Attention Darwin Razor Owners

[Dtownvino]

One for $1,699 on the bay and they still want you to pay for shipping.

It’s the same company, they just mark it up on ebay for the seller fee

Vintage DARWIN "De-Luxe" safety razor in original coffin case

Safety razor made in the 1930's Good condition, see details below Uses standard size safety razor blades 8.5 cm long, for 69 grams

darwinshaving.com

 

[Cha-wing!!]

Surely that's negotiable ^^

 

[Actor07]

I would hope it is negotiable ....

 

[HDSledge]

I remember 5 years back when the proprietor started using the Darwin name. I bought some of the Darwin aftershave in a cut glass container and later some shaving soap in a vintage sugar bowl. Each purchase came with a handwritten thankyou note and a piece of French candy. Class act. Glad he is still in business.

 

[Dyllern]

'Darwin De-Luxe'

​

-This one is for the 'Darwin' connoisseurs since both the case and razor are special.

-Pay attention to the lack of any markings on the razor handle and especially the top cap/guard(indicate pre-patent manufacture). This is something we have only seen on the 'Prototype'-model(X1). That being said the pins comes through the head which so far is a trait for some of later models.

-Another aspect is the case. As shown this earlier model came in a case where the pattern on the outside isn't the normal "Greek key", but instead a "leafed vine"-design.

-The razor didn't need much attention, but the case was quite dirty inside. It cleaned up very well though.

-As the pictures shows this early model has more square lines/edges which is a cool design too. In regards to the handle it actually makes a difference and gives a better grip although I never had problems with that like others.

-Another interesting aspect is the weight difference. I have compared it to my two other Darwin 'De-Luxe'-razors and of course the thinner head explains some of it, but 14g is for sure noticeable.

-Pretty cool set with the special case, razor, blade holder and blades

-For anyone interested in geeking a bit about the models take a look here:

Identifying your vintage Darwin razor - https://darwinshaving.com/en/the-collection/identifying-your-vintage-darwin-razor/

 

[Actor07]

'Darwin De-Luxe' ​

​

​

-This one is for the 'Darwin' connoisseurs since both the case and razor are special.

-Pay attention to the lack of any markings on the razor handle and especially the top cap/guard(indicate pre-patent manufacture). This is something we have only seen on the 'Prototype'-model(X1). That being said the pins comes through the head which so far is a trait for some of later models.

-Another aspect is the case. As shown this earlier model came in a case where the pattern on the outside isn't the normal "Greek key", but instead a "leafed vine"-design.

-The razor didn't need much attention, but the case was quite dirty inside. It cleaned up very well though.

-As the pictures shows this early model has more square lines/edges which is a cool design too. In regards to the handle it actually makes a difference and gives a better grip although I never had problems with that like others.

-Another interesting aspect is the weight difference. I have compared it to my two other Darwin 'De-Luxe'-razors and of course the thinner head explains some of it, but 14g is for sure noticeable.

-Pretty cool set with the special case, razor, blade holder and blades

-For anyone interested in geeking a bit about the models take a look here:

Identifying your vintage Darwin razor - https://darwinshaving.com/en/the-collection/identifying-your-vintage-darwin-razor/




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Great addition. Where did you find it?

 

[Dyllern]

Great addition. Where did you find it?

eBay which seems to be the source for most of them?

 

[kingfisher]

eBay which seems to be the source for most of them?

Prolly true, but I found one in the wild at an antique store.

 

[Dyllern]

Prolly true, but I found one in the wild at an antique store.

Sure everything is possible, but finding one in antique store, flee market or garage sale outside of UK seems to be almost impossible, but it do happen once in a while in the UK.

Again I'm living in the wrong country

 

[DWC2014]

This might seem a little silly but I see other threads trying to get a count of how many people own a certain type of rare razor. I would like to get a definitive count of the Darwin razor owners and which model you own here on B&B. If I misspelled your name or you know longer own it, I apologize and please correct me. My reason for doing this is to figure out how many there actually are and if anyone knows anything else about the history of this razor. Details about this company and it's razors are so hard to come by.

Off the top of my head besides myself (I own a Darwin Deluxe), there are:

MementoMori
Intrigued
Haiku
TheRazorSleepsForNoOne
Barefoot Joe (his razor is enroute)
GreginDallas (not sure though as I believe he moved on to straights)

There have to be more owners than that. Surely this company didn't produce 20 razors and go out of business. I have become increasingly fascinated with this razor as it is the best shaving instrument I have ever used. I am sure some of you have seen me singing its' praises before and I have said I am trying not to love it as much as I do due to my SE collection (and 10 year SE blade stash) but I shaved with it this morning and had my best shave ever.

Ultimately, I will be doing more experimenting with the razors that I do own but I am pretty sure that my RAD is probably dead and I will make a decision on liquidating most of my small collection. I do love my Ever Ready Streamline too so I may keep that as my razor during my work week (using my Darwin on the weekends) until I exhaust my SE blades and then I would sell them off. Or I may like the Darwin Deluxe so much, I liquidate the collection soon! You never know.

In advance, thank you for your participation in this thread.

I own a Darwin Deluxe, weighing in at 77 grams, model #X6 and it’s in mint shape.

 

[kingfisher]

Sure everything is possible, but finding one in antique store, flee market or garage sale outside of UK seems to be almost impossible, but it do happen once in a while in the UK.

Again I'm living in the wrong country

Prolly true, but the one I found was in Virginia. Listed for $35 and I didn't even try to barter them. Paid the full asking price. Case was included, as well.

 

[Cha-wing!!]

An explanation of the weight difference can be found in the materials as well, cobalt steel is heavier than regular stainless. In many Deluxe models, cobalt is not used for all parts of the razor (many are found with cobalt head but stainless handle). A simple test can be done with a magnet : if the piece sticks to the magnet, it's cobalt. If the part doesn't react to the magnet, then it's stainless.

A beautiful addition, Mikkel !

 

[romsitsa]

An explanation of the weight difference can be found in the materials as well, cobalt steel is heavier than regular stainless. In many Deluxe models, cobalt is not used for all parts of the razor (many are found with cobalt head but stainless handle). A simple test can be done with a magnet : if the piece sticks to the magnet, it's cobalt. If the part doesn't react to the magnet, then it's stainless.

A beautiful addition, Mikkel !

It also helps that the handles have completely different proportions.

 

[DWC2014]

An explanation of the weight difference can be found in the materials as well, cobalt steel is heavier than regular stainless. In many Deluxe models, cobalt is not used for all parts of the razor (many are found with cobalt head but stainless handle). A simple test can be done with a magnet : if the piece sticks to the magnet, it's cobalt. If the part doesn't react to the magnet, then it's stainless.

A beautiful addition, Mikkel !

Mine has a cobalt head with stainless handle.

 

[Dyllern]

An explanation of the weight difference can be found in the materials as well, cobalt steel is heavier than regular stainless. In many Deluxe models, cobalt is not used for all parts of the razor (many are found with cobalt head but stainless handle). A simple test can be done with a magnet : if the piece sticks to the magnet, it's cobalt. If the part doesn't react to the magnet, then it's stainless.

A beautiful addition, Mikkel !

Interesting I will for sure try that tip on all 3 of my Darwin razors and see what I find

It also helps that the handles have completely different proportions.

Of course and clearly the heavier model also looks quite a bit thicker. I guess I just got surprised that the relative small differences adds up to 14g.

 

[Snowbeard]

Here's my cobalt Darwin Deluxe, an X6 version. It has the Darwin logo on both sides of the cap, although both are faint. Prices are all over the place, aren't they? Many talk about how pricey these are becoming yet one sold on Ebay a few months ago for just under $400 US! Not exactly like finding one in the wild but its good to see someone got a deal.

 

[Dyllern]

Here's my cobalt Darwin Deluxe, an X6 version. It has the Darwin logo on both sides of the cap, although both are faint. Prices are all over the place, aren't they? Many talk about how pricey these are becoming yet one sold on Ebay a few months ago for just under $400 US! Not exactly like finding one in the wild but its good to see someone got a deal.

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Nice specimen