Thread: New razor

I've just bought myself a straight razor but I have no idea if its a good one or not...I've bought it in a store where they sell lots of shaving stuff, the razor I've bought is black and it says Greis & Co Solingen, Extra Hollow Ground, Fully Waranted and the number 57 is on it, I can't seem to find this "brand" anywhere on the internet... Has anyone ever heard about it? The lady who sold it to me said all the equipment was of good quality and they have lots of DOVO stuff too, it was 65€ for the razor..the next one was already 130€ I didnt wanted to start with an expensive one so she said this was a good start... I also have a strop of DOVO and a shaving stick of Dr. Harris.. So where do I start? Stropping it first? Do I have to use a brush? Ive visited the site of Dr Harris which says its not necessary with the stick... And the lady didnt say a lot about the honing part she just said to strop it everytime I juse it and if its getting bad to use the backside...

Welcome! Glad you found this place. Where do you start - by reading the stickies in this section. Your razor may need to be honed first. I think the other members from Belgium have expressed willingness to help newbies start up.


Cheers

From where in Belgium are you?

I study in Gent and I live in W VL, kortrijk -waregem, how about you?

I am curious about the razor. Is it possible that it is restored vintage or new old stock? From what I understand bad solingen blades are extremely rare (unless they've been messed up with), so it should be a very good razor. But what do I know - I've been around here only 2 weeks or so...
Perhaps somebody with experience can shed more light on this.

It thinks it's new (she said they were selling pretty good)but I honestly have no idea, it came in a little plastic black box with a white sticker on it which says: RAZOR with super fine, long-lasting cutting edge for exceptionally smooth and clean shaves. Then it says the same thing again in 3 other languages, it also says: Made by skilled craftsmen in Solingen (logo)West- Germany... I just can't find it anywhere on the net...Well I've tried shaving myself twice now and either I'm doing something wrong or it just isnt sharp enough. I can't seem to get all the hairs removed or they just havent been cut close enough to the skin... Straight places are ok but when it comes to edges and stuff, I can just see some hairs staying there after Ive been over them with the razor...

The case sounds like a standard generic case I've seen NOS come on ebay with. I think it should be a good razor, but it's possible that it is not sharp enough. I'm a complete newbie myself, what I know is just reading past posts. But the people here are extremely helpful.

Cheers

The fact that the case says "West Germany" (i.e., before the fall of the Berlin Wall), would lead me to believe that the razor is indeed NOS. As already mentioned, Solingen blades are quality, so you should have no worries there.

It is most likely in need of some additional honing to produce an acceptable edge for shaving. While they are whetted before leaving the factory, and are quite sharp instruments compared to knives for example, they are usually not sharp enough to give a superior shave with.

So if i get this right I might have something antique? Or is that exaggerated? Thanks for the information

New old Stock, it hasn't been used, they made it with parts, that have been stored some were, or it was made a long time ago and stored. It sounds like a good razor and should serve you well. I think that your razor needs to be honed (sharpened) just a little. Some of the members from Belgium offer honing. PM one of them and see if the can help you.
My 2 cents

Phil