Fili love what makes it so good!

[Heespharm]

I've been using my fili 14 DT for a couple months now... Every time I use it there's something special there... I think maybe it's the steel? The geometry? I dunno but it just out shaves everything else I know??! Why?? Care to venture a guess!

 

[P Funk]

I hear ya - I get the same feeling each time I pick up mine.
Steel and geometry coupled with the fact that it's super-duper hollow - perfect recipe (?).

 

[global_dev]

There be magic & mystery surrounding the "14"

 

[wrl]

I hear ya - I get the same feeling each time I pick up mine.
Steel and geometry coupled with the fact that it's super-duper hollow - perfect recipe (?).

They are typically half- to three-quarter hollow. Please correct me if you have full- or extra-hollow examples.

 

[sarimento1]

Filarmonicas are excellent, maybe it's the handling or perhaps they are easy to hone or strop. And there can be subtle variations from blade to blade of the same brand and model. You seem to have a really nice Fili blade; enjoy!

 

[Lmarkow]

Smmoootttthhhhh

 

[JGKC9AYC]

I want one

 

[Stubblefield]

This is all I have to say:



Love the way it shaves, BTW.

 

[GreekGuy]

I had an EPBD for a while. Great razors

 

[totorlekiller]

I love the way it shaves, but I have to say the scales are just not doing it for me.
Just one notch above the factory gold dollar 66's.

Fortunately Heespharm helped me out on that

 

[GreekGuy]

I love the way it shaves, but I have to say the scales are just not doing it for me.
Just one notch above the factory gold dollar 66's.

I agree with you there. I'd say the new GD scales are arguably better, they're definitely more sturdy.

I had a set made out of carbon fiber for mine.

 

[noahpictures]

This is all I have to say:

View attachment 426276

Love the way it shaves, BTW.

That looks sweet!

 

[Lando]

they are nice, I like mine. the 14s are hard to come by.

 

[noahpictures]

I've been using my fili 14 DT for a couple months now... Every time I use it there's something special there... I think maybe it's the steel? The geometry? I dunno but it just out shaves everything else I know??! Why?? Care to venture a guess!

View attachment 424456

It's the steel. I read somewhere that when the Arabs invaded Spain they introduced their steel. I forgot the name of the steel but...it is the steel. I have had same size, grind blades from Solingen and other places but the Filarmonica blades are special. People have been talking about them being over priced for years and there is a reason for the high prices; they hone quicker, easier and shave consistently better than any other vintage brand, no matter if it's the 12, 13, or 14. False modesty aside, I've owned hundreds of razors from all over and this has been my experience.
Once in a while there will be a blade that hones as easily and shaves as smoothly as a Filarmonica but the next blade from the same brand won't perform the same way. The craftstmanship and quality are superb and their consistent performance is the proof.

Don't get me wrong there are other great brands such as Le Grelot, F.W. Engels, Puma, Dorko, but if I had to pick one vintage razor to keep it would have to be one from Spain.

 

[P Funk]

They are typically half- to three-quarter hollow. Please correct me if you have full- or extra-hollow examples.

I meant to refer to how thin of a grind they have in combo with the steel - but that was just a guess. Noah added some neat info on the steel. In any case the blade has some real flex to it that makes ATG passes easy and very effective.

I just assumed mine to be full hollow but I guess if technically it looks more like a 1/2 hollow.

 

[wrl]

It's the steel. I read somewhere that when the Arabs invaded Spain they introduced their steel. I forgot the name of the steel but...it is the steel. I have had same size, grind blades from Solingen and other places but the Filarmonica blades are special. People have been talking about them being over priced for years and there is a reason for the high prices; they hone quicker, easier and shave consistently better than any other vintage brand, no matter if it's the 12, 13, or 14. False modesty aside, I've owned hundreds of razors from all over and this has been my experience.
Once in a while there will be a blade that hones as easily and shaves as smoothly as a Filarmonica but the next blade from the same brand won't perform the same way. The craftstmanship and quality are superb and their consistent performance is the proof.

Don't get me wrong there are other great brands such as Le Grelot, F.W. Engels, Puma, Dorko, but if I had to pick one vintage razor to keep it would have to be one from Spain.

Here is some extra food for thought when considering the steel. Unfortunately, not much is known about the earliest production when it comes to Filarmonica razors. If one scours the fora in other languages, there are three primary theories which predominate, two of which hold water.

The Toledo steel to which I believe you're referring was indeed born out of techniques borrowed from the Moors combined with recycled, quality Roman iron ore 2,500 years ago. However, it's unlikely that any of that made it into our razors since such production more or less ended around the 18th century.

The next theory is that all of the early blanks, along with any other 14-stamped blank, came from the Henckenrath forgery in Solingen. There has never been any more concrete evidence to support this idea other than comparison of (many) similar blade profiles which often tend to perform just as similarly.

And finally, those whose knowledge of 20th century Spanish societal gears far exceeds mine would say that during the years that Jose Monserrat Pou was operating (roughly 1915 to 1979), it would have been Swedish steel that was highly-valued and all the rave in Spain. Again, not much more to substantiate this.

The other curiosity is that the photos in this thread reveal another consideration...there are at least three different generations of Filarmonica shown. The earlier two are very likely to contain the same steel, but the last does not. When JMP passed away, his son took over briefly before passing shortly after his father. Then with the transition to his daughter came changes in production, particularly to material sourcing. A great number of sources seem to agree that razors made in the later years after JMP's death (noted by the lack of his name stamped on the tang) are made of steel purchased from Pakistan and then manufactured and sold in Spain.

 

[global_dev]

I'd really like some one to identify the different generations. Is it the stamp placement of JMP? The mismatch of model names in shank and face.

Are 13s and 14s the same metal if the herkenrath postulation is correct?

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Now don't get me wrong, I love my Filly and it takes an edge so easily but having said that, I personally think that the main reasons for their popularity are that they produced a lot of big razors, had cool designs on the blades, cool names like Sub Cero (I think that Schwarzenegger must have used that as inspiration for the Running Man) and finally the hype that guys like us have given them on forums such as this one!
I've got similarly ground razors (Solingens) that will easily compare with a Filly.
I've got different ground razors that will outshave a Filly.
It's a little like putting a Lion and a Tiger in the ring. Personally I love tigers and reckon that if you did that it would win!

 

[Doc226]

Filis are WAY overrated, everyone needs to stop buying them, in fact you should send me yours for proper disposal.

 

[BakerAndBadger]

And Alfredo has a Spanish name so it's only right. Being of English descent, please send me all your sheffield blades!