Thread: Any info on this razor ? Henckels "Vacuum"

My new ebay found $29.00 razor including shipping.
And all it needed was honing. Does anyone got any info on this model razor? Thanks

Sorry about the focus. It's a Henckels "Vaccum" it does have the twins on it back of tang just ha J.a.henckles twinworks Solingen Germany. The scales which probably aren't original say bow steel.

I just bought one that I found in an antique store. I too have found little information on them.

Originally Posted by Swerve

Any info on this razor ? Henckels "Vacuum"

Uhhh... it "sucks"?

A quality make, no doubt about that. All I know about the model is that it was registered in 1924-5 according to the archiving industry site.

Like you say, the scales are not from this razor. The original would have come from Spokane WA and would have had the same name and logo on the tang as on the scales (Bow Steel + bow being pulled taut).

Regards,
Neil

Thanks for the info. I found mine in a antique store and will use it to make the leap from DE.

If I am successful then I'll will buy a new straight razor.

Gaaahhhhhh, it's a J. A. Henckels send it out to be sharpened by a honemeister and then use it, why worry about buying a new one, that will be one of the best razors you will ever put to your face.

Hi. first post here. I picked up a razor in need of work for a pitance and came here to find out what it was and when it was made. Searching wasn't uncovering much, and so I gave up and clicked the top couple of threads in the razor subforum and saw its near twin. That was easy.

I just picked up one very similar to that minus the word Vacuum. I've been wanting a Henckels razor, so it's good to know that's who made it. I bought it on a whim because I live in Spokane, and saw the marking. I thought bow steel was one of W&B's cheaper models. Guess I was wrong.

Are all of the Bow Steel (Spokane) Razors made by Henckels, or did the brand just use various manufacturers?

It was very badly mis-honed. I had to take out almost an eighth of belly out to get the blade straight again. It had a little spur at the heel formed by honing. The spine has little wear. It's half impressive that it was used so much, and half unimaginable that someone would have shaved that much with a razor so out of shape. It took me about 3 hours of TV to get it into shape and back to a shaving edge. I attempted to use a decent bastard file, because the blade was so out of straight, but fortunately the steel was too hard to get a good bite. Because of the severe wear, the heel choil was now out of scale to the edge, so I used my diamond hone to make the lines match properly again. I also noticed the end of the spine was not rounded evenly, so I trued that up and polished. Not bad for $6 invested and some TV time.

Bow Steel made steel and steel items. The razor line was farmed out to various barber supply companies like Washington Barber Supply co. and Union Cutlery, NY.

Only the scales belong to the bow steel razor - the blade is not original, having been replaced with the Henckels blade.

The german firm of J A Henckels (google 'henckels' and 'twinworks' and 'straight razor' for more info) made J A Henckles razors themselves - they were not made by a third party like Bow Steel. Bow Steel made (or imported or had made for them) Bow Steel Razors.

Wade & Butcher 'Bow' brand razors are very decent razors. Like Bow Steel, the logo is a stylized archers bow, but Bow Steels points in the other direction. Also, the string is relaxed in the W&B models logo and drawn tight in the Bow model.

So, Bow did not make Henckels razors, Henckles staright razor blades do not come in Bow Steel Scales, and Wade & Butchers logo is not the same as Bow Steels and has nothing to do with Bow Steel. Not as simple as it fist appears is it?

Regards,
Neil

Thanks Neil.

That's more like what I expected. My blade doesn't have any country of origin marks or henckels branding. I have seen department store brands with henckels on the reverse of the tang though, so it seemed plausible. Ditto for Boker, etc.

Looks like the OP lucked out and got a better blade than what he bargained for. Mine seems to be a decent shaver though. We'll see how well it stays sharp.

I have a pre 1890 or so W&B that I am fairly certain has has had different scales stuck on it as they don't quite match and one of the washers on the pivot rivet is mismatched. The toe can also stick out of the scales and be vulnerable with a bit of pressure.

I will take some pics for comparison.