Early German Rapide Blade Compatibility

[Rwoodreno]

I just received an early Rapide razor that cannot accept Gem blades. It came in a red tin case and has the Henckels twins logo on the case so was apparently manufactured by Henckels. However the case does not have the Henckels name anywhere on it. The razor itself is marked ERNST SCHARFF and does not include the blade stops needed by GEM blades. It can be identified by the name on the handle and the use of set screws on the front of the razor head that are used to adjust the height that a wedge blade sits at. So it is only compatible with tapered wedge blades.

I have seen photos of a virtually identically cased but apparently later manufacture Rapide which has the Henckels name on the case and per the photos has blade stops, making it compatible with Gem or the Feather Valet Autostrop compatible razor blades. Something to watch for if buying a Rapide for use with modern blades.

 

[Feather-man]

I use a Gem in my Sharff. The two set screws act as a stop for the front edge of the Gem blade's spine. You can sort of see this in this photo:



Please note that although I use an additional full Gem spine under the blade as a shim for the back of the Gem blade, it is positioned further inward towards the front of the razor than is shown in the above photo which is all I have on hand at the moment. If you play with the shim position you will find the sweet spot.

There are no blade stops on my Sharff, just index marks to show where the edge of the blade should be aligned to and no further forward than the marks.

This Sharff Rapide with a Gem blade is my favorite razor by a wide margin.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

The Scharff Rapide is the original; Henckels, Wolstenholme, and a slew of others issued copies after Scharff's patents expired.

 

[Rwoodreno]

Mine looks like yours as best I can tell. I could be wrong but based on my case and razor markings it looks to me like Henckels may have manufactured the early razors for Scharff. Case is marked Rapide only and the only Henckels indicator is the twins logo on the case. The razor itself has the Scharff marking. Markings as follows:

ERNST SCHARFF
FRANKFORT A.M.
GERMANY
RAPIDE

 

[Feather-man]

Mine has the identical markings. I have no information towards a timeline of manufacture of this design. The attached patent has always puzzled me, as the mechanism illustrated is different from any of these razors that I have seen.

DE64903C.pdf

 

[Rwoodreno]

I am lucky as I now have two Henckels which take the Gem or Feather FHS and FAS blades as well as a virtually identical Ostaso. All do have the blade stops for the blade bottom edge so work fine with modern blades. The one without blade stops looks like it can be used as you have done but also seems to have the screws long enough so that a pre holes Gem blade marked GEM Double Life on one side of the spline and Gem Razor NY USA on the other side would work. The spine is much thicker than on current GEM blades so the spine stops against the screws.

 

[Rwoodreno]

Looking at the PDF it looks like the basics are there but the mechanism for adjusting the blade height was changed from the pictured screw and leaf spring against the blade back to the set screws against the front of the blade. IMO a cheaper to manufacture method. I actually prefer the patent shown method personally for a wedge blade only razor. Per the Razor Compendium the German patent was applied for in 1891. US patent applied for in 1892 and granted in 1894. So I would guess the razor in one version or another dates from this general period, circa pre 1895. Made until the 1930s per something I read.

 

[spidey9]

The original Rapide was manufactured by Earnst Scharff starting in 1891. Some have the 1891 German patent #64902 on the side of the handle. There was also an 1892 American patent.

The early models featured setscrew adjustments on the side guides to position the wedge type blade and adjust for the blade narrowing after repeated honing. This has an added benefit of in effect making the razor adjustable.

Later models had spring-loaded side guides and blade stops to position the blade. Coincidentally this also allows for the use of modern spined Gem style SE blades, although as Feather-man noted above a Gem blade can be made to work in the early models with a little creativity.

In 1911 the Scharff patent expired and several manufacturers introduced models based on the design. I believe that Henckels may have had a licensing agreement with Scharff, as some of the Henckels Rapides seem to date to earlier than 1911.

There were numerous variations on the design, even including a Henckels Rapide with a roller comb similar to a Wilkinson.

Details about these razors are scarce. I have pieced together the above history from Waits and other sources, and by no means should it be considered the last word.

The two types of blade holders can be clearly seen above.

The Rapides are excellent shavers and very collectable.

While an excellent shave may be had with a modern blade, a properly honed and stropped wedge blade will allow one to fully appreciate these fascinating razors.

--Bob

 

[Feather-man]

Bob, do you think anyone should try and reproduce these razors today? So many cool new razors for sale but none like the Rapide. What's astonishing to me is the precision workmanship, these don't shout 1800s to me.

 

[spidey9]

If the goal is to produce a modern razor using the traditional Gem style blade this design might be a good starting point, although some might find the open blade presentation to be rather intimidating.

The Rapides do seem rather modern when compared to the Star lather catchers.

--Bob

 

[gvw755]

What I was amazed with when I got mine was how minimal it was. I had to ask Bob if I was missing pieces as there was no top cap (which I knew about, but there was also no base plate and the mechanism that held the blade in place was a bent metal rod screwed in place (no fancy spring mechanism). It just seemed so straight forward - built for shaving and was very good at it.

 

[Rwoodreno]

They do look intimidating and I have a Ostaso clone that is virtually identical to the Henckels versions with the blade stops. Love to find one with the roller comb and/or a 7 blade cased set. Very good workmanship on all I have seen and much more substantial main frame than the similar age Kampfe sheet metal razors IMO.

 

[Deelyte]

I just thought I would revive a old thread with a picture of my Rapide with a Vintage Ever-Ready blade and I'm not using a shim because the spine on these blades are thicker than the modern Gem blades. It's on deck to be used tomorrow.

 

[imatabor]

I just thought I would revive a old thread with a picture of my Rapide with a Vintage Ever-Ready blade and I'm not using a shim because the spine on these blades are thicker than the modern Gem blades. It's on deck to be used tomorrow.
View attachment 784739 View attachment 784739 View attachment 784741

 

[Deelyte]

View attachment 784745

I'm lol, okay I will stop adding fuel to the fire.

 

[imatabor]

I'm lol, okay I will stop adding fuel to the fire.

Please don't stop! It hurts so good!

 

[Deelyte]

Okay, I'm game for the rest of the week as I continue to dial in my Rapide with different blades to try

 

[Rwoodreno]

Yours is a version with the blade stops and as long as you control the top bail pressure it can be used with any Gem blade or even a Valet blade without using a shim. Tighten the top bail just enough to hold the blade lower edge in the blade stops but not so much that the blade top is dished.

 

[Feather-man]

Guess I haven't been paying attention, will the wedge blades from the Wilkinson fit the Rapide? By the way, how does shaving with the Wilkinson compare to the Rapide?

 

[Deelyte]

Guess I haven't been paying attention, will the wedge blades from the Wilkinson fit the Rapide? By the way, how does shaving with the Wilkinson compare to the Rapide?

Feather-man, I think I tried when I first obtained my Rapide but I'm not sure. I'm at work now but when I get home I will confirm whether or not the Wilkinson blade works in the Rapide. My first thought is that the Wilkinson wedge is to long. Someone else may come along before I get home with the answer to your question.

I will reserve commenting on a comparison right now because I haven't used my Pall Mall in awhile. Maybe, I will do a shave tomorrow using both razors. Just maybe