a "Wow" from me when I read it.

I've been looking at these on the popular auction site every now and then, since I too an curious about them. Can you tell me if there is another modern razor (or any razor that comes to mind) that these shave like. I like the more aggressive razors to these have my interest. The prices on these are steep so I'd need to be very lucky to find one in the wild or at least have a pretty good idea what they shave like before committing to paying the sold prices I'm seeing on Ebay for one. Any information is appreciated.

Thank you,
David

 

[Copierguy]

Thanks for setting the record straight Connie. I was so focused on the other end, asking if the handle end was round etc., I did not even look at the head.

Connie your Deluxe and Standard did shave similarly, but I don't think I would try to make that same statement about all of the Deluxe and Standards.
Each Darwin that I've used (7 now) even if similar has its own personality.

 

[dfoulk]

Have you guys tried any modern razors that shave similar to the Darwins? Please share your thoughts.

 

[Copierguy]

*** Can you tell me if there is another modern razor (or any razor that comes to mind) that these shave like. I like the more aggressive razors to these have my interest.***

Thank you,
David

If you are speaking about the shave, then you may find something similar in the NEW family, either a US NEW or a RFB from England. If you are asking about the shave experience then no, nothing I've used. The unique combo of material and style shapes an experience like no other.

 

[dfoulk]

If you are speaking about the shave, then you may find something similar in the NEW family, either a US NEW or a RFB from England. If you are asking about the shave experience then no, nothing I've used. The unique combo of material and style shapes an experience like no other.

Thank you, that helps.

 

[Intrigued]

Thanks for setting the record straight Connie. I was so focused on the other end, asking if the handle end was round etc., I did not even look at the head.

Connie your Deluxe and Standard did shave similarly, but I don't think I would try to make that same statement about all of the Deluxe and Standards.
Each Darwin that I've used (7 now) even if similar has its own personality.

That is my feeling about them as well. I have two Darwin De-Luxe and had the Standard and each have some differences in the tooling on the handles and guard plates. There was definitely some hand work involved in the making of these razors. Each is somewhat unique. It reminds me of how Gray Young (grand nephew of Alex Simpson) could look at a vintage Simpson shaving brush and tell you who turned it.

 

[nuclearblast]

Stewardess* of the Darwins, reporting for duty, sir.

I knew I could count on you, Connie! Great info as always!

 

[TexLaw]

Nice!

 

[Haiku]

Have you guys tried any modern razors that shave similar to the Darwins? Please share your thoughts.

To tell the truth, no not really. The combination of the material the unique design seem to add up to a rather unique experience. My Darwin is aggressive by any standard, but it's easy to get a close shave without weepers or razor burn.

If anything, perhaps the Tradere OC (1st generation) may be something of a comparison. The Tradere is also a beautiful, extremely high quality item that provides a close and aggressive shave and is a real pleasure to use. I find that I have to use the same level of care with my Tradere as I do with my Darwin and when I do, I get a great shave. The Tradere gives an impression of an extremely well designed and well executed razor and I for one am enamoured of its aesthetics. So while nothing is in the league as my Darwin, my Tradere does come to mind in that context.

While not modern by any means, I would add my EverReady SE Streamline to the mix.

For the pleasure of unsurpassed engineering, which also leads to a great aesthetic experience, my Scottish Rythmic razor is hard to ignore. It's an adjustable and of a very different aesthetic than the Darwin, but it too provides one of those rare experiences. Again, it's not modern being a razor from the 1930's.

Here's a picture of a Rythmic, which I'm posting because they're so rare.

 

[ltjaw]

I was very fortunate to add a new Darwin to my small collection, one that Corierguy and I have been referring to as "the Missing Link."

It fits nicely between two other Darwin Original models I own, and very closely resembles the patent drawings.

 

[Feather-man]

Andrew, those 3 razors together look impressive. Congrats.

 

[Copierguy]

A Darwin evolution right before our eyes!

Beautiful Andrew.

 

[tonich]

Very nice, Andrew!
Congrats!

 

[ltjaw]

For some reason I'm unable to edit the typo in my post - sorry Copierguy.