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Do you care about where your razor came from?

Being Dutch Would I buy anything: with German swastika on it, nope!
Chinese, no problem
Russian I did, but that might be over long time in the near future and hoping p&g makes a blade plant outside of Russia in the next 5 years.

But in the end if we care about spending habits and origin history political correctness I am afraid you will find something about any country.
You could buy a bunch of Russian blades before your mind changes. Or we all could buy Russian blades and they will be too busy to do anything else. Wishful thinking. I can imagine them making blades saying we are too busy making blades for the crazy wet shavers to do anything else.
 
I love vintage straight and DE razors. I have a pristine 1959 Gillette Fat Boy in the original case with original blades. I use it now and again. I also prefer vintage straight razors and in particular, LeGrelot.

I don't think too much about where the razor has been or who owned it.
 
You could buy a bunch of Russian blades before your mind changes. Or we all could buy Russian blades and they will be too busy to do anything else. Wishful thinking. I can imagine them making blades saying we are too busy making blades for the crazy wet shavers to do anything else.
I have sufficient platinums, wizamets , kcg, sb to last over 5 years and even a 100 box of derby premium just in case I am getting serious morality issues.
 
I have a love-hate relationship with razors that are made in China, because of copying others work, but not in all cases. For instance, I don't think that making a zamak copy of any of the expensive razors is a bad thing, because 99% the people who buy the cheap copy would never buy the real thing, since it costs 10 or more times more. Some might say that they are still making money from their backs, which is true, but it is what it is and you can't do anything about it.

What I don't like is when they copy a non premium product and instead of making it from zamak they use stainless steel, copper, brass or titanium and then sell it a bit cheaper than the real thing. That I don't accept or support.

My last razor - the ATT Windsor Pro SB90 stainless steel is made in China, but it's not a copy, so I have nothing against it unlike the triggered ''patriots'' on the ATT website talking about politics and how things should be while typing on their Iphones, which are also made in China.

Other than that, I really have no problem using any vintage or modern razor and I really don't care where the razor was made or who shaved with it as long as the razor does it's job.
 
I wouldn't question its provenance as much as what is it? It appears to me to be a GEM Junior Baton handle (agree w/Beefdrippings) and a Prewar Tech head, and unknown case of origin (i.e., pieces and parts). The base plate appears to be sitting flush on top of the top cap (not sitting askew and there is no shadow being cast from it lying off to one side) -- the top cap's screw stud isn't sitting in the center hole of the base plate, so if the screw/stud was still affixed to the top cap, the base plate wouldn't be able to sit as flush as it is. My guess is that someone is throwing old pieces and parts together either out of ignorance or trying to turn a buck (if it isn't listed as parts). Now, the baton (not Bataan) handle might screw into the top cap if someone either brazed or epoxied a nut in place for it to tighten down to. I'd ask for more photos or just stay away just out of concern as to it being disparate pieces and or just say it was bad juju and walk away with a clean conscience. Spoils of war aside, all of my razors are vintage, i.e., DPR's.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Provenance is great if you have it. Even before Teh Great Internet Bizarre Bazaar it was rare to know where some old thing came from unless one had a personal relationship with the original owner (and subsequent owners if any). If you don't have it, best not to speculate as that can eventually become "So-and-so said..." and be accepted as at least a fair guess.

My Fasan Double Slant is in rough shape, all plating gone completely. In the interest of conservation and continuing use, I had it cera-coated. I don't feel bad about that because I have no idea how many hands the razor passed through on its way to me. I purchased it from a seller in Bulgaria, who responded to my standard request for any items of provenance they may have gathered with a simple "This part of the world had a lot of German soldiers in it during the war, and we were on the German side. You can work it out."

I can speculate to my heart's content, but all I know for sure is it's a German razor made at a time when Germans were adventuring in the world. Some guy in Bulgaria got it from somewhere and now I have it. It's a snapshot of a moment in the development of safety razors, but not a snapshot of the larger cultural forces at play. I can live with that.

O.H.
 
The overwhelming majority of my straight razors belonged to people who are long dead. Some of them very likely passed through multiple owners' hands. Some of them were made in Germany in the 20s and 30s. There are a wealth really great razors from that time and place. A couple were made in the Soviet Union in the 60s. I generally don't think too much about the geopolitics involved as long as the tool is well-made, and doesn't have swastikas on it or something.
 
When it comes to foreign relations, the world has always been a mess, still is, and always will be.

In WWI, Japan fought alongside the Allies, but turned against the Allies in WWII.
Russia fought against Germany in WWII. China fought against Japan. However, after WWII, relations between Japan and Germany and other Western countries improved while those with Russia and China deteriorated.

The point I am trying to make is that such foreign relations are always politically driven by leadership. It really has little to do with the people who live in those countries who are trying to survive one day to the next and raise a family to continue their lineage.

Thus, whether it is vintage or modern, I am more interested in the quality than the origin.
 
I'm not superstitious so DMRs are OK.

On new razors, I'm not dogmatic about origin, but I do give extra points for various things. All other things being equal, closer to home is better than around the world; small business is better than mega-corp., etc.
 
I'm not superstitious so DMRs are OK.

On new razors, I'm not dogmatic about origin, but I do give extra points for various things. All other things being equal, closer to home is better than around the world; small business is better than mega-corp., etc.

Dead people’s razors from defunct mega-corps are pretty nice. My Micromatics are very sweet.

And I have more vintage Gillettes than any other razor, also very sweet.
There are a lot more vintage Gillettes, Schicks, and Gems (Clog-Pruf for me) out there than anything else.

But my comment, when quoted in context, specifically refers to current production.
Among new razors, I've ignored the Gillette Heritage Inspired razor in favor of Henson Al-13 medium, WSC Winning, Leaf Twig, and OneBlade Hybrid.

Also, note the "extra points" comment. As I say, I'm not dogmatic about anything shaving. Quality is quality. But I'd rather have more retailers than just Walmart and Target. I'd rather have more of my dollars support a manufacturing job here rather than in Asia. If they were open to the public, on a day trip I could visit Henson or Yates and support semi-local manufacturers.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Gotcha…. I’d need the Wayback Machine for my planned factory visit. Or stick with the modern, smaller shops. I don’t need a Yates 921-EH, but I still stare at them and read reviews
 
To me, a razor is a tool along with all the other stuff, but just think about it on all of our past if these items could only talk. Just think of the stories they could tell and it could have been a famous gunslinger, MP, Soldier Singer who know but we can say for one thing they hold history. All our items tell a story in part and that's what makes each item special, Restore it and put it back into use I say and let it carry on telling a story because once we are gone they will still be around.
 
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