POMCO Slant Razor...Help dating it...Couple questions.

[retrolike]

After getting the 39C & 37C I am hooked on Slants. I grabbed this POMCO Slant off the bay this week and I just got it today. This razor is awesome...sorry to anyone else who were trying to grab it. Three questions...
-Does anyone know how to date this razor? It says POMCO Chicago IL Germany on the handle.
-Is the handle supposed to be silver or white like this one shows in the pics?
-How does this razor compare in popularity & value to the Hoffritz slant?

 

[jbradley]

I know nothing about it, but it is gorgeous! Maybe Alex can help date it.

 

[MacDaddy]

-Does anyone know how to date this razor? It says POMCO Chicago IL Germany on the handle.
-Is the handle supposed to be silver or white like this one shows in the pics?
-How does this razor compare in popularity & value to the Hoffritz slant?

I can't give you any specifics on dating, but it was made by Merkur and just labeled with the Pomco brand (for Otto Pomper's, a cutlery dealer out of Chicago) the same way the Hoffritz, Coles, etc. razors were. Models of the same era would be more or less identical, aside from a particular vendor's quality standards for acceptance.

 

[Evil Malkil]

Beautiful Slant! Me want it!!!

 

[whavens]

Looks just like my Hoffritz. If it just says Germany on the handle it is pre WWII, otherwise it would say W. Germany.

 

[alex2363]

Merkur had a similar colored handle too,

1934 to 47 eras.

 

[alex2363]

The hoffritz is the same as yours, even the case and lettering, it was made in 1940, maybe same as your too.

 

[Chester]

Nice example in great condition. It's a great shaver. One of the best, most grippy handles on any razor.
-- Chet

 

[smalltank]

I believe the Pomco Slant was first...then came Hoffritz Slant Bar...and finally Merkur bought em..small differences between the three

 

[rxonmymind]

My Hoffritz handle is much like yours. Congrats on the win.

 

[Oel]

Wow, that Pomco is almost to nice to shave with.

I tried a lot to specify in what time what Merkur razor was made, but it is really difficult to impossible to get trustable informations.

It is difficult to specify when that beautiful Pomco was made as these razors have no date code. I supect that this razor has been made in the 1950ies or early 1960ies, but cannot say for sure.

If you scroll down on on that page you find two vintage brochures from Emil Hermes, that made the razors until 1980, before Wolfgang Hannemann bought the production line:

http://translate.google.de/translat...rasiert.de/forum/index.php/topic,15523.0.html

The razor alex 2363 posted a picture from is the Merkur 38 with thin handle, slanted head and long screwing, I own one, too. That razor has not to be mistakened with the Merkur 38 from the current production. You find the specifications on page 5 in the vintage brochure. So these were still in production in 1962.

I have the the information from Dovo, that these razors from the so called 'Chessman slant'-batch were made in the early 60ies, too.

Btw. Merkur never wrote 'W.-Germany' on their razors directly, exept on the razors with the Brumml-branding.

I also own a Merkur 36c, that is a model with thin handle, slanted head and short screwing. The razor is NOS and came from the old stock of a vendor. That razor came in the original box and the cardboard box and I have the trustable information from the vendor, that this razor was made in 1989. Even that razor has written 'Merkur Solingen-Germany' on the handle and nothing like 'W-Germany' . But the outer cardboard box and the little instruction-paper inside the box has a 'Made in W.-Germany' printing so it was made before the german reunification. As I said that W-Germany printing was only on the package, never on their razors directly, exept for the Brumml-Branded razors.

I spent some time to find something out about the age of different Merkur slants as I have several in my collection and wanted to share what I found out.

 

[whavens]

Yeah the whole set looks like my Hoffritz. My head has some bad spots on it, but they don't hit your face as you shave due to the blade exposure. That razor just mows down two day growth.

 

[alex2363]

Wow, that Pomco is almost to nice to shave with.

I tried a lot to specify in what time what Merkur razor was made, but it is really difficult to impossible to get trustable informations.

It is difficult to specify when that beautiful Pomco was made as these razors have no date code. I supect that this razor has been made in the 1950ies or early 1960ies, but cannot say for sure.

If you scroll down on on that page you find two vintage brochures from Emil Hermes, that made the razors until 1980, before Wolfgang Hannemann bought the production line:

http://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gut-rasiert.de%2Fforum%2Findex.php%2Ftopic%2C15523.0.html

The razor alex 2363 posted a picture from is the Merkur 38 with thin handle, slanted head and long screwing, I own one, too. That razor has not to be mistakened with the Merkur 38 from the current production. You find the specifications on page 5 in the vintage brochure. So these were still in production in 1962.

I have the the information from Dovo, that these razors from the so called 'Chessman slant'-batch were made in the early 60ies, too.

Btw. Merkur never wrote 'W.-Germany' on their razors directly, exept on the razors with the Brumml-branding.

I also own a Merkur 36c, that is a model with thin handle, slanted head and short screwing. The razor is NOS and came from the old stock of a vendor. That razor came in the original box and the cardboard box and I have the trustable information from the vendor, that this razor was made in 1989. Even that razor has written 'Merkur Solingen-Germany' on the handle and nothing like 'W-Germany' . But the outer cardboard box and the little instruction-paper inside the box has a 'Made in W.-Germany' printing so it was made before the german reunification. As I said that W-Germany printing was only on the package, never on their razors directly, exept for the Brumml-Branded razors.

I spent some time to find something out about the age of different Merkur slants as I have several in my collection and wanted to share what I found out.

Great insight and info, that was very good, i will keep this in mind for future references

 

[missingskin]

I would say yours is made in the 1950s as they changed the case late 50's early 60's.
Just for Alex a pic of a later one..........

 

[Haiku]

The handle is meant to be white. I've forgotten the type of finish it is, someone on this board will know. I do know on thing: it is delicate. Do not polish it, do not soak in Barbicide. I made that mistake with a vitage Merkur. A gentle wash is all that the finish will take.

 

[alex2363]

The handle is meant to be white. I've forgotten the type of finish it is, someone on this board will know. I do know on thing: it is delicate. Do not polish it, do not soak in Barbicide. I made that mistake with a vitage Merkur. A gentle wash is all that the finish will take.

some say powder coat paint

 

[alex2363]

I would say yours is made in the 1950s as they changed the case late 50's early 60's.
Just for Alex a pic of a later one..........

but waits compedium has case at 1940's ,, same case as Op's case

 

[Oel]

As far as I understand the razors came in these boxes in the 1940ies, but still in the 1960ies. The set from retrolike seems rather to be from the 1960ies I suspect.

Look on page 5 of this brochure from 1962:

http://www.gut-rasiert.de/forum/index.php/topic,15523.msg346686.html#msg346686

There the razor set number 910 still came in this box, although the razor is not a slant, but an open comb razor.

That Hoffritz slant is probably from the late 60ies:



And that Merkur razor is probably from the early fifties or late forties:



On younger Hoffritz-set you can see the hinge while you cannot see the hinge on the older Merkur-slant set.

The cloth inside the older box hides the hinge when the box is opened. On the outher box is simply stamped 'Germany'. On the boxes from the 1960ies was stamped 'Merkur - Germany'. But only on the Merkur-sets. Other brands didn't have the Merkur-writing.

Btw. the older set is a Merkur 36 (a classical 3-piece razor) with thin handle. You cannot see it on the pictures but the teeth are processed differently compared to all newer slants I have even the Chessman-slant or the Hoffritz slant. The top caps of newer slants have a small imperfection near the bottom on the screwing side while the old one has not.

 

[alex2363]

these all are white painted too

 

[Haiku]

some say powder coat paint

I don't know that they did powder coat paint in the 1930's but whether they did or not, and while I could be wrong, my vintage Merkur doesn't seem to be painted.

Great photos.