What is your take on the Escher Barber's Delight? I am considering purchasing one but am not sure it is worth the extra money. Please share your thoughts. Thanks.
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What is your take on the Escher Barber's Delight? I am considering purchasing one but am not sure it is worth the extra money. Please share your thoughts. Thanks.
Just my findings....the stones were "handpicked" and especially useful and high quality layers were picked...
Peter (Hatzicho) already wrote some nice details down here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...al-combos.html
here are some shots of the BD where you can see how homgenious and fine grained the stone is...
Is it worth the price ? The questions is what you have to pay for :-)
talking as a collector yeah its worth the price! Its really nice to own one and iam shure prices wont fall!
talking as a user who wants to finish razors i can get the same result with a less priced thuringian stone...
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7613/...780e5c_c_d.jpg
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8661/...4e6827_c_d.jpg
here are some detail shots of the surface, you can see a very homogenious structure and very fine particles...
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8767/...cd4791_c_d.jpg
I have several labeled Eschers, and the truth is as far as I am concerned that your face will never know the difference between a 'Blue' and a 'Yellow' stone. Having said that...my 'Go To Escher' is my banded two color 'Blue /Green Barber's Gem'. Every Sheffield I have gets it's edge from this stone. The Barber's Delight and the Barber's Gem were supposed to be the 'cream of the crop' as far as grading goes back in the day and if you look at the price chart of the old Pike advertisement the price bears this out.
Are they worth today's prices? :shrug::shrug::shrug:
Attachment 198513
Yeah, those were price PER DOZEN !!!! Arrrrggghhhh !!!! End of rant, I feel better now.
I've had 3 Barber's Delight, 1 Barber's Gem, and a couple 8x2, and 7& 1/2 x 1& 7/16 IIRC. The BD is very cool, especially if it comes with the box and slurry stone. Is it worth the north of a thousand $ a guy is showing for on the bay ? Not to me. I've gotten them for half of that, or less than half. I've seen the prices of Eschers ebb and flow since I've been around SRP.
I saw a beautiful labeled B/G go for less than $300.00 a few weeks ago (on the bay). Next week the same stone might bring six or eight hundred. Depends on who is looking, how much disposable income they have, and how bad they want it. If you have to have one, and you have to have it now ....... :shrug:
I've had a gang of them and sold them all but one. It is not a BD, but is as good as any of the three BDs I have had. An old stone, a yellow/green 5x2 & 1/2 in the red box ;
Attachment 198516Attachment 198517
Thanks for sharing your pics, gentlemen. It is always a treat to see the vintage hones from your collections.
What do these go for now? They are at a price level that doesn't make any sense to me for someone using a stone, but everyones' opinion is different.
800-1000usd
There is one on ebay right now for $1300. That is $500 more than a pristine Escher that is not a Barber's Delight. I think they are both a high but wonder if there is really $500 difference in quality between the two or if it is more for collectors who won't be honing.
The difference is likely in looks if the escher is a good one. the finest thuri I've tried was not visually as good as a perfectly even looking Y/G escher that I had, but it made a better edge every time on every razor.
I just inflated $9 from 1915, and that goes to $210 in today's dollars. Even at that, I'm out. At $800 to $1000, I'm way out.
The guy is proud of his stone. He has seen what they went for some months ago, and wants to play lotto. Doesn't cost him to list it. The price of Eschers, Fillys, Ducks goes up, and goes down. Catching it on the down stroke is a better bet, unless instant gratification is paramount. IMHO. Here are some recent examples ;
Vintage Escher Co Water Straight Razor Hone Light Green Sharpening Stone | eBay
(item # 131467287489) in case the links don't open ......
Vintage J G Escher Sons Water Razor Hone Hone's Stone Sharpener Knifes Blades | eBay
(item # 321703392097)
Some of you guys have to accept that you are late to the game :(
Understand that much of the "Singing High Praises" of these rocks were written years ago when an EXPENSIVE Escher was around $100 a 8x3 Select Grade (there were no fancy names) Coticule was $75 we tried stones out like crazy and talked about the subtle differences,,,
The most expensive hone I own is still a Shapton 30k by double the cost of any other hone in the chest including a super fine Nakayama
I am NOT saying these hones are not the end all be all of honing, but I wrote that when they cost much less hehehe
(There is a small bit of humor along with some sense in the above) :p
Well as pointed out in several posts - both Escher companies Escher&Co and Escher&Son (different - independend companies since the late 19th century) acquiered their hones from whetstone makers in Steinach. They had no own or rented quarries for the waterhones.
This said - it is clear, that there is in general no quality difference between an Escher labelled hone and a vintage Thuringian.
The Escher companies had a good quality control though, so they took only good quality hones that they labelled and sold. And the Barbers deligth hones were special selected.
But the same quality of hones is out there as a simple unlabelled thuringian. You just have to try a vew different ones until you might find the best one for you.
I personally don't think that any hone is worth a price beyond 500$ - as good as it might be -from a users standpoint. From a collectors standpoint it might be different, but nowbody can really say, where the prices may go in the future.
Oops, I missed that. Price per dozen. Equivalent to $17.50 each in today's dollars for the most expensive hones in that list. For the barber's delight.
I'll echo the sentiments above, when they get above a certain price level, it doesn't make sense to me - some attributes are given to them just because of the price. I had a nice labeled Y/G for a year or so (maybe more) and every time I used it, it did the job but I didn't think any more of it than any other good stone I've used (arks, decent jnats, etc).
It's just a bad time to be buying hones.
It's my rock, apart from hardness, a thuri is a thuri is a thuri imo. I think the consistency of them is pretty much what made them legendary... I actually prefer the db ones they tend to be a bit firmer and play nicer with softer steels. That said, that is THE thuri if you collect labeled/boxed hones and one hadn't been offered up there in a good long while when I threw it up... This one has tremendous performance as to be expected... My advice to guys who don't care about the provenance of labels is to learn the tells on unstamped thuris. My main one is most likely a droescher that lost its label ages ago.
Last two sold were $1280 on 4/19/14 from eBay us and $943.12 from eBay UK, so someone may have had to pony up the hideous UK shipping fees also on 5/25/14. None up since.
I love my Barber's Delight, was lucky to get it for less than USD 50. But it ain't much better than many other Thuri's. Barber's Delight was Escher's top brand and that is what you pay for.
I ended up buying a fairly large Escher hone. I have a Hohenzollern that was not very expensive (relatively speaking) that is a great stone. The Escher I bought is bigger and I can ultimately give one or the other to my son.
I'm curious, mine came in a red box, no lid.
Any ideas what this one is, it looks blue/green, but just wondering if the label on the stone denoted the grade?
Attachment 198783
Haven't received mine yet. End of next week. I'll let you know.
It's discouraging to realize that you might be 100 years too late to the game, sniff.
I think right now is a very encouraging time for shaving with straight razors. With the advent of the internet it has never been easier to find great vintage NOS razors from all corners of the world. Same goes for hones. Did you ever try finding a honing service pre internet? It was impossible. Not only that but there was virtually no information available about how to use one and no resources for good soaps, etc.
I have always like straight razors and bought my first one new from a cutlery shop in the mall in 1986. It was a really nice Puma but I had no idea they did not come shave ready from the factory. After several attempts at shaving with it and several attempts to get some help getting it sharpened, I simply gave up. Years later, I found a site online that explained a whole lot about them and was able to locate several vendors who included an initial and sometimes second honing with your purchase. I bought one and since then have acquired several high end razors that shave great. I have a number of terrific soaps and creams. I can also do my own honing, although I am nowhere near the level of the pros. None of this would have been possible just a few years ago. Just my thoughts.
IMO thuri hones are a great finisher. It is nice to know what you are getting. The label helps with that. And people who are selling these hones know that with a label the value sky rockets. BUT do you blame them? IF people willing to pay the top dollar for them, the prices would drop. I got lucky when I found my Hohenzollern hone (minus the slurry stone) and I love it! Not the largest of hones, but works great for me. I also have a celebrated water hone (5x1) Having a thuri that is 8x3 would be great but not needed. I think that is all I need for finishers at this time TBH.
Just be careful when shopping for thuri hones. People will call a "fine" hone a thuri and try to pull a fast one on you. I've been tricked once. So the only 100% way of knowing what you have is an "Escher" or some other kind of thuri is the vintage label......Or maybe buying one from someone who has a great reputation. I know some of the rock hounds out there can smell a thuri a mile away..... I wish I knew more about identifying them.
They are great stones. Some like them because they are a little wider. Great pictures guys.
Mike
http://i.imgur.com/TWwoN2e.jpg
A natural with more gap is something like a Washita. A reg one vs a no 1 vs a Lilly white is a marked differences. I think the bd were the most consistent as far as particulate goes, but all thuris are very consistent for the most part.
As the particle size was mentioned, here Some more comparison shots i did. The structure is very homogenious and the particles are very fine...
A DB kind of Barbers Delight, its the german Version called Type "Rasierstube / Barber Shop"
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8795/...7259f9_c_d.jpg
Karl Brächer Jr. Y/G
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8827/...350022_c_d.jpg
They are here again. Right now two stones are Listed...one right now at 1025 usd and one in blue at 475 usd. Interesting both stones are only a „Barbers Shop“ Quality and not a Barbers Delight. Interesting is the prizes fly high just adding the word Barbers Delight to the Auction...just crazy
Both are BTC Stones...
Is the Escher BD worth the price difference - absolutely in my opinion.
Both the stones listed have labelled boxes but appear not to still have the labels on the stones - which means, the stones could be anything - so no provenance on the stones - big difference - wouldn't buy.
For the BD, there are only 3 pics, and only the slurry stone is pictured as having the two layers - no such pic for the hone itself - I'd stay away from both personally.
Yup, and the description of one said, "This is an authentic Escher Barber's Delight with box. The box is not mint, but it's in good condition", which is slightly weasel words to me...box is BD, but the stone? Meh? Who knows...no provenance, so no buy.
The Fox 44 stone I have is the only stone, not branded Escher, that is clearly an absolutely similar stone, both in texture, *age*, and results...and still to call is an Escher Barber's Delight would be incorrect.
I dont even think the box on the yellow/green one is a barbers delight box. it is similar in color, but doesnt have the barbers delight branding on it.
It does have label on the stone, but without the actual box how can one determine it is a true barber's delight?
and the dark blue one is not a barber's delight at all. I think they only came in yellow/green with a dark blue bottom.
Early this morning, I noticed that crazy bidding war on the unlabeled, supposed y/g "Barber's Delight" and just shook my head. :shrug:
My precious......my Barber's Delight
Attachment 291125
Attachment 291127
Attachment 291128
..and my still untouched, NOS, the blue inked Gold Award seal is still on the stone, NOS Escher hone:
Attachment 291126
Geez and I thought jnats were expensive.
Cheers, Steve
So what did it go for? Just curious.
Cheers, Steve
yep a non verified stone in a nice box. I guess if your a collector that would be ok, but for 350$ I can get another Gok 20k and still get as good an edge or better. for that matter my 12k Nani and some leather does it too. I really wanted one in the beginning but the prices really got silly. I used a plain Thuri that compared to the edge off a real barbers delight, so I quit looking for the real deal Tc
Nice Escher & Co. Barber‘s Delight with sidelabel in Dual Layer Variant:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1829/4...4ceed0_c_d.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1801/4...83449f_c_d.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/838/28...d024fd_c_d.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/840/43...a3f75c_c_d.jpg