Loch Ness monster, Unicorns , Big Foot and the Yeti have all been seen more than this razorWhen I say 'just acquired' it rocked up today! I'll be shaving with it in the morning, and I'll let you have a full report
I thought at first it might have been just a mismatched razor in the Souplex case because the photos weren't clear at all. But it seems it is indeed the mythical "Combless" apparently
Souplex Owners Club
- Thread starter Alum Ladd
- Start date
Straight to Jedi Division with that haul Sir.
Not fair prickle pair, now i break the tenth commandment, 'thou shalt not cover another mans razor' lord have mercy upon me!
well .... why? are there so many bleedin cases yet so few [1] razors?
did everyone sacrifice the razor unto the loch ness monster, or what?
well .... why? are there so many bleedin cases yet so few [1] razors?
did everyone sacrifice the razor unto the loch ness monster, or what?
It's been nagging away at me that I've seen a reference to this razor before somewhere... and this morning it came to me! In Waits under Double Six (made by Souplex), a bakelite handled version of the same razor with the same (Paul Muller/Mercuto) patent number.
So there must have been the all-metal version in the bakelite "Combless" box (mine) and the bakelite handled Double Six version in a cardboard box!
Which doesn't answer the question of why there's so few of these around!
Shave report to follow later...
So there must have been the all-metal version in the bakelite "Combless" box (mine) and the bakelite handled Double Six version in a cardboard box!
Which doesn't answer the question of why there's so few of these around!
Shave report to follow later...
Yesterday’s exciting developments spurred me on to get the marvellous, mighty mini Souplex OC out for a race around the face.
Loaded a Personna lab blue into the minimalist slimline head, painted on some arko! lather and experienced true shave nirvana.
Ridiculously fine shave…can’t recall using this blade in the Souplex before but it sure worked a treat.
The post shaving
thumb test was akin to a well oiled dolphin on an ice rink. It’s slick, Rick…..
Loaded a Personna lab blue into the minimalist slimline head, painted on some arko! lather and experienced true shave nirvana.
Ridiculously fine shave…can’t recall using this blade in the Souplex before but it sure worked a treat.
The post shaving
Well, I have a theory? well, two theories, actually!It's been nagging away at me that I've seen a reference to this razor before somewhere... and this morning it came to me! In Waits under Double Six (made by Souplex), a bakelite handled version of the same razor with the same (Paul Muller/Mercuto) patent number.
So there must have been the all-metal version in the bakelite "Combless" box (mine) and the bakelite handled Double Six version in a cardboard box!
Which doesn't answer the question of why there's so few of these around!
Shave report to follow later...
they were so good, that they were sacrificed unto the Loch Ness Monster to appease He/She/It and keep your first born from being eaten.
or
War effort brass scrap? this odd thought pops in me grey mushy bit from time to time.
Yester day, I came upon a listing for a Souplex Nymph, nos-ish but bent up cardboard at the top yet still sealed to the majority of the card. The last made design and colour.
oooh oooh oooh, read the description quick like .... OH numpty! "made in 50's" [C0UGH, splutter, Bovine excrement!]
see both the extra blade box and card the razor case and blade are sealed to ........
.......
.....
....
...
..
have barcodes on them!!!
... well duh that means 1980 +/- 1 year in both UK and AU
Now this throws everything I have red/researched/gleaned from any sauce/source right out the window!
As a basic non technical non specific [damn close enuff without being a retentive pedantic pouch] my memory was set with the notion Souplex gave up razor manufacture in preference for plastic/bakelite kitchen utensils in the ball park year of 1960. Did they keep making bakelite razors?? well yes, obviously into the 80's.
Never assume, never treat any theory with contempt?
Some where in the previous bit of this thread, there is a pic of a bakelite combless box and a bakelite razor in it, this is how I acquired it [in about the 12th century BCE] many many moons ago, locally. So I axe you, was the razor sacrificed unto the melting pot? and replaced with the bakelite job? The cardboard box for a bakelite razor is just 100% reality in my little grey mushy stuff.
Whine with my Cheese? Yes Please
Yeah, I don't think the bakelite razors in the combless boxes are going to be a mismatch. My guess would be that Souplex repurposed them a la British Gillette - who as we know loved to re-use old boxes for later razors. Would go some way to explain the ratio of boxes to "comblesses".
Anyhow, onto the shave!
Blade alignment was a bit fiddly as it can be sometimes with these old three-hole razors. After a bit of messing around I begin to realise it's not gonna happen - on close inspection the head and top-plate don't seem to sit 100% square with each other
Maybe this explains why so few seem to exist? 
People tried to fit a blade and threw them straight into the bin 
The second thing to really note is that the blade exposure is seriously small - only the tiniest edge exposed on each side.However, certainly because of this the optimum shave angle is simplicity itself to find - you really have to hold it fairly steep as this is the only angle to get it to cut at all!
First impression: it is certainly one audible razor! It sounds like a rasp being drawn over a bed of nails! But miracle of miracles - the shave itself is silky smooooth. Don't notice any issues from the apparent (admittedly tiny) misalignment.
From all angles it feels like it's going to be almost impossible to cut yourself with it (although I'm sure I'll discover the knack at some point
). Two passes, wtg, atg, little bit of touch up around the jawline... and done! End result: very easy, very efficient and leaving my face as smooth and soft as the proverbial.
Left with a tiny bit of irritation around the neck and for this reason I'd have to say that it's not quite up there with the very best razors I own (yet*), but it's an impressive little outfit.
*Somehow I'm left with the feeling that I haven't got it quite dialed in yet. Definitely feels like there's more to come from it - I'm going to need to experiment with a couple of different blades over the next week or so.
All in all, it feels like it's yet another little Morecambe miracle (via Solingen
)!Attachments
WW2 era chrome plated potmetal baseplate?
Awesome, almost sounds like it has the asymmetric exposure from a standard double six.
Second shave with the "Combless" this morning. Decided to switch it up with a Feather blade. Usual alignment problems but I spent next to no time worrying about it today!
I'd like to think it's a design feature, but somehow I don't think it is! Maybe it got dropped on its head as a baby
Second impression is that it's still a mighty audible shave but a bit smoother yet with the Feather. Absolute pleasure to use and it's really only once I finish the second pass that I realise just how impressively close the shave is!
Despite it's performance 'on the flat' it's perhaps not the most efficient razor that I have - requires a fair bit of touch up in my usual "problem" areas - and I'm not sure if I'd go at it after 2 or 3 days of growth.
And for that reason it might not quite attain the top step of shaving nirvana. But by God it's not far off. And as a daily shaver it's definitely going to find a place in the regular rotation.
Now onto some other blades to see if there's anything more that can be wrung out of it
I'd like to think it's a design feature, but somehow I don't think it is! Maybe it got dropped on its head as a baby
Second impression is that it's still a mighty audible shave but a bit smoother yet with the Feather. Absolute pleasure to use and it's really only once I finish the second pass that I realise just how impressively close the shave is!
Despite it's performance 'on the flat' it's perhaps not the most efficient razor that I have - requires a fair bit of touch up in my usual "problem" areas - and I'm not sure if I'd go at it after 2 or 3 days of growth.
And for that reason it might not quite attain the top step of shaving nirvana. But by God it's not far off. And as a daily shaver it's definitely going to find a place in the regular rotation.
Now onto some other blades to see if there's anything more that can be wrung out of it
Congrats, what a find. That's a super rare and lovely razor, thanks for posting detailed pictures!
It looks just like the 1929 Mercuto patent.
I really need to start using my 3nd gen Double Six...
It looks just like the 1929 Mercuto patent.
I really need to start using my 3nd gen Double Six...
Last edited:
Are there any instructions on how to use the double six correctly?
Both the cap and baseplate are asymmetrical and need fit together correctly but there's no obvious way to match them. Get it wrong and the razor is terrible to use.
The head shape is more complex than Souplex are given credit for, it's not only asymmetric but also seems to slope the blade down one end (slant like? The designer was a German Souplex employee after all) Could've done with some arrows chaps.
1934 Pat 433,166 only refers to bending the blade to four corner edge supports to prevent accidental cuts. Ironically this feature was removed for 2nd gen double six models which had pat no 433,166 on the baseplate.. lol (Nymph models kept this safety design) It's useful info for dating models though.
You can see the asymmetric guard design in the patent drawings (right guard is bigger and slopes the blade down more)
Both the cap and baseplate are asymmetrical and need fit together correctly but there's no obvious way to match them. Get it wrong and the razor is terrible to use.
The head shape is more complex than Souplex are given credit for, it's not only asymmetric but also seems to slope the blade down one end (slant like? The designer was a German Souplex employee after all) Could've done with some arrows chaps.
1934 Pat 433,166 only refers to bending the blade to four corner edge supports to prevent accidental cuts. Ironically this feature was removed for 2nd gen double six models which had pat no 433,166 on the baseplate.. lol (Nymph models kept this safety design) It's useful info for dating models though.
You can see the asymmetric guard design in the patent drawings (right guard is bigger and slopes the blade down more)
huck it in the bin, it's warped.
All 3rd gens are like that from what I've seen. The best way of telling if the cap is on the correctly is checking both cap ends are equal in distance to the baseplate.
There's loads of pics online with the cap tilting in one direction (the cap also sits .5mm higher on one side before tightening the handle)
The bakelite cap and baseplate have been molded to clamp the blade in a complex way, a bit like a slant.
Last edited:
My double six came in a grooming kit with a couple of lovely 'pepper pots'. They're marked SM (or MS) on the inside. Wonder if this mark means Souplex Morecambe? Didn't manufacturer marks became fashionable again as part of the art deco revival of the late 40s/50s.
ok, while i can agree there was complex issues in razor design i'm now going for a who gives a rats manufacturing fault noddy nut did'nt has he glasses on those days
All 3rd gens are like that from what I've seen. The best way of telling if the cap is on the correctly is checking both cap ends are equal in distance to the baseplate.
View attachment 1819603
There's loads of pics online with the cap tilting in one direction (the cap also sits .5mm higher on one side before tightening the handle)
View attachment 1819604
The bakelite cap and baseplate have been molded to clamp the blade in a complex way, a bit like a slant.
these were what? price. they are bakelite/plastic, cheap as, but not cheap and nasty
you referenced Nymph before, the last of them were atrociously thin compared to the early versions and out of 4 very scarce ones, i've only seen one uncracked or chipped, collectors even snap up the cracked ones
Are you searching for something that is simply not there?
The Double Six is famous for having asymmetric/differential aggression. One side is mild/medium, the other is super aggressive.
I'm just saying both cap and baseplate are used to achieve that, it's a fantastic shaver when on correctly
- Thread starter
- #97
I gave a reluctantly 'sad' reaction because I sensed you found this Souplex missing link slightly lacking in performance in terms of the shave. After the Souplex OC, who would not have expectations performance wise, of almost miraculous results? Who I say?Second shave with the "Combless" this morning. Decided to switch it up with a Feather blade. Usual alignment problems but I spent next to no time worrying about it today!
I'd like to think it's a design feature, but somehow I don't think it is! Maybe it got dropped on its head as a baby
View attachment 1817303
Second impression is that it's still a mighty audible shave but a bit smoother yet with the Feather. Absolute pleasure to use and it's really only once I finish the second pass that I realise just how impressively close the shave is!
Despite it's performance 'on the flat' it's perhaps not the most efficient razor that I have - requires a fair bit of touch up in my usual "problem" areas - and I'm not sure if I'd go at it after 2 or 3 days of growth.
And for that reason it might not quite attain the top step of shaving nirvana. But by God it's not far off. And as a daily shaver it's definitely going to find a place in the regular rotation.
Now onto some other blades to see if there's anything more that can be wrung out of it
Only the most crassly and churlish unbeliever of the power of Souplex I suspect.
Bravely you accentuated it's many obviously excellent Souplexy greatness-based features. Who would not, with such a rarity and from such an outstanding stable?
But my soul died a little reading your well-chosen and gentle words.
But I sensed a slight disappointment in your description, which I found deeply poignant.
In other thread news:
Gripping stuff and good discussion there on the Double Six design characteristics here @creamgravy and @Wombat ESQ !
That's eaxactly what the thread is for! Keep it up!
I need a D/S in my life.
Last edited:
I was going to ask you about your reaction!
I really do try to be as objective as I can with a new razor as I'm undoubtedly prone to confirmation bias - particularly if it's relatively rare (or I've paid more than I should for one
) - where it instantly becomes "the greatest razor I've ever owned* (*TM)" for the first 5 shaves. Until I sober up again 
So obviously I have a vast spreadsheet that scores them all across half a dozen different made-up categories that I then weight in some arcane fashion, and that if anyone was to see or try to understand would confirm me as a complete madman.For me it just doesn't quite have... the 'x' factor? It doesn't blow my socks off! I think the problem is that although it's very easy to use and it honestly does give a really great close, comfortable shave... it just lacks any real sense of danger!
But maybe that's just me!Perhaps it's the lack of blade exposure that means it's all a bit 'one note'. I can't do much with it except find the one angle it'll work on and shave with it. I need to find someone that manufactures a blade that's a millimetre wider than standard
Or perhaps I'll look for a top cap that's slightly narrower 
So I wouldn't want anyone to think that the 'missing link' is the Holy Grail. It would have been nice but it's not. But also I wouldn't want anyone to feel sad for me
It really is a very, very good shave. And quite rare. And very interesting. And I picked it up - more or less accidentally - for a song. I'm very, very pleased that I own It - and it's going to be used a lot And I'm a member of the Souplex Owners Club 
Now where's the t-shirt? 
Break out the 5inch angle grinder and hack a mil off the edge? the 8inch angle grinder would be a bit of overkillOr perhaps I'll look for a top cap that's slightly narrower
I'm not much into patent drawings, last one I actively searched was a Stahly Live Blade, I wanted to see how the hell they were put together so it would come apart, it's still not apart, fully. [the last person to try, left stilsens jaw marks on it
]Anyhow, if a patent has measurements on it showing the different measurements?
I did take pix of how Souplex went south in the latter years with Nymph, probably not polar south, but south for the winter of their upcoming end to razor manufacture. The butterscotch and royal blue were the end of the era, both were a mottled colour with white flecks. There is conjecture over this colouration? Some say it was experimentation of colours that were not mixed properly? some might say it was intentional? Who nose? They made it out of the factory into general population that way and were not discarded, opinion:- they do look poxy
Even the premier range of The Deluxe made it into circulation with the thin cap edge, dang they are so easy to chip those edges it's not funny!
And yes I do have big ones too, but they have the typical souplex handle bar moostash bar.
Any observed discrepancy is due to the angles they are sitting at.
Is this a legit Souplex? I see the handle design is a bit different.
Vintage 1940s Souplex Safety Shaver In Bakelite Case - Made in England | eBay
<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Vintage 1940s Safety Razor In Bakelite Case - Made in England.</p> <br> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Great Condition.</p> <br> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">INCLUDES no BLADES</p>
www.ebay.co.uk
Similar threads
