Hallmark DE razor - anyone know it?

[vferdman]

Today at one of the local antique stores I saw a DE razor I have never seen before. It was an open comb two piece with a bakelite handle pressed to a comb via a metal cuff and a top plate with engraving

"Hallmark
Made in USA"

in the lower right corner. It was claimed to be NOS and it looked pretty good, but some minor plating bubbling was evident on the bottom plate. Top plate looked new and shiny. I did not have enough cash on me to grab it (place doesn't take credit cards) and so I decided to learn a bit about it before I spend the money since the impulse buy was thwarted.

Does anyone know about these? I have not been able to find anything about this razor. It looks like it may be a good shaver and it's a vintage OC, what can be bad? It looks like no Gillette I've ever seen, so it's not a re-branded Gillette. I was able to see only one reference here (B&B). The one I saw was in much better shape and the handle was black. I may buy it tomorrow and give it a shave, but if anyone has any info before then, please let me know.

 

[alex2363]

Since there is not much info on this razor most likely it was not a mass produced razor and probably not a great shaver. Why not just buy a razor that we all know about such as a Gillette or Merkur brand. That way you will not lose money or get a bad shave result razor. BST http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/11-Shaving-Mall-Buy-Sell-Trade

 

[vferdman]

I bought the razor and shaved with it this morning. It's an awesome shaver! I would compare it to a Joris or Cadet/RazoRock open comb. Aggressive, but not crazy and very, very smooth. More aggressive than New long comb and New Improved. I loaded a fresh 7 O'clock green blade and got a fantastic BBS. These blades are not my favorites, but they are a good mild blade and I saw the razor was going to be on the efficient side, so I went with a milder blade. Great results! Very comfortable and very close shave. The balance of this razor is towards the head because of light plastic handle. Kind of like a Joris with a horn handle. It works as the head is fairly heavy and does a good job of keeping the blade to the skin just by its own weight. No pressure needed at all. The handle is very comfortable and does not slip at all. The size and shape of the handle are excellent. all in all, a great razor!

Here are some pictures: