Is it weird I find no enjoyment out of modern DE razors?

[romsitsa]

Or track down a Wardonia. I looked at mine the first time and I went pale. Nothin' BUT blade feel. Well, nothin' but EDGE feel... But it was a pretty good shave. You can just about push your finger between the baseplate and the blade without cutting yourself, however.

O.H.

I'm listening very carefully. Which Wardonia? I love their shape and plastic beauty, but never got one.
The finger part can be done with my Swing, in my profile pic. It can actually peel vegetables, but is really smooth.

Adam

 

[Old Hippie]

I'm listening very carefully. Which Wardonia? I love their shape and plastic beauty, but never got one.

I am not precisely sure which one I have at the moment. I'll have to look. I got it cheap because it was just the razor, no case or anything else.

I picked it up because a few of us were playing with trying to re-create a Wardonia using more modern bits. I had some baseplates 3D printed to take a modern top cap (and modern blades without mods). Kinda slowed down on the project, though. That Wardonia cap is a humdinger -- lots of hidden design in it. I have an R41 cap but it does not support the blade across the entire inner curve of the cap, which is kind of important for the Wardonia models with the round post like mine. It might work for the baseplate with the side bars, though.

I'd like to find a piece of commonly available copper/brass pipe with that exact inner curve. Then if the Fates are kind I can make a workable cap.

Alternatively, if anyone knows of a modern razor cap that is a continuous curve on the inner face, shoot me a link!

O.H.

 

[Ron54]

You like what you like. I am the complete opposite, completely turned off by anything vintage.

I am the same way pretty much.... while I think vintage is cool to look at or to own as a collector, I only want new modern to own and shave with ...... no wrong or right here, to each his own !

 

[sm29]

I find merits in both modern and vintage.

My Timeless Titanium is my favorite and most commonly used razor, but vintage razors also are great.

Getting a great shave from an Old Type that approximates my father’s age is special. My C4 birth quarter Flare Tip Superspeed is always out and around at birthday time. I celebrate my brother’s birthday with my E4 Fatboy from his birth quarter. On my mother’s birthday the ball end NEW LC comes out. The Goodwill #164 for its Art Deco look is also fun to use.

I hardly even think about my Merkur 34c as it is nowhere near my Timeless or ATT as modern razors, and has nowhere near the fun or memories evoked by my vintage razors. But I keep it mostly because it was my reentry into this hobby.

I am hoping my soon to arrive Janus will provide the best of the modern day razors and the sense of history of the Toggle it was modeled after.

Truly, there is no correct answer to the modern vs vintage debate.

 

[THall]

As an aside, I’d like to mention the build quality of modern adjustables versus vintage. I have many modern and vintage and have noticed some things overall. I’m impartial about it. I love adjustables and enjoy seeing new modern versions and I think it is a bright spot in our small market. I’m not knocking them, but some things are a bit obvious.

First thing is setting 1/gap is just that, setting 1 and standard gaps on vintage adjustables. Modern adjustables can have impressive ranges of adjustability but this concept seems lost in some way. My Fatboy, Slim, Super 84 and Gibbs adjustable start at 1 as the lowest setting and progressively move up each setting with a standard gap. Not so with most modern examples. Some are closer than others but for the most part, there is a deviation with settings and even if the numbers line up, gap can vary from razor to razor. Cheapest to the most expensive modern adjustables I observe this issue.

Putting in the blade. Drop a blade in vintage adjustables and that is all you have to do. Everything lines up. No maneuvering etc. Even with a Gibbs where modern blade alterations are necessary, it stays where it is, even if you trim too short, that blade is clamped down. Takes less time for me to align a trimmed blade in my Gibbs than to put in a blade in my Rex. Another issue are posts which are too low and you have to put the cap upside down in your palm to load a blade properly. Modern attempts with TTO adjustables are sometimes tragic at best, but there are a few exceptions to be fair.

Threads. For the non TTO adjustables this can be can issue. Sometimes the threads lock up, you have to re-engage then tighten.

Weight. Stainless is a terrific material but it is heavy and affects maneuvering. Brass is still common but the modern handles are thick and ultimately heavy. The Variant would be the exception. I like heavy razors just fine and they were the in thing up until the last few years but a lighter adjustable is just more maneuverable.

Balance. It is easy to find the balance point on any vintage razor, not just the adjustables. When you find it, you can stick that razor on your pinky and ride a bike without dropping the thing. Try that with most modern examples. Again there are a few exceptions but they are few and far between.

Price. A modern version of a vintage that comes close to the quality of that vintage will cost you. Some think that some vintages are overpriced/overrated and I can see that. Only issue is you would pay more for a modern example built to those tolerances and with those same materials. Maybe Janus will pull it off, they only start around 500 bucks.

R&D. Research and development, consumer focus groups, material and product testing, quality control, advanced assembly, teams of engineers and a lot of capital to just name a few things.

I think it is wonderful that some guys can start a shop, make it grow and make some great razors. They are true artisans. Top notch materials, beautifully crafted, everything, I support them and have more modern examples than vintage ones. Many are unique in their own ways. People want our market to grow but I like it where it is, small but still progressing and continues to change ever so slightly for the better.

 

[ivan_101]

Same here. I got many modern and many vintage (Gillette). I have to admit some of the modern ones are actually better for my kind of whiskers but I love my Gillette razors more. Even shaving with a plain 50s or 70s Tech gives me more pleasure. It is irrational, but then again many things in life are.

 

[musicman1951]

I have a vintage Gillette I'll never sell, but I rarely use it either. It really doesn't compare well with the Wolfman. Sometimes I take it as my travel razor.

I think if you consult an inflation calculator you'll find a Vintage razor would sell in today's dollars for $50-$60 (assuming they were manufactured today). I find them very good values compared to razors in that price range.

 

[Esox]

The only DE I have that betters an Old Type is my Fatip Grande. It's also the only DE I own thats not a Gillette.

Looking at a Wardonia scares me lol. @rudyt loves his and says its a very smooth, very efficient razor.

Every time someone makes a statement like this, I like to present a shot of my magical Wardonia - zero blade edge support from the baseplate.

Every time someone says that it's impossible to get a good shave from a razor with a blade that's not rigidly supported, I smile because they will never consider using one of the smoothest closest shaving DEs on the planet. Wander down to the Wardonia Revelation thread sometime.

 

[preidy]

I also gladly live in the past but I recently put one toe across the line with the purchase of a Copper Windsor - a real beauty and stellar shaver and now in my top three (NEW SC & 05 Single Ring). Despite my recent purchase I still enjoy my vintage razors (40+) and will be firmly in the yesteryear camp for the duration.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

I'm a committed Vintage razor user across the entire DE/SE spectrum, but most of my vintage DEs aren't Gillettes. Maybe it's my face, but the non-adjustable Gillette models don't perform anywhere near as well as the Wardonia, the Schotz slant, the Leresche, or the Gibbs. The modern razors I own are copies or adaptations of vintage razors, like the Phoenix DOC, the Phoenix Prismatic, and the Rex Ambassador. I won't even bother to try a modern SE; I can't imagine one giving me a better shave than any of my vintage dirt-cheap Gem/Ever Ready/Schick razors.

 

[novice]

Several years ago I suffered from a severe case of wet shave acquisition disorder. I'll have to outlive Methuselah to use up all the soaps, creams, after shave splashes and balms and blades I have acquired. I will not admit publicly to the number of months of brushes in rotation before I would be forced to repeat. Same for razors, vintage as well as modern. Took me awhile to overcome my condition. Personally, I prefer modern razors, the Weber, the Pils, the Futur and the OneBlade have spoiled me. Their balance, their construction and their design are appealing and give me an excellent shave even if my technique may slack off at times. No question, to each his or her own. I enjoy the look and feel of the vintage razors, the Toggle, the Fatboy and the Stickey come immediately to mind for example, but put the modern razor in my hand when it comes to a shave!

 

[Quaznoid]

The reality is that the lowly Tech was the epitome of DE razor design. Perfect blade alignment, 5 point blade engagement, no moving parts and indestructible. Perfect design but bad marketing. Buy 1 for life and then what? G makes micro profit on blades, and must compete w other blades? If Tech too mild w Derby slap in a Feather. All the rest was gimmicks. TTO? Really, you can’t deal w the blade in a 3 piece? Adjustable? Don’t you end up using one setting anyway? Could have customized the shave via blade selection. With the perfection of the DE razor in the Tech, G painted itself into a corner from a marketing standpoint. Thus began the gimmicking process that brought us to 2, 3, 4, 5 blade vibrating, heated cart shave craziness, and, ironically, took some of us back to simple DE shaving w a lowly Tech. Voila

 

[raiden]

i think modern de razors are superior to the old vintage razors. Just my opinion.

 

[Cesare]

A mate of mine once went to a fancy dress party wearing a dead guys pyjamas. His missus worked in a retirement home.

Any doubts that you and Alfie Solomons are the same persons have been put to rest!

 

[paulusek]

Vintage GEM's and Injector are superior. DE Razors not.