Maybe it's a sign of a short attention span. When I started straight razor shaving, I bought a new contemporary razor from Ralf Aust. It was a struggle as the advertised "shave ready" edge was just wishful thinking. I bought a couple of old Puma razors on Ebay - another learning experience.
My knife sharpening experience meant I had stones and sharpening experience, but razor honing required new skills and finer stones. I worked it out and soon had truly shave ready edges on the Pumas and the Ralf Aust. My focus then was on older razors from Solingen makers like Friedrich Ern and companies like Boker and J. A. Henckels.
Then I went after old American makers - Monkhouse and other makers of 50 to 100 years ago from New York. I picked up a couple of Sheffields along the way. This gave me a chance to try different razors made in different steels and styles. Then I recently shifted to Japanese razors and I haven't had a bad one yet.
Now I've come full circle and my interest is in contemporary makers again - especially custom makers. I think it started when I bought an S. K. Colling made by Steve in Queensland. Then I found a Rigarazor from Latvia on BST. A couple of days ago I received a custom Ale razor made by Alejandro Balbis in Montreal. Yesterday, Ulrik Beyer shipped a custom Koraat 14 2.0 from Austria I ordered a couple of months ago - it was completed well ahead of schedule and I hope to have it in hand soon.
This morning I commissioned a custom from Roman Kamlash in Ukraine that expect will be completed in about a month. I'm on a waiting list for River razors in France, Boris told me to expect about an 11 month wait. Who knows what I'll be chasing 11 months from now.
What's your story? Have you stuck to one type or maker or have you have similar shifts in this hobby?
My knife sharpening experience meant I had stones and sharpening experience, but razor honing required new skills and finer stones. I worked it out and soon had truly shave ready edges on the Pumas and the Ralf Aust. My focus then was on older razors from Solingen makers like Friedrich Ern and companies like Boker and J. A. Henckels.
Then I went after old American makers - Monkhouse and other makers of 50 to 100 years ago from New York. I picked up a couple of Sheffields along the way. This gave me a chance to try different razors made in different steels and styles. Then I recently shifted to Japanese razors and I haven't had a bad one yet.
Now I've come full circle and my interest is in contemporary makers again - especially custom makers. I think it started when I bought an S. K. Colling made by Steve in Queensland. Then I found a Rigarazor from Latvia on BST. A couple of days ago I received a custom Ale razor made by Alejandro Balbis in Montreal. Yesterday, Ulrik Beyer shipped a custom Koraat 14 2.0 from Austria I ordered a couple of months ago - it was completed well ahead of schedule and I hope to have it in hand soon.
This morning I commissioned a custom from Roman Kamlash in Ukraine that expect will be completed in about a month. I'm on a waiting list for River razors in France, Boris told me to expect about an 11 month wait. Who knows what I'll be chasing 11 months from now.
What's your story? Have you stuck to one type or maker or have you have similar shifts in this hobby?
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