Thread: Appell Razor - Solingen - What a surprise

Didn't exactly steal this razor, bought it just to try another razor. I guess compared to new razors, it's not too expensive.

Vintage 13 16 Appell No 38 Straight Razor | eBay

But, it showed up nice, except with a tiny bit of a frown (as a lot of solingen razors a few decades ago seemed to do - I guess they must've set the bevel on a wheel), which I eliminated pretty quickly.

The only reason I mention the label is that I have never seen it before, and the razor is a touch harder than my other razors and is the absolute loudest razor I have ever had on a strop. It rings incredibly loud on a horse butt strop.

It honed up to a shockingly sharp condition after breadknifing the frown out and resetting the bevel, with the final step being on a coticule of all things (something I never get a super keen edge on). A dovo bismarck that I honed along side it took an edge half as sharp off of the same routine.

This is the second unknown razor that I've gotten that shaves head and shoulders above anything I've had before (the other one being a friedrich dennert razor) and takes a wild edge on an otherwise blah stone. And the grind is super hollow and dead straight.

The dennert razor was the only straight I've ever bought that I would never sell under any condition, and now this one makes two. Strange that both are names that I haven't been able to find another of on good shape. Dennert was a known maker, this one looks like it was given its label to be sold in france or something.

I whole heartedly agree with you Dave. Some of the best shaves I have gotten, have come from blades with little or no history. I always find it humorous when something I pick up at a yard sale for 20 bucks outshaves a DD or a W&B

Great looking blade there! Looks top-notch!
Enjoy!

Originally Posted by Magpie

I whole heartedly agree with you Dave. Some of the best shaves I have gotten, have come from blades with little or no history. I always find it humorous when something I pick up at a yard sale for 20 bucks outshaves a DD or a W&B

I've got a soft spot for the blades that are barely used, have a good polish, have a little bit of stamping on them and jimps on the top and bottom. It's pretty rare that one of those is a junky blade, and if they have a name nobody has seen, you can usually get them for a decent deal (usually better than I did, of course, that was just an impulse buy).

I like the blades that are the "it" blades, too, but I'm usually just too cheap to buy them.