Do you have a favourite SR brand?

[Rusty Blade]

I have collected a lot of straight razors. A few new ones, but mostly vintage SRs of various brands that I have restored. And I realize that over time I have developed preferences -- the vintage Bokers and Geo. Wostenholm razors tend to be my favourites. They seem to have a little something extra compared to all the others. The newer SR brands just dont have the same feel. It's hard to explain. They all shave fine, but there is something special about the vintage Bokers and Geo. Wostenholm razors.
Do you have a preferred SR brand?

 

[Polarbeard]

Of course I do, not only one but several! and with a few exceptions they tend to vary over time.

 

[kjbarth]

Iwasaki Tamahagane western.


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[SilverGeezer]

I must admit that I have become a Shumate fan.

 

[camoloc]

TI's and or older Grelots

camo

 

[theklaw]

Wade & Butcher

 

[totorlekiller]

Fontenille

 

[kcb5150]

Joseph Rodgers, Söderen

 

[Herrenberg]

(looks over straight razors)

I guess it must be Iwasaki. Yeah, it's Iwasaki.

 

[haggis]

Still doing field research; too many gaps to know!

 

[Sukeroku]

Vintage: Filarmonica and Tanifuji
New razor: Ralf Aust

 

[Tomo]

Heljestrand

 

[Legion]

I’m not sure I have a fave brand, since I have tried to get models from a bunch of brands to try out.

I suppose the brand I have tried the most, which I like, are Cadman Bengalls. Are they my favorite? I keep buying them, and am happy with the purchase.

But if I had access to Heljestrand in the local antique stores I would be happy to snap them up.

You grab what works.

 

[Yaron]

Tanifuji ( and another japanese ) from vintage rank and Koraat from new

 

[Frank Shaves]

I have been using a straight since September 2020, and my list is sure to change, but if I was limited to what I could bring with me onto the The Ark, my list might include Filarmonica, J.A. Henckels, Thiers-Issard, and Wade & Butcher. But I still have much to explore. Would love to get me a Joseph Elliot, a P. Hospital Le Grelot, and a Joseph Rodgers.

We are so fortunate to have access to so many great razors. One needs to be patient, but they are out there!

 

[luv2shave]

We are so fortunate to have access to so many great razors. One needs to be patient, but they are out there!

This is so true.

I've been browsing these forums for a while and then looking up ebay and BST to get a handle on what is out there. There seem to be hundreds of commom, unknown and established brands out of Sheffield, Germany and USA as also Europe and Japan.

It's a good thing early companies didn't have smart business skills like Gillette and Gem or Ever Ready to patent their designs to stiffle competition.(AFAIK)

I am currently shaving with my first SR, a relatively unknown German made vintage. It's also my first honing with synthetics and stropping with a 2 inch poor man's strop which has got nicked up quite a bit.

I am not perfect in my techniques at all on shaving, stropping and honing, a long way to mastery, yet the shaves from this adventure are so superlative compared to DEs and modern Gem blades in vintage Gem or Ever ready SEs and lather catchers.

I am being patient in learning how to identify good vintage razors without a frown, or over honed spines and buy them at a good price.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I am being patient in learning how to identify good vintage razors without a frown, or over honed spines and buy them at a good price.

You can learn a lot about the market by reviewing what is sold on eBay - both supply and demand. And there are definitely waves - like when a seller buys and sells a large collection from say an estate.

 

[Christian1212]

Helje gang! Filli does come close though

 

[2bit_collie]

No idea - I have in excess of 40 SR at this point, but no more than 3 of any one brand. Quite a few brands still in production are not represented at all (e.g. Dovo, TI, Aust, Boker). I have several razors that I really like, but is it valid to say that a brand is my favorite when I only have 1 razor from that brand to serve as a data point? That said if someone else does have 5 or more razors from the same brand, they probably have a pretty well-formed opinion. But among my favorite individual razors I would count the following brands: Koraat, Le Grelot, Tanifuji, Yasuki, Filarmonica.

 

[Gamma]

I like the name Wade & Butcher best.. as a name... it sounds good to my ears.
As a brand, they were good but some can argue there were better.
How much better does a razor need to be? I don't know..
I have razors from all over, I prob shave with W&Bs more often than others.
I have a soft spot for Greaves for some reason I can't quite nail down with words.
Toho framebacks. Engstrom framebacks, both to my liking. I have an awesome Ramapo wedgy thing, it's lovely.
Wostenholm - good stuff from both foundries.
Bokers are great too, and yes - Dovos. Both deliver the goods but I am not a full-hollow guy and most of those blades are pretty hollow. Oh well, still good stuff. Can't forget TI, also great shaves to be had there.
there's more, I don't want to list every single brand.. no point in that.
I just don't think there is 'a' single brand that is my fave.
Unless we're just talking about the name, then it's Wade & Butcher... sounds 'right' to me.