Thread: brand new TI razor

I have a TI 7/8 Basic Black with similar issues - my 11/16 TI Basic Black is fine.

Apparently they hone them spine off the hone, so it took several hours over 3 days to get the bevel set with a 600 Chosera. I didn't want to go to the DMT with this razor and just took my time.

The bevel is wide and wavy, but I will say it shaves like a million bucks. Not exactly an inspiring example of razor grinding though.

Cheers, Steve

You really should talk with the vendor if he has honed the razor and how (if he remembers), but the bevel being buffed out is consistent with honing with pasted strops rather than hones.
If my memory is right there was something allegedly coming from TI few years ago when they fully switched to c135 saying that they have improved their honing process from the factory, their razors are now really shave ready, and the honing is done with some abrasive paste.
In any case, honing with progression of pasted strops is popular in some places in the world even though we virtually never talk about it on SRP and mostly discuss honing on hones (I guess abrasive strops are functionally hones too, just very flexible ones compared to the stone type).

Of course I have no idea about your razor, only the vendor may know, but this is one reasonable explanation for what you are reporting.

Oh, and as far honing it on your stones from resetting bevel it could be a task from what I remember when I was still playing with the c135 TIs.

Ok the vendor responded. He says that the razors can normally come from the factory with hone wear, so that is not unusual. He stated he can not remember the exact specifics for my razor, but that commonly the razors they receive are only stropped. Very rairly are the razors from the factory put to hones prior to being sold. The test used to determine that these very expensive brand new razors are shave ready is they are tested at three or four spots along the edge cutting arm hair. Personally I find this very discouraging, both on behalf of the vendor and on thiers issard. If they are making razors that do not come out perfect, they should not try to sell them. As a vendor selling shave ready high end razors, you should know that by just stropping a factory edge until cuts arm hair is not going to give a comfortable shave. I'm not here to bash the vendor, as I will not publicly say who it was. However I would never purchase from them again, or advise anyone else to do so. This is definitely a learning experience.

If the vendor was Steve Dempster at TI UK he's a stand up guy. When I ordered my 11/16 Basic Black, I asked him to hone it without tape and it arrived as requested and putting my own edge on it was easy peasy. When I ordered my 7/8 Basic Black, I neglected to ask him to hone it without tape and had a pretty good amount of correction to do.

It isn't unusual to see new razors honed with tape or spine off the hone, and pasted strops have always been frequently used in Europe, at least far more than here.

But there is no argument that many new razors are not of the quality of vintage ones, likely because of demand and a lack of skilled labor.

Good luck with your razor, it's a beauty!

Cheers, Steve

We have had several new SR shavers on this forum recently who were committed to T-I blades because of their looks (it seems to me). In the 20 or so months I've been on this forum, I've read many less than stellar reviews, but having just read your experience and then Neil Miller's comments, I can't imagine ever even looking at one when there are so many other alternatives, including fine new and great vintage blades, and loads of craftsmen here who can rescale for you if some specific look is what you're going for. I hope others read this and beware of buying razors that have been legitimately critiqued by those in the know.

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

We have had several new SR shavers on this forum recently who were committed to T-I blades because of their looks (it seems to me). In the 20 or so months I've been on this forum, I've read many less than stellar reviews, but having just read your experience and then Neil Miller's comments, I can't imagine ever even looking at one when there are so many other alternatives, including fine new and great vintage blades, and loads of craftsmen here who can rescale for you if some specific look is what you're going for. I hope others read this and beware of buying razors that have been legitimately critiqued by those in the know.

I have to agree. I love that 6/8 dreadnought Spartacus in light ram's horn, but also understand I'm playing Russian roulette with $400 and the odds are probably not as good as Russian roulette.

If I have to have one, I'd probably commission a custom and put the gambling money towards a sure thing, although with a considerable wait.

Cheers, Steve

What saddens me is that Thiers Issard was once a respected company. This is not the first time I've heard about various problems with quality control.

It isn't just them. I have another name brand new razor warped so badly it can't be honed normally.

Cheers, Steve

That other new razors by respected companies are also warped, ill-tempered, badly hollowed, etc, is very true, Steve.

I used to be in-house honer for two big UK companies, and the amount of new razors I got sent to work on because of flaws was amazing. One, in blonde large thick cowhorn scales of a striking aspect got sent to me many times. One was so bad, the polisher had neglected to polish out rough grind marks along the top of the sine, the tip and tang. In addition the blade had an enormous cold-shut (looks like a crack, but isn't, its more like a fold that has not welded together because the metal had grown too cold) and was so warped it looked like a banana to the naked eye - often this type of warp is so subtle you have to test for it - not this one. In the end the company stopped stocking their razors - nearly every one was sub-standard in some way. I guess they put that particular company's mark on the tang or blade (laser etched, not stamped) on second quality stock. Can't confirm that is actually the case, of course, but it looked like it at the time.

Had a kind of happy ending - they gave me the end of their stock of high-class blades for free! Several of them were not that bad...

I guess that a lot of old razors were defective too, except here we have to factor in the time gone by since they were made, In a way they have already been filtered out - who would keep a razor that wouldn't shave? - I expect they were either neglected and rusted away or were simply thrown away. In any case, that is possibly one reason why old razors seem better - only the decent ones were kept.

Regards,
Neil

Very true, Mark.

At one point not so long ago they couldnt even get the decoration etched on the blades to sit parallel with spine and bevel - fancy paying a small fortune and unwrapping your beauty to see that some d*ck has set the etching at 5 degrees or so to the blade. I find that lack of QC quite disgusting.

Regards,
Neil