Outstanding!
Attention Darwin Razor Owners
- Thread starter ShavinBacon
- Start date
I found this Deluxe recently listed on eBay of interest:
Notice the crack in the top cap, running through the W. The seller pointed this out in their description, and I doubt it will affect the shave quality of the razor one bit. What interests me is the fact that the cobalt steel cracked, and where it cracked. The top cap makes contact at the corners of the blade edges only, and I suspect the crack was the result of over-tightening the handle.
Notice the crack in the top cap, running through the W. The seller pointed this out in their description, and I doubt it will affect the shave quality of the razor one bit. What interests me is the fact that the cobalt steel cracked, and where it cracked. The top cap makes contact at the corners of the blade edges only, and I suspect the crack was the result of over-tightening the handle.
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I saw that one, Andrew. I wondered, myself, if it was born that way but you could be right. I worked as a technician, repairing copiers and printers for many years. There were a few guys I worked with that had the bad habit of tightening down everything they ever worked on beyond all reason or good sense. 
Interesting thread. Kind of sad to report that I am no longer "in the club," as I sold my Darwin on e-bay.
Still interested in what Jake learns.
Still interested in what Jake learns.
I haven't seen much discussion about the Darwin Popular, so I thought I'd share my impressions of this razor. Here's a recent SOTD shot:
The Darwin Popular is a chrome plated brass 2-piece razor. It is a much more traditional looking safety razor than the cobalt steel Standard and Deluxe. The design most closely resembles the cobalt steel Darwin 2-piece, aka Darwin Adjustable (I prefer to just call it the Darwin 2-piece). The base plate is connected to the handle and spins on it. There are some lines on the handle near the base plate and a little arrow that suggest degrees of adjustment. The Eclipse Red Ring has a similar feature at the opposite end of the handle. This mechanism allows for a minute but noticeable change in the blade gap depending on how much you tighten the handle. The base plate has a geometry very similar to my Darwin Standard and cobalt steel 2-piece - the curve and the comb are much alike. I need to weigh them, but my gestalt is that the Popular weighs less than the cobalt steel razors.
In use the Popular is a moderately aggressive, efficient shaver. I find the level of aggression is quite similar to the Barbasol Floating Head, and like the Barbasol, the Popular delivers a remarkably smooth shave for the level of aggression. Shaving with the Popular is a different experience than shaving with the cobalt steel models. The Popular feels much more "familiar" because of its common round handle and knurling. I thoroughly enjoy shaving with the Popular, but if forced to choose, I would take the Deluxe model. There's nothing like the feel of cobalt steel in the morning.
The Darwin Popular is a chrome plated brass 2-piece razor. It is a much more traditional looking safety razor than the cobalt steel Standard and Deluxe. The design most closely resembles the cobalt steel Darwin 2-piece, aka Darwin Adjustable (I prefer to just call it the Darwin 2-piece). The base plate is connected to the handle and spins on it. There are some lines on the handle near the base plate and a little arrow that suggest degrees of adjustment. The Eclipse Red Ring has a similar feature at the opposite end of the handle. This mechanism allows for a minute but noticeable change in the blade gap depending on how much you tighten the handle. The base plate has a geometry very similar to my Darwin Standard and cobalt steel 2-piece - the curve and the comb are much alike. I need to weigh them, but my gestalt is that the Popular weighs less than the cobalt steel razors.
In use the Popular is a moderately aggressive, efficient shaver. I find the level of aggression is quite similar to the Barbasol Floating Head, and like the Barbasol, the Popular delivers a remarkably smooth shave for the level of aggression. Shaving with the Popular is a different experience than shaving with the cobalt steel models. The Popular feels much more "familiar" because of its common round handle and knurling. I thoroughly enjoy shaving with the Popular, but if forced to choose, I would take the Deluxe model. There's nothing like the feel of cobalt steel in the morning.
Thanks so much for sharing all that information about the construction and shave qualities of your Darwin Popular, Andrew. I've only seen a few pictures of them. I had no idea that they made it an "adjustable" similar to the Eclipse Red Ring. That makes me wonder which came first. I suspect that it was the Eclipse.
Are there any patent #'s on the 2 Piece Darwin? Compare them to what appears on an Eclipse. I assume the lower # = earlier patent.
Very enjoyable thread that I must have missed before. Andrew, I thought your avatar was a basketball jersey until I took a closer look and realized what it actually was!
I have a darwin standard that I enjoy shaving with, and I agree the feeling in hand is quite unique. I have a popular that I believe I picked up from Jake a while back, but never got around to shaving with it. Will have to remedy that.
I have a darwin standard that I enjoy shaving with, and I agree the feeling in hand is quite unique. I have a popular that I believe I picked up from Jake a while back, but never got around to shaving with it. Will have to remedy that.
I finally got around to taking some (admittedly poor) comparison photos of my Darwin DEs.
From bottom to top or left to right:
-Darwin Original
-Darwin Deluxe with faceted handle butt
-Darwin Deluxe with rounded handle butt
-Darwin Standard
-Darwin 2-piece
-Darwin Proprietary
-Darwin Popular
I'll make a point of adding better photos and thoughts on each of these razors in the future.
From bottom to top or left to right:
-Darwin Original
-Darwin Deluxe with faceted handle butt
-Darwin Deluxe with rounded handle butt
-Darwin Standard
-Darwin 2-piece
-Darwin Proprietary
-Darwin Popular
I'll make a point of adding better photos and thoughts on each of these razors in the future.
Wow, no wonder they are so hard to find, you got them all!!
Just kidding. Congrats Andrew, rather nice selection!!
I finally got around to taking some (admittedly poor) comparison photos of my Darwin DEs.
From bottom to top or left to right:
-Darwin Original
-Darwin Deluxe with faceted handle butt
-Darwin Deluxe with rounded handle butt
-Darwin Standard
-Darwin 2-piece
-Darwin Proprietary
-Darwin Popular
I'll make a point of adding better photos and thoughts on each of these razors in the future.
All I can say is........
The handle is the only noticeable difference between the two Deluxes.
Remarkable collection. Do you use any one in particular? How do you display them?
I plan to go to the Tisch Library Saturday morning. Will see if the Darwin brochure or other literature is really there.
OK, I visited the Tisch Library at Tufts University today. I was able to get 2 different PDFs and would be glad to email them to you if you want the 8.5 MB file. I'll clip some pages and post them here also.
1st is an interesting brochure/advertisement: Christmas 1930 (I think).
1st is an interesting brochure/advertisement: Christmas 1930 (I think).
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I am actually far more intrigued by the wedge darwin than the de. I think if I had one and brought it up to shaving condition, it would be really impressive to use. I don't think the case is worth bothering with though.
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