Best of the ‘Common’ vintage straights

[Namkcakram]

I’d toss in a big recommendation for Geneva/Genco for early in your collection. Far and away some of the best shaving and easiest to hone razors per $$$. So easy to hone you’ll think it’s the best razor you own for the first few honing sessions until you realize how much more effort the harder tempered, less hollow ground razors need to get the same caliber edge. Whenever I get a new mystery eBay stone to mess with I always reach for a Genco to test it on first.

I’m a metallurgy nut so whenever someone wants the “best shaving” razor my mind goes to razors from Little Valley, NY or a handful of Japanese razors. They legitimately seem to take and hold a finer edge than anything else floating around out there. They’re at opposite ends of the hardness spectrum though, so the honing experience is a lot easier on the little valley ones. I think everyone should own at least one nice really hard tempered Japanese razor though just to experience the extremes of steel handling.

You’re right thinking there’s a never ending list of good under the radar grinders and makers.

 

[ajduplessis]

Wade&Butcher, Bismarck, Bengall

Can also add Puma, Joseph Rodgers, Kropp, Wilkinson, JA Henckels, Dovo, Gotta and Filarmonica to the list.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I think I might have sold you the Kukri... lol. I used to have one with the same scales and spinework, and I did eBay it a couple years ago.

Nice post.

Dirty from honing on a partially wet Zulu Grey.

My Kukri was sold to me by a vendor called jrsalesdotus, if that's you.

It's a really nice razor. I'd never sell it myself.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[SliceOfLife]

Nope not me. Just coincidence I guess.

 

[Polarbeard]

Straight razors are like wine; it takes a lot of experience before you really start to recognize the subtle differences and develop a taste for certain flavours. Your preferences won't be exactly the same as anyone else's, but given your preferences you'll find brands that'll be of higher quality than others.

Me I very much appreciate 4/8 razors made out of the Swedish produced very hard steel and among those straights I do have certain favourites. However it's not a coincidence that the name of some brands reappear over and over again, even if it's rare razors like Dorko or Erik Anton Berg. Even so they might not be your cup of tea. In short YMMV.

 

[Namkcakram]

Straight razors are like wine; it takes a lot of experience before you really start to recognize the subtle differences and develop a taste for certain flavours. Your preferences won't be exactly the same as anyone else's, but given your preferences you'll find brands that'll be of higher quality than others.

Me I very much appreciate 4/8 razors made out of the Swedish produced very hard steel and among those straights I do have certain favourites. However it's not a coincidence that the name of some brands reappear over and over again, even if it's rare razors like Dorko or Erik Anton Berg. Even so they might not be your cup of tea. In short YMMV.

View attachment 983822

EA Berg chisels are prized to the point that woodworkers have catalogued absolutely every other possible rebranding made by Berg so we can all fight over them on ebay. I wasn’t shocked at all when I found out his razors have a following too.

Woodworking is a similar landscape with everyone having their preferred flavor of steel but I think the metallurgical differences from each region of the world are a lot more apparent when you’re dulling and re-sharpening your tools every hour or so.

Over in woodworking world I think the stuff of legend is the same stuff I’d put on a pedestal for straight razors: Swedish steel forged and water quenched by Japanese blacksmiths.

 

[Mlee]

Straight razors are like wine; it takes a lot of experience before you really start to recognize the subtle differences and develop a taste for certain flavours. Your preferences won't be exactly the same as anyone else's, but given your preferences you'll find brands that'll be of higher quality than others.

Me I very much appreciate 4/8 razors made out of the Swedish produced very hard steel and among those straights I do have certain favourites. However it's not a coincidence that the name of some brands reappear over and over again, even if it's rare razors like Dorko or Erik Anton Berg. Even so they might not be your cup of tea. In short YMMV.

View attachment 983822

Well spoken as usual Arne.

Because of my lack of experience, I'm still in the buy now and sort them out later stage but I am learning.

This is the one that pushed me into the rabbit hole. It was my first and it's still one of my favorites.

 

[Polarbeard]

Well spoken as usual Arne.

Because of my lack of experience, I'm still in the buy now and sort them out later stage but I am learning.

This is the one that pushed me into the rabbit hole. It was my first and it's still one of my favorites.

View attachment 983836

Thank you Mike. That is one of my very favourite ones too.

 

[Polarbeard]

EA Berg chisels are prized to the point that woodworkers have catalogued absolutely every other possible rebranding made by Berg so we can all fight over them on ebay. I wasn’t shocked at all when I found out his razors have a following too.

Woodworking is a similar landscape with everyone having their preferred flavor of steel but I think the metallurgical differences from each region of the world are a lot more apparent when you’re dulling and re-sharpening your tools every hour or so.

Over in woodworking world I think the stuff of legend is the same stuff I’d put on a pedestal for straight razors: Swedish steel forged and water quenched by Japanese blacksmiths.

Since you seem to have an interest in E.A. Berg you might be interested in an "article" I wrote about the company last summer. It might give an answer as to why their products, regardless of type of product, still are very sought for:
The reason to why Erik Anton Berg made so many different razor models

 

[Namkcakram]

Since you seem to have an interest in E.A. Berg you might be interested in an "article" I wrote about the company last summer. It might give an answer as to why their products, regardless of type of product, still are very sought for:
The reason to why Erik Anton Berg made so many different razor models

Never heard that part of the story, but it’s not too surprising. For the most part woodworkers are after chisels but there are also lots of carving tools or old tapered plane irons to fit wooden bodied planes. Occasionally you find odd sizes that I just assumed someone had re ground.

I’d love to find a wider blade Berg razor like that, I only seem to find narrower blades or horribly neglected ones.

 

[Polarbeard]

Never heard that part of the story, but it’s not too surprising. For the most part woodworkers are after chisels but there are also lots of carving tools or old tapered plane irons to fit wooden bodied planes. Occasionally you find odd sizes that I just assumed someone had re ground.

I’d love to find a wider blade Berg razor like that, I only seem to find narrower blades or horribly neglected ones.

My guess is that the odd ones mostly were made as special orders.

Collector is a word that somehow sounds related to the word hoarder. I'm a collector (and nothing else) of fine Swedish razors and I've been so for years. Most Swedish razors were 4/8, some were 5/8 and a few were larger than so. This 15/16 Berg razor was NOS when I a few years ago won it in an auction by a seller living in Eskilstuna. It cost me a lot, but since it's one o a kind and (in my eyes) as fine as can be I just had to have it. Today I'm pretty sure that I'd be outbid, the prices today are just ludicrous. There are however 6/8 Berg razors to be found, I have some. Otherwise the best bet, for finding larger Swedish razors, is the Heljestrand 32 and 33 or the Heljestrand 130 series.

 

[steveclarkus]

I was lucky to befriend a razor seller and restorer over the past year and he sends me razors to try periodically (I guess I’m his lab rat). If I find I like a razor and find it exceptional in some way, I keep it and send one I like to a lesser extent back as a trade or down payment thus keeping my “collection” under 20 or 25. We are both of advanced age and neither can remember yesterday’s breakfast so who owes whom what is anybody’s guess but we enjoy each other and that’s the real value. As far as what brand shaves better than another goes, it is a total mystery to me. I believe it has to do with the individual razor rather than the brand and you won’t really know till you hone it and shave with it.

 

[Polarbeard]

I was lucky to befriend a razor seller and restorer over the past year and he sends me razors to try periodically (I guess I’m his lab rat). If I find I like a razor and find it exceptional in some way, I keep it and send one I like to a lesser extent back as a trade or down payment thus keeping my “collection” under 20 or 25. We are both of advanced age and neither can remember yesterday’s breakfast so who owes whom what is anybody’s guess but we enjoy each other and that’s the real value. As far as what brand shaves better than another goes, it is a total mystery to me. I believe it has to do with the individual razor rather than the brand and you won’t really know till you hone it and shave with it.

To quote the ending of Casablanca: "I think this is the beginning of s beautiful friendship"

 

[steveclarkus]

Arne, that is my very favorite movie. I watch it every year or so and not just but primarily to see that most beautiful Swedish lady. Thank you for the quote!

“Of all the gin joints in all the world you pick mine to walk into”

 

[Polarbeard]

Arne, that is my very favorite movie. I watch it every year or so and not just but primarily to see that most beautiful Swedish lady. Thank you for the quote!

“Of all the gin joints in all the world you pick mine to walk into”

Play it again Sam.
I've seen it quite a lot of times too. And yes Ingrid Bergman was a very special lady.

 

[Polarbeard]

Sorry for derailing the thread.

 

[steveclarkus]

Play it again Sam.
I've seen it quite a lot of times too. And yes Ingrid Bergman was a very special lady.

“ I stick my neck out for no man”

My apologies as well. Done now.

 

[Ice-Man]

Oh dear I see this is becoming a huge rabbit hole there is a lot of vintage razors out there, but one must seek out and try I was in the same boat as you buy everything. But like a great man told me you will slow down one mans junk is another mans riches I will start the ball rolling seeing nobody has posted one

Dubl Duck Satinedge



Dubl Duck Goldenedge



Dubl Duck Wonderedge



C-Mon Special



C.V. Heljestrand M**knr 31



Otto Deutsch 5/8 Solingen




Geo Wostenholm & Sons PEERLESS



ERN Ator



Bengall 6/8th as been said a few times




So as you see the list is endless,
Red Imp
Dorko
J.R Torrey
Shumate

But over time you will get a feel for a type of razor that you like, me I love the Swedish and Sheffield razors the most.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Oh dear I see this is becoming a huge rabbit hole there is a lot of vintage razors out there, but one must seek out and try I was in the same boat as you buy everything. But like a great man told me you will slow down one mans junk is another mans riches I will start the ball rolling seeing nobody has posted one

Dubl Duck Satinedge

View attachment 984160

Dubl Duck Goldenedge

View attachment 984161

Dubl Duck Wonderedge

View attachment 984162

C-Mon Special

View attachment 984163

C.V. Heljestrand M**knr 31

View attachment 984164

Otto Deutsch 5/8 Solingen


View attachment 984165

Geo Wostenholm & Sons PEERLESS

View attachment 984166

ERN Ator

View attachment 984167

Bengall 6/8th as been said a few times

View attachment 984170


So as you see the list is endless,
Red Imp
Dorko
J.R Torrey
Shumate

But over time you will get a feel for a type of razor that you like, me I love the Swedish and Sheffield razors the most.

It's not late enough in the day for me to be drooling, but I am.

 

[Ice-Man]

It's not late enough in the day for me to be drooling, but I am.

Sorry Jim!!!