Thread: Spine Work. Do you LOVE it. or PASS it? What are yalls opinions?

So far i have 3 razors with spine work that are in my rotation, and one that needs to be fixed. I love spine work.. it makes the blade look like a work of art (though every blade is a work of art regardless) there are some cons though IMO. i found when honing with tape on the spine its a bit awkward to place tape on the spine with major spine work.. also hone wear is very noticeable.. give me yalls feedback and pictures of your blades with worked spines! =]

For me i guess i can take or leave it, if it's on a razor i like the look of i'll buy it, but it doesn't play any real part in the overall asthetic for me

Love it!! Especially on barber notched or spainish point razors... I don't like the filed back nearly as much as the scalloped but I do enjoy both.

I like to distinguish working razors from show razors. I'll take my working razors pretty plain, maybe some minor spine work is fine but when you get to any fancy stuff whether it's intricate spine work or gold wash for example I try to avoid it and use those razors on rare occasions. I have a few but no pics readily available.

I don't find taping the spines to be an issue on those at all.

You rarely see pretty spine work on low-quality razors. If you're shopping, and come across a razor with a worked back, it's likely from the upper tier of that maker's assortment. It should be worth a second look.

I think it's real nice. I had a look at your razors and they looked fantastic!

It depends in the blade for me. Some of my blades have spine work, others don't. Just depends on whether I like the look of the blade I guess!

My Thiers Issard Eagle 6/8 has a beautifully worked spine . So far, I've only had to strop it, and that has not been a problem. We'll see how it goes on the coticule...

Originally Posted by HamburgO

My Thiers Issard Eagle 6/8 has a beautifully worked spine . So far, I've only had to strop it, and that has not been a problem. We'll see how it goes on the coticule...

i have one just like that it has the same etching but the gold leaf has been rubbed off. i have a nice Dovo B.Lowe, and another vintage german blade with spinework! i just posted up some pics!

Before I had one I wanted a razor with spine work so bad I could taste it. After I got a few of them the 'thrill was gone' and it wasn't such a 'big' thing. The way it is now it all depends on the spine work. Like any work of artistic talent it depends on the design and execution. The more we get the more discriminating we become I guess.