i am coming up with loads of daft questions lately, so here's another one for you, how come razors end up as nos, i have seen some as old as perhaps 70 -80 years but classed as nos, what has happened over the forgotten years with these razors, did they not sell when sold originally and the company just stock pilled them, did the company go bust and years later people found them stored away, just curious how razors turn up years later as nos?
Nos
- Thread starter taffy
- Start date
A lot of them are probably just razors that were in a stock room somewhere.
NOS seems to be a debatable term itself though. I have seen razors listed as NOS with hone wear and ugly bevels on da bay before.
NOS seems to be a debatable term itself though. I have seen razors listed as NOS with hone wear and ugly bevels on da bay before.
I believe NOS in general occur when old stock don't get sold & for some reason just sits there on the shelf.
Then one day the old warehouse changes hands or grandpa dies & his grandchild goes thru his old basement.
Then one day the old warehouse changes hands or grandpa dies & his grandchild goes thru his old basement.
- Thread starter
- #4
Strange to think though, that something that years ago may have considered rubbish, can now fetch loads of money.
Bingo.....
It doesn't mean they were considered rubbish. For instance, I worked at a bike shop through my formative years, and we had bought out a bike shop that went out of business. In the inventory were hundreds of parts and full pieces for what was the top of the line 50 years before. Back in those days they couldn't get a part in a day or two for a customer, they had to have it in stock. I'm sure that's why the owner of the old shop had so much inventory that was so old.
As a result of buying out his inventory we got a reputation for having parts for vintage bike restoration that nobody else had. It was all "new old stock." It was also very high quality.
You are right though that just because it's new old stock, doesn't make it very good. In the booklet "shaving made easy" published over a hundred years ago he mentions that there were inferior razors that should be avoided. I wonder how many of those inferior blades are now prized "vintage steel."
- Thread starter
- #7
Perhaps rubbish was to strong a word, but you know what mean, if they did not sell
What people don't realize is they confuse NOS as a condition of the item when it has nothing to do with that at all. It just means it has never been sold retail before and it means nothing more. It's possible for NOS to be in pristine condition and it's possible for it to be all beat up.
You could go into a new car dealer and buy a car that is the current model year but was used as a loaner. It may have 5K miles on it and you might think it's a used car but the dealership would never call it that until you buy it but technically that's a NOS car because it was never sold retail before.
You could go into a new car dealer and buy a car that is the current model year but was used as a loaner. It may have 5K miles on it and you might think it's a used car but the dealership would never call it that until you buy it but technically that's a NOS car because it was never sold retail before.
Agreed, NOS is a description of having been sold...although, I personally extend that to sale and use. For example, if I was given a razor that had never been honed or used from a guy who used to work in a barber supply store I would consider that NOS. However, if I then honed and used the razor, if only once or twice, I would not consider that NOS anymore, but that's just me. Honestly, unless I'm a collector (not a user), NOS + honed + test shaved is a perfect combo for me. It saves me the trouble of having it honed and testing it.
Although I agree with the main point of NOS being unsold, I have a difficult time considering a razor NOS if it has obvious signs of shaving use. I have a few sets that have wear, but it's clearly wear (in my eyes) from storage and age - torn shippers, scuffed caps, etc. NOS is one of those things to which we all apply our own standard.
Oh - I wish I had a drawer full of those crappy ole NOS RCA Blackplate 6L6 tubes.....
I think there is a difference between "new old stock," and "old stock that has been (maybe even just slightly) used. In my oppinion "new old stock" means that it is "new" (unused), old stock (never sold).
If it doesn't qualify in either category it isn't "NOS."
Elementary, my dear Watson. You only need a razor and somebody who calls it NOS and you have it.
Whether that is a warranted label doesn't appear to bother 99.9% of the people who do it.
Oh - I wish I had a drawer full of those crappy ole NOS RCA Blackplate 6L6 tubes.....
6L6
Those were getting scarce back in the 1980's and people were stockpiling and also talking about getting Russian made tubes for their amplifiers. Does anyone make tubes anymore?At least they still make straight razors!!!
N O S = New Old Stock
To me, it's an unused razor. The condition has nothing to do with the fact that it may never have been used. It could be pristine and look like it did the day it was manufactured, or it could be pitted, rusted, and suffering from celluloid rot.
I would regard anything with hone wear, other than the initial wear put on at the factory, as not being NOS.
To me, it's an unused razor. The condition has nothing to do with the fact that it may never have been used. It could be pristine and look like it did the day it was manufactured, or it could be pitted, rusted, and suffering from celluloid rot.
I would regard anything with hone wear, other than the initial wear put on at the factory, as not being NOS.
That's how I've looked at it too. If it's in mint condition, then I add that to the description.
Sure, there are a few pretty good manufacturers (TungSol, JJ, etc.) - some maybe not so good, too. But they don't make 'em like they used to - longevity, tone, etc. They can be very expensive. It's kind of like people wanting 'old steel' razors, I guess.6L6
At least they still make straight razors!!!
I have gotten my hands on some batches of NOS straight razors in the last couple of years. These straight razors have been stored for decades in the warehouse of old cutleries and have never been sold to the public and I got the luck of contacting these resellers that wanted to get rid of this stock.
To me that's the definition of N.O.S. condition, something new (in condition), but old (in age) at the same time.
To me that's the definition of N.O.S. condition, something new (in condition), but old (in age) at the same time.
6L6
At least they still make straight razors!!!
The russians are the last to be still making tubes however I suspect there are some custom outfits who do special production for a few companies. I know Magnum Dynalab uses Cryo treated tubes in their units and they aren't russian.
I thought nos was dangerous to handle. 
