German vs. Swedish Steel

[SALBONE]

I'm just curious to get some opinions...
In general, if you had an option of two vintage straights in the same general condition, would you pick the one made of German steel or the one made of Swedish steel?

 

[CptNemo]

I haven't had the pleasure of finding a razor in Swedish steel yet, so I'm bound to pick a Swedish one out of curiosity.

 

[Seraphim]

American steel, French made, German, Swedish, Chinese....

It's all good!

Get them all!

 

[life2short1971]

I think they are both fine choices for straight razors and hold an edge well.

 

[Easttexasman]

I obtained a Heljestrand #30 last week and I find that the swiss steel is excellent but there is not much difference between the German and Swiss steel in my opinion,both work great for me.

 

[tlittle]

I obtained a Heljestrand #30 last week and I find that the swiss steel is excellent but there is not much difference between the German and Swiss steel in my opinion,both work great for me.

Think you might mean Swedish steel. Unless you've got a razor made in Switzerland, in which case you've got yourself one rare razor!

 

[Kentos]

American steel, French made, German, Swedish, Chinese....

It's all good!

Get them all!

Don't forget Japanese man! Japanese!

 

[dreka]

I used to like Swedish steel back when Swedes were a lot cheaper...

Can't snipe CVH MK-anything like I used to do...

I'm thinking about moving onto Chinese razors...I should start hoarding before people catch on...

 

[Seraphim]

Don't forget Japanese man! Japanese!

Right!


And Pakistan?

Anyone? Bueller?

 

[celestino]

They are both very fine steel! Get them both!!

 

[Kentos]

Right!


And Pakistan?

Anyone? Bueller?

 

[danjared]

German razors are often (always?) made from Swedish or Sheffield steel. I wouldn't be surprised if it all comes from Swedish ore deposits, too. Or, are you talking about German versus Swedish crafted razors and not the steel's provenance?

 

[TstebinsB]

German razors are often (always?) made from Swedish or Sheffield steel. I wouldn't be surprised if it all comes from Swedish ore deposits, too. Or, are you talking about German versus Swedish crafted razors and not the steel's provenance?

The OP mentioned vintage straights. Are you sure you're not thinking about present-day straights?

 

[danjared]

No, I'm referring to both.

In the year before the war, Germany received 22 million tons of iron ore from various foreign sources. Although she was able to produce around 10m tons of her own iron ore each year, it was of low grade quality and needed to be mixed with high grade material from other countries such as Sweden, which annually supplied her with 9 million tons (7 million from Kiruna and Gällivare in Lapland and 2 million from the central Swedish ore fields north-west of Stockholm.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_iron_mining_during_World_War_II)

Edit: Hmm, this Wikipedia article is lacking in sufficient sources. I'm still researching.

 

[TstebinsB]

No, I'm referring to both.


(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_iron_mining_during_World_War_II)

Edit: Hmm, this Wikipedia article is lacking in sufficient sources. I'm still researching.

It seems you're right. I knew that Sweden supplied a lot of steel to Germany during that time; I was a History major. Speaking of raw materials, Secretary of State Hull called it "the most important single contribution" to Germany's war effort. A few Swedish historians say that Germany couldn't have become a great power without Swedish iron. Thus, they partly blame Sweden for the growth of the Third Reich. I just didn't know that the steel was also used for razors. I had read that Germany had both low grade steel and high grade steel while all Sheffield and Swedish steel was of high quality.

 

[primo]

I prefer the Swedish blades, but in the end, I like both.

 

[danjared]

It seems you're right. I knew that Sweden supplied a lot of steel to Germany during that time; I was a History major. Speaking of raw materials, Secretary of State Hull called it "the most important single contribution" to Germany's war effort. A few Swedish historians say that Germany couldn't have become a great power without Swedish iron. Thus, they partly blame Sweden for the growth of the Third Reich. I just didn't know that the steel was also used for razors. I had read that Germany had both low grade steel and high grade steel while all Sheffield and Swedish steel was of high quality.

I've been researching more. (This is made difficult by access policy changes made at JSTOR a year ago, which coincidentally are the result of an incident that happened at my alma mater. They don't provide access to alums now even though the incident did not involve a university affiliate. )

It appears that, according to one source, nearly two thirds of native German iron ore came from the Lorraine region, which should be a familiar name to anyone with any knowledge of the past century. It has been difficult for me to ascertain whether this or any other iron ore source was of sufficient quality for use in fine cutlery steel.

I also learnt that Great Britain's supply of iron ore has been quite scattered. At least at one point, it received significant imports of steel from America.

Here are some possible interesting reads:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1015217
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1885949
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1014065

 

[honed]

Swedish iron ore was & to a great extent still is the staple base ingredient in most highly refined/high quality steel on the world market.

There are of course many other suppliers, but 100 years ago there were fewer who could deliver the sam ekind of consistent quality.

As to answer the topic, I'm way to biased to answer it properly

also,
http://www.swedennotswitzerland.com/

 

[Rschan]

Swedish iron ore was & to a great extent still is the staple base ingredient in most highly refined/high quality steel on the world market.

There are of course many other suppliers, but 100 years ago there were fewer who could deliver the sam ekind of consistent quality.

As to answer the topic, I'm way to biased to answer it properly

also,
http://www.swedennotswitzerland.com/

An interesting link.

 

[Greybeard]

Think you might mean Swedish steel. Unless you've got a razor made in Switzerland, in which case you've got yourself one rare razor!

I have a Swiss razor!
However, from the look and feel, I suspect it's french made and re-branded.