Thread: Razors From India

Originally Posted by navarre

When they say "most" shaves are with a straight - or flat razor - its actually a DE being referred to.

I'm working in Delhi for the next 3 1/2 weeks - been here just over a week already (tough breaks) havent had the chance yet to pick up some Godrej products to try out yet.

Sweet! I'd love to visit India...

The Indian Gillette DE blades are really really good. The Black box (Platinums?) and the Green Box (Super sharps, I thinK) are both excellent quality blades, so if you ever do DE, they're a good investment. If you get a chance to pick up some Godrej stuff, do it. And let me know...soaps or creams, they have VERY good reputations.

Of course it was a very long time ago but I've always been intrigued by the Sheffield W&Bs among other makers that are prominently etched 'Fine India Steel'. Also the very collectible pocket knives Belknap hardware distributed back in the '20s and '30s that were marked John Primble India Steel Works.

I wonder if there was something more than marketing going on there ? Was there a special steel making process going on there back then and could there be anything like it today ? Maybe a small batch Wootz type of thing ?

One of the first links that I opened when I searched for "India steel companies" was Mittal Steel Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The company was founded in 1976 in Calcutta, India by Lakshmi Mittal. After some mergers, it is the world's largest steel company now. Maybe, India does have a reputable steel industry. At least they have volume.

More about Indian steel, then I am done. (Probably.) A lot about the burgeoning steel industry in India here...
India’s Steel Industry

I don't know if there is a correlation, but India is the largest ship salvagers in the world. Also, don't the Pakistanis get their steel from the ships that India dismantles? Would this be the same source for the modern day steel industry in India? I guess my point is that I would be skeptical of steel from India, especially if it is at a bargain price.

I was reading last night about the Indian steel industry. It is growing very rapidly. It sounded like the industry is respectable and increasingly able to produce quality items. Continuing to research.

This got me curious, so I started to search and came up with this site:Alibaba.com - The world's largest online B2B marketplace.

It has tons of information about manufacturers and it looks like most of the straight razors in India are ones with replaceable blades. Still very interesting.

But the Godrej shaving game uses a cartridge razor: Godrej Shaving Cream

I was in India for three mts with my school and got a bunch of good straight-shaves there. It is actually the reason I started out with it in the first place, thinking back to those comfortable months.
All the barbers I went to used shavette type razors, so I don't know anything about actual straights made there. But it is a lot of straight shaving going on. And those head and face massages are heavenly!

I've lived in India all my life. I'm afraid anyone who expects to find quality straight razors here is going to be disappointed. Most barbers use razors with detachable blades; the scare of HIV infection alone is enough to drive away straight razors from barbershops. You may find some family heirlooms quietly rusting away, belongings of a departed ancestor, with the present owners least aware or interested. There also probably are some products of a cottage industry, but I wouldn't care to shave with them.

I've been hunting around in Mumbai and elsewhere in India for straight razors for six months or so, and haven't found any. My Dovo is on its way from the U.S.

The fact that the Indian steel industry is technologically highly advanced has pretty little to do with straight razor manufacture. There's no demand in India for straight razors. About 50% of all Indians are below 25. Most of the guys of this age group wouldn't have seen, and probably not heard of, straight razors; in any case, their interest (as also of older Indians) in steel products would extend to such things as motorbikes and laptops, (not steel, but you know what I mean) and not straight razors. Most people I spoke to about the razors either indulged me in my harmless eccentricity (what's wrong with a Mach 3?), or warned me to be careful not to kill myself.

If anyone does find quality straight razors here, there are at least two definitely interested buyers; me, and another Indian who posted here, who too was planning to import a razor.