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Hi all,
I am just starting my venture into the straights and wanted to know what razors are made that have only like a 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 inch blade. I find that I might like the shorter blade better than the standard 3 inch ones so I wanted to know some brands/model number so ones to search for.
Thx. for any and all comments and recommendations!
Here are a few that I know of. I'm sure there are more. The guards can be removed. You could also modify one to make it shorter, but I would hold off on till you get comfortable with restoration/modifying since that is a whole different area. Torrey Little Guard, Curley Safety Razor, and Genco Safedge.
Attachment 205577Attachment 205578Attachment 205579
Many Japanese razors and some English and German razors have shorter blades. In the attached image, the top razor has a conventional 75mm (3") edge, the next is a Japanese Nichiri with a 58mm edge, followed by a vintage Wosty with a 68mm edge. In the German line, I like the old 6/8 Dovo Bergischer Lowe which also had a 68mm edge or thereabouts.
Cheers, Steve
I saw some "custom" Harts being sold new that are shorter than normal.
Every now and again a standard length razor will have damage at the point that requires shortening the blade. You'll see some like that in the classifieds, or on ebay now and then. If done correctly they are still fine shavers ......... if they were to begin with ....... :)
Strictly speaking the blade is the cutting piece which is nearly always under 3 inches, say 2.75 inches on average. The tang (the part you grip) and the tail length are not part of blade size.Quote:
Originally Posted by SirMike
Regards,
Neil
That may be true but the ones I have sitting here are all way closer to 3 inches than to 2.75 inches. I am looking for something about 2 1/4.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Miller
I've been interested in short blades too. Have a few that were damaged and need to be shortened. My next project. I'll post those pics this weekend when I finish one. My face and neck have some serious inverted angles, seem hard to get at. Have a friend with allot more padding and he has no problem, Ofcourse all the techniques to get those spots... I know I know. BUT, I figure, maybe just maybe one of those short blades could be used with one of my regular blades... worth a try, and can give meaning to the life of a hopeless broken razor! Oh yes :)
Only trying to clear up that most blades are under 3 inches and that in all the time I have dealt with SRs I have never, ever heard as 3 ins being a 'standard' width, because it is not.Quote:
Originally Posted by SirMike
Over the years I have sold many hundreds of SRs and I have always measured and recorded in the description the overall length (blade + tang + tail) plus the length of the blade - I have had some close to 3 inches, but most have been around 2.75 and some going a bit below this, with a number being under 2.5 inches.
Regards,
Neil
Few razors are actually 3". Most are shorter. 2.5 - 2.75 seems to be the most common.
The Mab may be a good fit, or a De Pew. If I ever find either one for reasonable price I'll let you know how they shave.
I shave exclusively with shorties these days, and do prefer a cutting edge of 2.25 to 2.5".
I also collect and currently have some 35 razors in my collection. My experience based on theses (as well as the ones I have sold off) is that the standard cutting edge of a blade is indeed around 3", or just slightly under. And very few Western manufactures made smaller blades from the factory. Most of your options will be either Japanese blades, or a blade that was shortened (typically after the toe was damaged, and the damage removed)
For shorter blades from the manufacturer, they usually have a cutting edge of 2.75", such as the Dubl Duck Dwarf. You can find some a little shorter, such as the MAB as mentioned above, if you are ok with a smaller width as well. For example, my MAB is a 4/8". The MAB is a fine shaver, but I personally find a larger width, and heavier spine more my liking.
If you want to shop for some shorties, one of my fellow shorty fans sells a few he has restored at Big Easy Tools His site is a little out of date (for example, the D.C. Halsted shorty that is on there, I bought from him almost a year ago), it will at least give you an idea of what is out there.
If you can find one of the training razors mentioned, good on you! They are few and far between, but would be an excellent option for a shorter blade from the manufacturer.
Check out sellers from Japan and look into a Rosette 80 or even shorter, a Rosette 40. Awesome shavers. Little money. JMO
In Sweden; Hjelstrand and some other Eskiltuna makers made a lot of shorter and smaller blades. They were not limited to framebacks either.
~Richard
Okay cool I'm gonna check those out.. Been interested in short blades and I've also been interested in Swedish blades so i think need to look closer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer
I have a Heljestrand that is about 2.7". Excellent shaver despite someone having put it into an electric knife sharpener. :gaah:
Been looking for other short Heljestrands, but havnt been able to find much in the past several months. Hopefully someone will start giving up their stash. :D
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Had to repair one of my first razors. The blade was damaged. Rotary sander to reshape the end. Filed and punched out the pivot and stop pin. Stop pin was still long enough to re-pin the blade, and peen. In the process of honing.
Anybody ever seen or shaved with a blade this short? I plan on trying!
Wow! Cutting edge of less than an inch and a half... that IS short!
Lemme know how it goes! I'd try it, too! :)
Now that is a short one, I'll bet it will be a great addition. I like to switch from one to another razor in one shave sometimes, like when I know one isn't as good at tough places, maybe that would be a good one to switch in..
Many Japanese razors have two inch blades this is my best shaver with a two inch blade Hoshitombo 8000 quarter hollow.
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Thanks for the comments but I think I am going to stop using straights and just stay with DE's. I am bothered about refreshing/maintaining them and actually honing them with the stones involved and costs of these stones I am finding out that even whetstones if found cheap, need a ton of work to get them ready to use to refresh razors and the prep costs add to the price of the stone so it will be too costly for me to pursue. I was hoping what I had here would work but the Arkansas stones I have are not ready to use either.
Thx. again and feel free to close this thread if you want. :)
I think your best options would be for modified razors that have been made into "shorties" (usually because of damage to the tip of the blade) or perhaps look at a replaceable blade straight like a Feather or Kai. No maintenance needed.
I have an old but heavy Wm Greaves & Sons straight razor with a 3 5/16" edge length! It weighs 73.8 grams or 2.6 oz
Attachment 206308
This next one is a Wm Greaves & Sons straight razor with a 3 3/8" edge length! Because it isn't as wide, it weighs 67.9 grams or 2.39 oz
Attachment 206309
Like Neil said, a 3" blade was not a standard size. I have no idea why these were so long but it was way back in the day too, most likely early 1820's to 1830's since the tails are longer than stub tail razor's.
Attachment 206310
The top one which is the heavy one has bug bites on the other scale. I would like to find some good original horn scales to replace them with to keep it original like it is. I love the Spanish point on the lighter one though. They are both nice straight's though!
