Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Not long ago I picked up a razor lot with 2 SE's and 1 DE. As often happens, I was gunning for the one SE I didn't have, but the other two were both "happy accidents" or "positive collateral damage". The DE was an all black razor with the word National stamped under the base plate. Upon reviewing Mr. Waits' Compendium, I discovered the razor is purported to have been produced in/around 1941 for distribution by the Red Cross. That's all I can find, although apparently the company that produced them was based in New York, New York.
I'm always happy to try unusual razors and brands (i.e., not Gillette), but my expectations are that the shave (like many razors) will often be a clone of one of my Gillette's....this one surprised me. I'll come back with more pictures to visually illustrate the following points....the pic posted below is from today's shave:
So I'll be back with more pics to better visually illustrate this razor; but here is today's shave: Gillette Nacet blade (3rd shave), Yaqi Timberwolf Brush and Valobra Fougere soap....finish was just a splash of Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel.
If you have a National DE razor, I'd love to hear your experience with it....I'd also like to know more history if anyone has thing beyond the Waits' info.
I'm always happy to try unusual razors and brands (i.e., not Gillette), but my expectations are that the shave (like many razors) will often be a clone of one of my Gillette's....this one surprised me. I'll come back with more pictures to visually illustrate the following points....the pic posted below is from today's shave:
- It's a standard 3 piece razor, made out of what I assume is bakelite, but the baseplate is surprisingly thick.
- Very little of the blade is exposed once the cap assembled. There is a fair amount of blade bend when the razor is assembled, and while the top cap doesn't seem especially wide, there is minimal blade gap, and I would venture to say VERY little blade exposure.
- One surprising feature was that the blade tabs are covered by the top plate. A picture would explain it better, but basically the top cap extends out just enough to cover the blade ears (and thus protect my lobes when I get careless)
So I'll be back with more pics to better visually illustrate this razor; but here is today's shave: Gillette Nacet blade (3rd shave), Yaqi Timberwolf Brush and Valobra Fougere soap....finish was just a splash of Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel.
If you have a National DE razor, I'd love to hear your experience with it....I'd also like to know more history if anyone has thing beyond the Waits' info.