Damon's Black Cat Review

All,

I wanted to post a reflection on a razor that I had the good fortune of picking up from Damon, honed by Randydance, and featured in this post in the restoration section sometime back: http://straightrazorpalace.com/fo...ead.php?t=9792

I finally got a chance to shave with it this weekend, and my experiences are - interesting, and I wanted to share. First the aethetics, Damon went to a lot of trouble making new scales for this blade, and my first impression were that the scales were thick and heavy, made of a nice black acrylic, with plexiglass heft - very smooth and a great shape, pins are very tight and the additional engraving with the cats head on the sides of the scales are first class - very cool.

The blade itself - hmmm...this is my first old Sheffield blade, having a cadre of Solingens, and I was rather surprised. Damon did an excellent job at cleaning this razor up, the polishing was done well, but not overdone. The razor is unmistakably old, with a few stains on the blade from corrosion - and the stamping (etching) on the razor face itself is a very little bit off in the letter spacing, which for me brought home not only the age, but also the more then likely hand produced nature of this razor. Having read how superstitious folks were in the late 1800's, I was and am fascinated by the chosen trade-mark for this straight, the "Black Cat" - which was not a little reminiscent of where these blades got their nick name, "cut throat razors". This blade could definitely be "bad luck" to the unfortunate user or passerby. I have ofter wondered how many of the very old razors we restore have been used in the commission of crimes in the distant past - makes you wonder if that nick you got this morning wasn't the ghost of christmas past, doesn't it?

Sorry, but this thing elicits that kind of inspection - the blade itself is elegant, in a heavy and utilitarian sort of way. The previous pictures don't really tell the story here. It is not the elegance of the lighter Solingen blades, but a rougher and more primitive instrument with a broad tang and spine, and a wicked quiet appeal. The thick scales reflected this sturdiness, and were a real addititon to the presentation.

The shave was different too; it was almost completely silent - get the black cat theme here? It was very very sharp, a tribute to Randydance's honing. The bevel was good with only a little bit of evidence perhaps of spine wear from historical honing, but the blade really looked as though it was never used, so this could generally be just from the original grinding process, again leaving one with the impression of the primitive nature of this blade.

I cannot really describe the shave well, except to say that it was like shaving with a Scottish Claymore instead of a German rapier - if that makes any sense. While both being similarly sharp, the shaves were much different. Both razors, comparing my relatively modern Solingens and this old Sheffield as shavers, are remarkably sharp, and both are manueverable, but the Black Cat is smooth with a heavy brutal efficiency (in a substantial no-irritation-scary *good* way). While the Solingens, in my limited experience, are more delicate, almost surgically effeminate in comparison - requiring more passes, delicate and comparatively insubstantial. Don't mean to wax poetic, but there it is. Really a different experience, who knew that the art of shaving could be so complex? Ultimate shave was close and multiple passes easy, just very different.

The razor is excellent, and I have and will enjoy it a great deal; my thanks to Damon and Randy for saving and restoring this relic. It now has a place of honor in my small collection.

K