Thread: FRANZ SWATY HONES

Originally Posted by khaos

Swaty provenance - Straight Razor Place Forums

I actually was really interested in this for a while. Here is a distillation of what I have gleaned:

Original was the 3-line: Franz Swaty, Wahring bei Wien (Austria)

Then his son did the Marburg 2-line: Franz Swaty, Marburg Austria (someone has a packaging insert that states this)

Then the 4-line: Franz Swaty Maribor Jugoslavia Fruher Marburg Austria (logical, they changed the stamp to the new location and nationality of Maribor/Marburg, and had to let people know it was the same, Fruher is German for earlier)

Then another 2-line: Franz Swaty, maribor Jugoslavia

At some point, Swaty's were distributed by SR Droescher, and had a sticker on the side to this effect. At a later point (I believe), they were distributed by Pike, and had a sticker on the side to this effect as well. It said something "Pike sole US distributors of the original Swaty hone".

For some reason, the FS, WbW (A) 3-line was popular and barbers/customers used to ask for it as a 3-line, so as a marketing ploy (after Swaty stopped I believe) Pike made a (literally) "The Franz Swaty 3- Line Razor Hone" and it is stamped that on the hone.

I found just such a hone from S.R. Droescher, Inc. that has the following inscription at the top of the hone

"THE SWATY
three line
RAZOR HONE"

It is in remarkably unused condition as the reflection is good enough to ready my computer screen with it.