Souplex were a British razor manufacturer based in Morecombe, Lancashire and they produced some excellent razors in the 1920's-1940's, notably the fabulous bakelite Double Six and Double Six Minor.
They also produced a very attractive Art Deco metal open comb razor, marketed under the Souplex, Paragon and Big Ben brands though it's unclear what the differences between the different brands were.
Anyway, I 've been wanting to acquire one of these metal open combs for a long time, and now it's here!
The first thing to notice about the razor apart from its clean and elegant Art Deco lines is just how light it is - it has a hollow handle and weighs in at about 35g
I read that the Big Ben version has a solid heavier handle and possibly a different finish - my Souplex OC is plated with sparkling chrome
I'd also read varying reports as to the aggression or otherwise of this razor and the geometry is very interesting: small blade exposure and a small blade gap make for a mild and very comfortable shallow angle shave but the curvature of the baseplate allows for a steep angle shave too and this is equally comfortable but also shockingly efficient and, combined with the very light weight, reminds me of some of those fiercely aggressive bakelites.
So a bit like an adjustable or the Double Six which has a different blade exposure on each side, the Souplex Open Comb allows for either a mild shave with the shallow angle or a much fiercer shave with the steep angle.
Whether this is a brilliant piece of design or a happy accident, who knows? But it works great for me and I'm very pleased to have acquired this razor.
It's also ironic that since Tudor times and the Wars of the Roses, there has been a great rivalry between Lancashire, home of Souplex in Morecombe, and Yorkshire, home of the innumerable great Sheffield razor manufacturers.
I haven't tried any DEs from Sheffield, though I hear that the highly collectible Eclipse Red Ring isn't a particularly good shaver, but the Lancashire Souplex Open Comb with its unexpected variable geometry and awesome Art Deco looks is absolutely excellent.
They also produced a very attractive Art Deco metal open comb razor, marketed under the Souplex, Paragon and Big Ben brands though it's unclear what the differences between the different brands were.
Anyway, I 've been wanting to acquire one of these metal open combs for a long time, and now it's here!
The first thing to notice about the razor apart from its clean and elegant Art Deco lines is just how light it is - it has a hollow handle and weighs in at about 35g
I read that the Big Ben version has a solid heavier handle and possibly a different finish - my Souplex OC is plated with sparkling chrome
I'd also read varying reports as to the aggression or otherwise of this razor and the geometry is very interesting: small blade exposure and a small blade gap make for a mild and very comfortable shallow angle shave but the curvature of the baseplate allows for a steep angle shave too and this is equally comfortable but also shockingly efficient and, combined with the very light weight, reminds me of some of those fiercely aggressive bakelites.
So a bit like an adjustable or the Double Six which has a different blade exposure on each side, the Souplex Open Comb allows for either a mild shave with the shallow angle or a much fiercer shave with the steep angle.
Whether this is a brilliant piece of design or a happy accident, who knows? But it works great for me and I'm very pleased to have acquired this razor.
It's also ironic that since Tudor times and the Wars of the Roses, there has been a great rivalry between Lancashire, home of Souplex in Morecombe, and Yorkshire, home of the innumerable great Sheffield razor manufacturers.
I haven't tried any DEs from Sheffield, though I hear that the highly collectible Eclipse Red Ring isn't a particularly good shaver, but the Lancashire Souplex Open Comb with its unexpected variable geometry and awesome Art Deco looks is absolutely excellent.
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