Miss that vibrating handle?

[scotrace]

I have one of these and use it now and then on weekends. It may seem a little off-putting to go near your face with a razor sharp vibrating object, but it is actually quite safe and gives a good shave. It tends to make me take slower strokes when using it. It is quite heavy when compared to the average Merkur.
Upside - the slight vibration/buzzing is very cool. It gives a shave equal to any good quality double edge safety razor. I really don't think the vibration does anything for closeness-of-shave. But it does have a slight massage effect, which is nice.
Downside - Gotta stop and rewind it a couple of times to get through a whole shave. Sitting it down on the counter/sink while you re-lather is not a good thing while it's still vibrating (there's no way to make it stop until it runs down). You will only do this once. Place it on a towel, if need be.

They go cheaply enough - pick one up and give it a try. Be prepared for raised eyebrows from your Significant Other regarding your new "vibrator."

I also have a Rolls Razor, which is a nifty novelty but way too much trouble for a lousy shave and bloodletting.

 

[zachster]

I'll buy that. Another theory why these monsters appear to be in such good shape is that they killed their previous owners on their first use as soon as someone actually tried to shave his throat.

That would certainly explain why the Stahly company is no more!

 

[zachster]

Actually, I'll contradict my own previous post -- my guess is that Stahly is no longer around because of their prices. Take a look at one of their magazine ads from the '40s -- these things were selling for upward of $20, and were offered in gold and silver plating, during the war! There's a business plan only Enron could justify...

 

[moses]

I also note it is warranted for only one year, and has an awful lot of little gears. Wondering how many still work well....

 

[bearbeard]

Take the Y off the end of STAHLY and don't you have a chainsaw brand? Just might be how they got started.

 

[msandoval858]

Seems like shaving with this would be the perfect to break out my old Jackyl CD and listen to Lumberjack!

 

[dszpiro]

Here's another vibrating razor on eBay.

What seems noteworthy with this model are the nifty attachments that come with the vibrating handle. This one could be fun for the whole family!

Cheers,

 

[Jim]

That needs to be someones avatar !

 

[Jason]

I have one also. Didn't care much for the shave itself, but it is just darn intriguing piece of engineering. I even looked up some of the patent numbers, it has a ton of gears and is quite complex. Very expensive when introduced though.

 

[dszpiro]

Jason, I'm curious: did your come with the original packaging and/or instructions? I wonder how they explained the use of the other heads.

Cheers,

 

[dszpiro]

This is not a vibrating handle razor, but it is nonetheless a novelty razor. I am not sure how handy this flashlight really is: I think I would simply up the wattage of the bathroom light first.

Cheers,

 

[dszpiro]

After posting links to eBay auctions for vibrating DE razors with wind-up mechanisms or AC-powered mechanisms, I thought I'd post another link for an early battery-powered DE razor.

This auction is for what might be the precursor to the Fusion Power. Actually, it doesn't appear to be terribly over-sized compared with some of the early attempts at a vibrating handle. Based on the photo on the box, it looks like another advantage of this razor is the elimination of the need for any kind of lather.

Cheers,

 

[Justso]

The guy on the box cover looks like a fat Russell Crowe

 

[dszpiro]

So he does! Russell Growe?

Cheers,

 

[Ben]

I use my Stahly Live Blade. It's a fine shaver, whether wound up or not. I'm told they are easy to overwind, which renders the mechanism useless. It's a heavy razor that is pretty generous with blade exposure.

 

[Argus]

Take the Y off the end of STAHLY and don't you have a chainsaw brand? Just might be how they got started.

Bob,

I think your looking for Stihl. Very good for logs, just a touch aggresive for shaving.

___
Sean

 

[Harkonnendog]

Received my Stahley Live Blade yesterday and shaved with it last night. The fit and finish are excellent, better than my Merkur HD. The shave last night was just okay. I think I'll try to master this blade sans vibration first, then try to the vibrating featrue. Then I'll write a big review.

 

[zachster]

The guy on the box cover looks like a fat Russell Crowe

Well, he's certainly not a model. My guess is that he's the hapless inventor of this device...

 

[Jason]

I have actually shaved with one of these. I was not impressed with the quality of the shaves versus my adjustable Gillette. However the reason I bought it was because it looks really cool. I looked up the patent information on it and the complexity of the gearing involved is impressive. The vintage ads for them are pretty interesting also.

I think the reason there are so many in such great shape is due to their incredibly high cost. At a time when sales tax only existed when the item cost more than $20, then a 20% luxury tax was charged (According to the ad.)