Thread: Porcelain scales

A pair of porcelain scales just went on ebay.

I'm still new to straight razors, so perhaps it's not too strange that I've never seen ceramic scales before. I think I'd be pretty worried about chipping if I had a razor with scales like that. Does anyone here have a ceramic scaled razor?

They look nice , but like you said , it seems impractical to use porcelain for razor scales . Maybe that's why they look like they've never been used . They are also mis-matched , although the designs on each scale are similar , they are not the same . I've never seen a razor with porcelain scales either , but that doesn't mean they don't exsist . I wonder if they're bogus .

I guess they could do well on a display piece, or generally in the collection of a straight razor scales collector (I'm guessing the buyer is one).

They'd be weird to use, in that they'd probably throw off the balance of the razor somehow. But would definately look good on a display only razor.

Then again... what's the point of a display razor if you can't use it?

I don't see why this impractical. other than the price I would be happy to have a few sets.

I'd personally be worried about the porcelain (china) itself chipping. The metal of the tang could do some damage to the inside of the scales over time I would think. But then again, wood works fine . Just seems like porcelain is more prone to accidental damage. If you dropped them once...

Originally Posted by RobertFontaine

I don't see why this impractical. other than the price I would be happy to have a few sets.

I think porcelain scales are impractical for many reasons . First , they would be too heavy , also they are too fragile , and I don't want scales that are hard enough to do serious damage to the edge if the edge was to accidently hit the scales , when closing the razor . I think they might be a little tricky to pin , too . Of course , all this is just my opinion YMMV .

I'll give you fragile in that if I bounced them off my ceramic floor the might break but I don't drop my razors.

The others aren't well reasoned.

weight - should be fine
damage to blade - the edge doesn't touch the scales it is protected by them.

I'd be happy to have several sets of these but not at the price they went for.

I think chipping on the ceramic would be a bigger problem than damage on the blade.