Thread: straight razor manufacturers

Henkells, or Zwilings had some small selection 5 and 6/8 razors, priced ~150$ on their website. I haven't heard of japanese razors?

Nenad

This is the thread we had last year with a link to a site that sells some Japanese style razors, but I'm sure I saw another where they (the Japanese) were making western style razors and I don't mean that Kamisori junk neither.

X

I have enough trouble with regular razors forget those Japanese models I will lose too much blood.

I was thinking of something more like free advertising and satisfaction of keeping the tradition alive. My idea was to produce something equivalent to Dovo/TI.. Good but not in your league. Ofcourse I'd have links to your site posted in several locations with a caption "..if you are looking for an exceptionally fine and well-crafted piece.." Actually I wouldn't do it out of any obligation. I would also make sure to mention other regulars' shave-related business, but I really respect your level of craft and I think that it deserves additional exposure.

P.S. This idea isn't set in stone yet, but I'm seriously considering it b/c I always had an interest in metalworking and always wanted to have my own business. Circumstances took me in a different direction.

I could make some razors (dang no evil genious face)

I heard of a new stainless steel for kitchen knives that can be hardened to rc 70 wonder how that would work for a razor?

Or maybe use some powdered swedish steel that stuff is really good also?

I know nothing about steel but I think steel is better today than 100 years ago and you could make a better razor.

But how would I grind them and I don't want to be the person that hardens them.

Originally Posted by Lashtal

I heard of a new stainless steel for kitchen knives that can be hardened to rc 70 wonder how that would work for a razor?

If you make a razor with an RC of 70 don't even think of asking anyone to hone it for you! Only diamond hones would work on that.

Originally Posted by urleebird

VERY Expensive?

Here's something you can consider. It's much cheaper:

http://tinyurl.com/rc3hy

Just because you or I want a straight razor does not mean there is now a "worldwide demand" for them. My guess is that if the demand were there, it would happen. Wow! How bout starting your own company? You could sell them for $50 apiece and make a killing. I'll be first in line...

I actually wondered about how well another company would do, and briefly toyed with the idea (for about 0.001 seconds). I personally really enjoyed the challenge of learning how to hone. But after I finally achieved success and was getting wonderful and comfortable shaves, I looked back on all the time I spent learning it (about 2 months), and realized that very few people would be willing to make the effort.

How many people are still into it? We can try to estimate: If I count the number of dedicated websites like SRP, (I only know two, SRP, and Badger and Blade), and say I'm off by up to a factor of 10. That means there are maybe 20 dedicated sites around the world. If each of those sites has about 500 people each (there seems to be a lot of overlap between SRP and B&B, so my estimate is conservative), then there are only 10,000 people world wide that visit straight razor sites. If only 1 in 10 people that use straights visit and sign up for these sites, then about only 100,000 people around the world still shave this way. That's a really small number. With 6 billion people on the planet, were a very small fraction:

1e5/6e9 = 1.6e-5 = 0.002%

Not sure if this number makes me feel special... or crazy! :-)

Cheers,
Eric

Not so sure either...on the other hand there are possibiliys to expand that market. Most people are simply not aware of the advantages of Straight Razor shaving. The Straight razor is seen at best as a weapon (think the Matrix Reloaded, the evil twins in that use straights or "White men can't jump" in which there is a big guy in the ghetto that threatens people with a straight).

If people become more aware they become more curious. I tell people about the advantages (you don't even want to know how many people have felt my face in the past few weeks) and they're quite interested.

Don't forget in the movie The Warriors the leader of the Orphan's threatens them with a straight or something like that.

I wonder how the steel would hold an edge. Probably longer than any other razor in the history of mankind

You could go around trying to sell them but someone that hasn't shaved with one before could cut themselves and that wouldn't help selling them.

You would need a big sign that says FREE SHAVE on it and would need to convince someone they could get as good a shave themselves.

I’ve often wondered what it would take to jumpstart straight razor use again. All I can come up with is some sort of major celebrity endorsement. Such as:

“Hi, I’m Oscar Winner George Clooney ™ and I only use a straight razor. That’s why I get laid so much…”

If such a celebrity made such a statement there would be an instant surge in straight razor sales. Followed by trips to the emergency room.

Know why there are no American made straights today? No American company could make one large enough for all the warning labels.

We’ll have to be content to keep this arcanum amongst ourselves.

Regards &c
LG Roy