Thread: 11/8 Ctex Chopper

Originally Posted by dexter90723

Thank you.

More than welcome

I'm a glass half-full kind of guy (well, actually the glass is ALWAYS full unless in a vacuum) but I digress... So my point is that I look at it like "if a guy makes a great product, why wouldn't he put his mark on it?" Rather than "if he didn't put his mark on it, it must be poor quality" that said I'm still slightly perplexed overall with this particular maker.

RMarsh

Yes the marking of the creator. What I find to be funny at least to me. Is that my everyday carry knife doesn't have a stamp, but yet I had at some point in time almost every knife under the moon and none seem to stand up to the one I carry now. Thing is most of my custom razors with stamps from makers seem to be taking a second place rating next to this unmarked razor. At the end of the day I've had razors with stamps that have been a better paper weight or eye candy than a shaver. Not sure about most but I "USE" mine... With a stamp or without this mans razors have been
hands down one of my best shavers

Originally Posted by PLJ

RMarsh

Yes the marking of the creator. What I find to be funny at least to me. Is that my everyday carry knife doesn't have a stamp, but yet I had at some point in time almost every knife under the moon and none seem to stand up to the one I carry now. Thing is most of my custom razors with stamps from makers seem to be taking a second place rating next to this unmarked razor. At the end of the day I've had razors with stamps that have been a better paper weight or eye candy than a shaver. Not sure about most but I "USE" mine... With a stamp or without this mans razors have been
hands down one of my best shavers

I am 100% in agreement with this, and I cannot for the life of me determine why anyone cares if this razor is marked or not. It is an incredible piece. From your evaluation (which I hold to be true), IT IS A GREAT SHAVER. Does anything else matter?

And for those of you who feel that this maker needs his own style: I would be willing to be that everyone who makes razors is somehow influenced by others. I really hate to say it, but there is not much in this world that is 100% original, and that is OK. Everyone is influenced by someone else. Clearly, this person can form steel with great skill. Clearly he wants to keep his name out of the spotlight. Perhaps he is modest. Perhaps he doesn't want dozens of Monday morning quarterbacks criticizing his every choice. Perhaps he likes his bevels a little wider than the guy looking at a picture and saying the bevel should be smaller. Who knows what his reasoning is. It could even be that he does this for a hobby and doesn't want a wait list for his creations. No matter his reasoning, the choice to stay anonymous is his. Our opinions are fairly irrelevant on that issue.

PLJ, congrats on receiving that great blade, and best of luck with it.

Putting ones name or stamp on any custom made Item in no way denotes Quality.

Originally Posted by PLJ

Even if the razor wasn't mine I would still be saying this, but really I don't see much similarity in the three. I have razors from builders all over and I must say some do look the same as each other. I guess I just have a little more respect not to post photos or name drop. BTW I do like those green scales I had those on one of my customs a couple years back. Nice touch

The irony here is that there is a name to drop...stamped right on the blade. And the respect that should be shown is to not copy another mans design.

Originally Posted by rbaker2778

And for those of you who feel that this maker needs his own style: I would be willing to be that everyone who makes razors is somehow influenced by others. I really hate to say it, but there is not much in this world that is 100% original, and that is OK. Everyone is influenced by someone else.

True. There are only so many shapes for a razor, and so many ways to make a humpback or a tang or a point. Some of what I do has been influenced by Robert Williams mainly, because I like his style. But being inspired by is different from making an exact replica like the other day with Charlie Lewis' razor.

Originally Posted by rbaker2778

Perhaps he doesn't want dozens of Monday morning quarterbacks criticizing his every choice.

I have to take exception with this.
I don't know if you ever visit the workshop or the forge forums, but all of us who start making blades and discuss / show off our first projects make things that are not perfect. And yet never do we criticize. We give feedback, point out what could be better, say 'well done, congratulations'. We never say 'that really didn't go well' or other negative things.

If anything, we are glad for everyone who made a razor, be it one or many, regardless of how good or bad it turned out.

The one and only thing that is causing discussion is the fact that whoever is making these razors has made exact copies of other people's work without even being so nice as to attribute the work. Everything else is not causing any discussion whatsoever.

Originally Posted by rbaker2778

Perhaps he likes his bevels a little wider than the guy looking at a picture and saying the bevel should be smaller. Who knows what his reasoning is. It could even be that he does this for a hobby and doesn't want a wait list for his creations. No matter his reasoning, the choice to stay anonymous is his. Our opinions are fairly irrelevant on that issue.

Wide bevels are a functional issue, not just cosmetics. That's like saying a person buying a new sports car could have a preference for the wheels not being aligned properly. Yes the car will drive, and he is free to prefer driving like that. But from an objective, geometrical pov, that is a functional issue. The bevel width has absolutely no relevance for shaving, but it does for honing.

And the mark has absolutely no bearing on wanting a waiting list or not. A blademaker can refuse to take any orders and still mark his work.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Putting ones name or stamp on any custom made Item in no way denotes Quality.

No, but it denotes the fact that someone is willing to stand by his work.

Originally Posted by Bruno

No, but it denotes the fact that someone is willing to stand by his work.

Didn't think your work favored Williams at all. Looked like a replica of my OCD razor.

Originally Posted by Catrentshaving

The irony here is that there is a name to drop...stamped right on the blade. And the respect that should be shown is to not copy another mans design.

I would agree if was a copy.