Thread: Griffon XX 17 - German Ground

I was gifted this amazing razor by my neighbor. It has "ReCarbonized Steel" etched on one side of the blade and "German Ground" on the tang. I am pretty sure the company is American and had a factory in Germany. Wonder if this razor was assembled in US with German-made blade. The blade measures about 13/16" and the tang seems thicker than normal. Very heavy and substantial blade. The scales seems to be made from Bakelite and are in great shape. I tightened up the pivot pin a little and that was all that was necessary. The blade is perfectly centered and the scales are pristine if a little dirty inside.







It seems to be in really good shape. The edge has a tiny imperfection, but not a chip. I am really hoping to get it into shave-ready condition and try it out. I have not been practicing my SR shaving and being lazy with a DE, but holding this beauty in my hands really makes me want to get back into SR shaving, at least for partial shaves (and mature my technique to the full shave level).

I was going to send this razor to Larry at Whipped Dog for honing, but will take any other recommendations. Also, any info on this piece of gear would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

--
Vladimir

You are very lucky to have such a nice neighbor!

there are so many guys that hone in the US. If you have shaved with Larry's edges before perhaps you may want to try something new. I would if the postage and shipping times were not insane. Take a walk on the wild side!

Originally Posted by RezDog

there are so many guys that hone in the US. If you have shaved with Larry's edges before perhaps you may want to try something new. I would if the postage and shipping times were not insane. Take a walk on the wild side!

I am open to suggestions on honemeisters that are good, quick, reliable and affordable.

--
Vladimir

Regardless of who hones it for you, it should be a really nice shaver. My experience with the Griffon's has always been top notch. I have kept a couple in my personal collection.

Have fun.

here is a good place to start
Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

The Griffon is a great razor and you have received a wonderful gift.

Looking for someone to hone it?
Try the SRP classifieds for starters and send the close ones a quick note.
Considering that the razor was a gift and it has a solid reputation and it looks to be in excellent shape it is worth the effort.

I've used several of the honemeisters from our classifieds and every one of them has done great work.
Turn around times vary greatly do to shipping times and the work loads, but they will all give you a strait answer as to costs and time to complete.

If you want to clean it up a bit (the Wiki can show you how and this would not take much) do that before you send it off.

Smooth shaving...

Thank you all for suggestions. Yes, this was a wonderful gift. My neighbor collects knives and has no particular interest in razors. I was over for a drink the other night and he showed me some of his collection. I really enjoy knives myself, but am not a collector. When I saw the Griffon I started drooling without even knowing anything about it. It just looks amazing. The extra heavy tang, the assembly, the whole thing just reeks of understated quality. The condition is also impressive. It is a bit corroded here and there, but the edge is fine (there may be a tiny dip, but not a chip in it). The pivot pin was slightly loose, but a few minutes with a tiny ball peen hammer I have put that right where it should be. Anyway, when he saw me drool over the razor he took note of it and at the end of the evening he presented it to me, to my great surprise. I tried to politely decline saying this thing is probably worth some money, but he insisted and so I took it. Today I am doing research on it and every piece of info I find is positive. I am really lucky to have received this thing and I want to bring it back to shaving condition and give it a good effort in continuing on my SR journey. As of now I have a 5/8" German Solace from Whipped Dog, which is a pretty good razor. I also have an old 4/8" that is almost a wedge and I feel more comfortable with that one, but I have never experienced a really nice 13/16" blade. Don't know what to expect since my experience is very limited. I think with this Griffon I will be a bit more sure I have a razor part of the equation taken care of. With the others I keep having doubts about the razors. I know my technique is nowhere near good yet, but I am getting comfortable with an SR and can get my cheeks pretty well shaved with an SR now. So I am going to get this baby honed and cleaned up and try it. I will post more here as things progress.

Thanks again,

--
Vladimir