Custom Straight Razor artisans.

[Wallerwilly]

Hello gents,

I was looking around at custom razor makers.
Even contacted 2 of them. Jerry Stark, who strongly specified he won't do anything outside his box. And zowada who apparently doesn't make customs anymore.
Maybe someone could help me find an artisan who would do little bit of extra smithery.

I want a good quality blade, that's a given. No fancy serations or spine works or w/e. Smiling near wedge with a baber notch and rounded ends. 7/8.
Scale wise is where it hurts. I want a tainted hardwood scale with brass hardware. The usual shape of a Thiers-Issard (simple flat scale with triangular ends). But i would like a brass cap at the ends like you would see on old Solingens. No fancy caps, just a flat cap with 2 prongs or something.

Anyone could give me an idea where to start?
At this point i'd be ready to order scales and blade seperatedly if it came to it.


Thanks for your time,
Benoit.

 

[Jnatcat]

You can reach out to Brian Brown, Koraat Custom, Max Spreecher and Bluesman Blade’s are just a few.

 

[Ice-Man]

Koraat would be my choice I had one custom made and very happy with it..



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Worth sending him a mail.....

 

[Lightcs1776]

Koraat would be my choice I had one custom made and very happy with it..

View attachment 1018190

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Worth sending him a mail.....

Wow! Just wow.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[M14Shooter]

Riga Razor in Eastern Europe does some great work .

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Koraat would be my choice I had one custom made and very happy with it..

View attachment 1018190

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Worth sending him a mail.....

Thanks for reminding me of these nice razors.

I'm not in the market for a custom straight, but I had a great time playing around with this and looking at the associated pictures. Really interesting stuff there.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Wallerwilly]

I did contact the guys at Koraat, and got a complete opposite response. He agreed to do it and even laid out my options i didn't think about. Speaking of which, anyone with a Koraat honed them?

They have 4 types of steel as i understand it, sheffield standard, 1.2842, 1.2510 or 1.2210.
The standard steel is the base price but the others are almost double the price of the razor.
So basically i'm asking if anyone has experience honing those different steel.

Thanks,
Benoit.

 

[M14Shooter]

I own several Koraats made with their standard silver steel .I find them fairly easy to hone .The quality of the grind is excellent and hold an edge for a long time .They shave great .You will not be disappointed in their product .Good luck with the tough choices .If it were me I would just get the silver steel and save some money .I do not think shave quality will change by a noticeable factor with the different steels .I think the type of finishing stones would be more of an impact on edge quality .

 

[Wallerwilly]

Thanks for your input and duely noted.

And i agree the shave itself is more of a honing and stroping job razor wise.
Maybe i'll try a different steel another time.

Benoit

 

[L.A. Jones]

Rats... I went to that Koraats configurator and I like what I see. I may have to buy one. But if I do that is the last thing I am buying.

 

[mrlandpirate]

ya sure L.A.Jones

 

[Ice-Man]

Rats... I went to that Koraats configurator and I like what I see. I may have to buy one. But if I do that is the last thing I am buying.

View attachment 1018538 ya sure L.A.Jones

Yes I was thinking the same!!! How many times do we see that's the last thing I'm buying....

 

[Srdjan]

Ali's Blade in France.

Max Sprecher in Nevada.

Joe Edson in Oregon.

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[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I've already bought the last thing.

Spoiler: No,...

No, I can't even count how many times.

I'm convinced I'm the only one.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Wallerwilly]

yeaaaah kinda hard to resist the temptation to have a brand new blade with your favorite features.
And yes L.A. Jones i feel you. I've told that to myself too many times these last months. Oh welll...

 

[shadowman12]

I did contact the guys at Koraat, and got a complete opposite response. He agreed to do it and even laid out my options i didn't think about. Speaking of which, anyone with a Koraat honed them?

They have 4 types of steel as i understand it, sheffield standard, 1.2842, 1.2510 or 1.2210.
The standard steel is the base price but the others are almost double the price of the razor.
So basically i'm asking if anyone has experience honing those different steel.

Thanks,
Benoit.

I have a Koraat and they are very easy to hone. He has a configurator on his site which is very handy when you want a new razor.

Konfigurator ver2.0

He finishes his razors on a Naniwa 10k and then strops on a strop with crox. For the 5/8 and 6/8 models he makes he uses Ballbearing steel (DIN 1.3505) and for the 7/8 and 8/8 he uses Silversteel (DIN 1.2210)
The silver steel he uses is one of the best steels in the market for straight razors. See also here for more information:

About Koraat-Knives

This is my razor by the way

https://imgur.com/a/v1yDTro

 

[Ice-Man]

Well I will add a picture of my Koraat 8/8th razor that I had made and its a very fine lady indeed

 

[Acmemfg]

Koraats??
I have a few. Outstanding razors.
Honing my Koraat razors is no different really than any of my other blades.

 

[Acmemfg]

Brian Brown Razor Works in Tennessee. Another solid choice.

 

[Wallerwilly]

I first tried to contact B.Brown, never had any reply.
I'm deffinitely gonna have more razor made though.
I'm currently waiting for my Koraat to be finished, it has a few intricacies.
Blade is fairly classic, scales not so much.
Loved the clear exchange and understanding of my needs by Ulrik, great guy.
Can't wait to get some pictures to share, and more importantly, a fresh blade to hone and shave with.

Benoit