Show us your hidden gems !

I began keeping a dedicated shaving/honing log about a year ago in which I keep info on each blade and also grade the shave. Initially using each razor in my stable in strict rotation quickly devolved into picking and choosing. (much more fun !) The log shows that I prefer thicker grind Sheffields and surprisingly a couple of obscure or unusual blades (always with a smile) also get much use. Here are my hidden gems , show us your surprisingly excellent shavers ! No Fili's ,Duck's ,customs,etc, we all know they shave well. Just blades that have exceeded your initial expectations and become a favorite. :hmmm:

A Wosty,(no surprise there) but has been reground sometimes in the past and I assumed it would be junk. Notice the residual pitting near the spine. And a inherited Henry Schweitzer of German origin.Attachment 198342

Nowill & Sons
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Beautiful set of Krosskeys Wullie !
I would expect them to shave well.

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Originally Posted by Wirm

Beautiful set of Krosskeys Wullie !
I would expect them to shave well.

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Been messing with those things off and on for a while. The steel in them is harder than any razor I've put on my stones. Those damn things just skate across a stone. I get started honing and then fall out of gear.

Giving them another try this weekend. I'm at 8K with 'em and they're cutting hair above my arm. I think they'll be razors again before the night's over.

For me, it's this ugly Fart. Found it in the wild for less than a Big Mac meal. Rescaled it in some Pau Ferro (Bolivian Rosewood) left all the pitting but polished it up. Took a great edge off my magical 1" Coti and just never let's me down. The shaves are just terrific from this blade. I'm guessing the reason is because it's a Joseph Elliot, a Wedge, and a happy smile. :)

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Some of my favourite razors are lesser known brands.

Examples:

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D. C. Halsted shorty

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Peter Hahn for S. R. Droescher shorty

Also an EMDE Bros, but I dont have a picture of it at the moment.

Can't! They're in the witness protection program.

Cool thread guys! This Union Cutlery O-Bak is one of my favorite lesser talked about razors. Great American steel, shaves smoothly.
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Love this beauty. Never seen another like it. Hermes was a precursor to Merkur, which date this razor to somewhere before 1920.

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These two are little known high end Sheffield razor manufacturers from the late 1800's and these two are my go-to razors. Sharper and smoother than anything I have and the Ivory scales somehow make them sharper. :tu

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aldwyn

Some of my favourite razors are lesser known brands.

Examples:

Attachment 198368
D. C. Halsted shorty

Attachment 198372
Peter Hahn for S. R. Droescher shorty

Also an EMDE Bros, but I dont have a picture of it at the moment.

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I just sold my "Peter Hahn" because I needed money. It was one of my best shavers too.

This is one of my favorite and best shaving razors.

A Garibaldi made by Wusthof in Germany. It is a "singer". Loudest blade I own. From SOTD

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Ok, since I consider "Nogent" razors top notch by default, no Nogent here.

My two best surprises :
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I seldom like hollow grounds. Initially, this japanese razor was a friend's that I restored. Accustomed that he is to very sharp razors made of insanely strong steel, he did not deem it sufficient, and offered me this same razor for my birthday :)
It was indeed a little rough around the edges when I started with it, but the more I use it, the better it becomes.

And, of course, there is "the kid"
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All horns and spikes, yet extraordinarily light and soft. Hence "the kid" (the animal). If I am not in my optimal state while shaving, I know that nothing can go wrong with this one :)