Thread: Revisor - Solingen

Here is what arrived today.

This is a 6-0004 blade with the horn scales from model 6-0007. I am pretty happy overall with everything. The blade is certainly top-notch craftsmanship, and the scales are nice and dark in color with some translucent texture that is fantastic. The only slight complaint (and I am splitting hairs a bit here) is that the gold wash is not really what I was expecting as far as brightness and prominence. Ihave a TI that is similar, and I get that Revisor, like anyone, is certainly using the most minimal amount of wash possible. This just seemed ever so slightly sloppy to me given the immaculate workmanship in the grind of the blade itself.

As for edge....
The razor came with a great bevel. I am not going to call it shave ready by my standards but it was by no means dull. The edge looked as if the bevel had been set on a 1k and no further refinement had been done. I took it quickly over a 4k, 8k, 12k, pasted balsa, then leather and the edge is now flawless. All combined it really was only a 30 min effort to polish and finish the edge as the bevel that was set at the factory was spot on.

Hope that helps a bit!

damn you Denver...out done again

Originally Posted by Denvernoob

The edge looked as if the bevel had been set on a 1k and no further refinement had been done.

Looks can be deceiving. The bevel was set on a Hexe.



The finish was done on a natural hone.



Source: Straight Razor Magazine, "Interview with Thomas Kronenberg, CEO at Revisor GmbH"

Originally Posted by RobinK

Looks can be deceiving. The bevel was set on a Hexe.



The finish was done on a natural hone.



Source: Straight Razor Magazine, "Interview with Thomas Kronenberg, CEO at Revisor GmbH"

This may be the case, and as I mentioned it was not a knock on the vendor or the razor. As I mentioned previously in this thread, I have very sensitive skin and need a razor that isn't just sharp, but smooth as well. The striations left in the ege were indicative of a somewhat unrefined edge. It was better than those I have seen out of the factory at, say, TI, but was not a pro-hone. Look...I get it...if I am a razor MANUFACTURER selling at a certain price point, I am not going to spend an hour additionally producing each blade and not pass that along to the customer. To keep the price down and to remain profitable, getting a good start on the edge is what makes sense. Some people may have found that with some paste and stropping that the edge might be fine for them. It just wasn't right for me.

Taken another way, I at least touch up just about every blade I get regardless of who touched it. Thus far there has been only one exception.

I took the razor for a test drive last evening and it shaved like a dream. It is a wonderful shoulderless blade and took a fantastic edge. Worth every penny.

As I have said before, I have only had one issue with a Revisor and I have had hundreds pass through my hands. That issue was sorted out by Thomas straight away. Thomas also told me about his father and how he sharpened the razors, so no, I do not think that they 'save money' by doing a less than perfect honing job. This is not unusual in small firms - Erik Anton Berg of Eskilstuna in Sweden was helped by his wife - she honed the razors herself, and they were selling a lot of razors, even in the beginning before they had a honing department - still supervised by Mrs. Berg.

I would say that in the time I sold Thomas's razors that they edges were perfectly acceptable - you have to set your aim some where, as people have different skins and expectations, and I think his father did a fine job.

I tested the edges first and re-honed them all, but only because I was after a higher spec honing job, not because the original honing was defective in any way.

One last thing, for Robin - I was under the impression that the Hexe (aka 'witch') was an upright double concaving machine invented by Carl Fr. Ern in 1893.

That flat honing machine you pictured is the same as the one as that ass uses who promotes himself as "...the finest honemeister in the country...with over a decades honing under [my] belt..." in his "true Honing" gibberish self aggrandizing website (he was one of the original 'hone a hundred razors' nonsense after I joined here which makes it around 2009 - not even a decade...).

I know I continue to knock him, but why not? If he keeps spouting lies to draw suckers in and acting like an ass, then he deserves it. It is not like I have named him....

I think I have also seen a similar lapping plate on one of Dovo's videos. In any case, it isn't a Hexe (unless there is a company called Hexe which makes machines that are not really hexes...?) and the blade is finished on a coticule.

As you say, a lot of skill is necessary to do it properly on the revolving plate, as the operator holds the back off the plate. I have often wondered about finishing on the stone - the back must be contacting the stone in this final finishing of the blade, so it is at a different angle and one would suspect that some steel removal was necessary to modify the angle, yet when one watches the video it is done wonderfully fast.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

As I have said before, I have only had one issue with a Revisor and I have had hundreds pass through my hands. That issue was sorted out by Thomas straight away. Thomas also told me about his father and how he sharpened the razors, so no, I do not think that they 'save money' by doing a less than perfect honing job. This is not unusual in small firms - Erik Anton Berg of Eskilstuna in Sweden was helped by his wife - she honed the razors herself, and they were selling a lot of razors, even in the beginning before they had a honing department - still supervised by Mrs. Berg.

I would say that in the time I sold Thomas's razors that they edges were perfectly acceptable - you have to set your aim some where, as people have different skins and expectations, and I think his father did a fine job.

I tested the edges first and re-honed them all, but only because I was after a higher spec honing job, not because the original honing was defective in any way.

I want to be very clear here that I am not trying to attack the vendor or unfairly criticize them, but merely post my opinion on what arrived yesterday. I am very happy with the product and perceive it as a wonderful value overall. As I have stated clearly, the craftsmanship is VERY good and represents an excellent $ value as I believe it to be above several larger manufacturers.

I did perceive, and will continue to maintain, that while there was no "problem" with the honing, that it just wasn't quite finished. As I mentioned, the bevel was perfectly set and the razor was "sharp." It just needed to be finished. The bevel was foggy and un-polished. Whether this is the norm or not isn't for me to say as this is my first (and certainly not my last) Revisor, but it is how it arrived. I am providing objective knowledge about the product, in its current state, as several people have asked for. If people disagree with me or want to defend the vendor, I certainly don't think it is necessary as I have no beef whatsoever and really find myself after the first shave to be an advocate of a wonderful product.

Neil, I was honestly only trying to find out if anyone noticed. *harrumph*

This is a Hexe:

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I do not think that they 'save money' by doing a less than perfect honing job.

Absolutely not. It would be economic suicide to do that in any event. Bad news travels fast. And I, too, have yet to see an Aust, Revisor or Wacker that isn't shave ready, ie capable of removing hair without having to be honed first. But personal preferences differ. When I was still buying razors, I habitually took each "honemeister" blade to a Coticule, "dulling" it first. Not because these blades hadn't been honed to the best of the honer's capabilities, but because they took them beyond a degree of sharpness with which I could shave comfortably. That said, I "dull" SE blades by "stropping" them at too high an angle in my palm first, too. That really is a YMMV thing, whereas mere shave readiness clearly isn't. A razor either shaves, or it doesn't. Whether it can be tuned to cater to one person's particular needs is a different story entirely.

Some recent Dovos on the other hand...

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

That flat honing machine you pictured is the same as the one as that ass uses who promotes himself as "...the finest honemeister in the country...with over a decades honing under [my] belt..." in his "true Honing" gibberish self aggrandizing website (he was one of the original 'hone a hundred razors' nonsense after I joined here which makes it around 2009 - not even a decade...).

I know I continue to knock him, but why not? If he keeps spouting lies to draw suckers in and acting like an ass, then he deserves it. It is not like I have named him....

Actually, it is not the same machine. The @$$ uses a much lower quality one that wobbles all over the place.

I'm pretty sure the Revisor people use a better quality horizontal wet grinder and that they are better at using it.

Actually, they use vintage equipment pimped by them. It is a not-so-well-kept secret that Revisor are actually a hobby operation. Their actual business is electrical installation. If you take a close look at the images from the interview, you will see that the vintage machines have new electronics. The stuff is pure magic. Best of both worlds, if you will.

Fun fact, back in the day, apprentices had to grind razors for four years before they were let anywhere near the finishing machines. Four years. As part of a German production process. Think a few dozen razors per day. And miraculously, Revisor have been able to find retired craftsmen from that era who helped them streamline their production process. It's as highly professional as it is deeply in love with the craft.

Which is why I find it entirely unfair if someone who's never made a razor in his whole life goes, "yeah, but that razor wasn't shave ready." Revisor put blood, sweat, and tears into their razors. They - rightfully, I'd like to add! - take pride in their craft and the ensuing razors. The least we can do is pay them some respect. Their razors are as close to vintage Solingen craftsmanship as you will get, and I hope they will be able to make razors for many years to come. Because proper razor making is a dying art.

Very few new "Factory" razors are "Shave Ready" once in a great while the Razor Gods smile and one comes out that is... this starts the whole debate over again

Revisors are not any better, nor do they try to be as evidenced by the vids and blogs, so what, they make a quality razor with really awesome grinds, at a good price point, get over it already...