Thread: Vintage Puma or new Revisor?

Originally Posted by DaveW

The various steels are more marketing than substance (they are definitely different, but in terms of shaving, you don't really do much of what the different steels really vary in).

This is true, but not exactly. Most steels will shave the same fresh off the hone. However, if you compare the same steels after 10, 50, or 100 shaves, I bet you'll find them substantially different. Some steels tend to hold their keenness and/or sharpness longer, and some tend to be slower or faster on the hone.

I recently went with a NOS Puma 1938 wedge and it quickly has become my favorite.

Haven't got any Revisor razors, so can't comment. Puma razors take a great edge and hold it, have one with 70 sumpin' shaves on it with just leather. Would be more but got bored with the experiment...

Puma razors are nice, including the Durofol cases they come in.

But they are no better than hundreds of other solingen brands that once existed.

I like my Revisor razor. But ultimately, I prefer vintage full hollow razors. I find they have a greater degree of hollowing, which for me translates to a slightly better shave.

Originally Posted by Badgister

Puma razors are nice, including the Durofol cases they come in.

But they are no better than hundreds of other solingen brands that once existed.

I like my Revisor razor. But ultimately, I prefer vintage full hollow razors. I find they have a greater degree of hollowing, which for me translates to a slightly better shave.

Just shaved with a big Puma this morning and the shave was not any better than yesterdays shave using a RUGRA razor. Both were just excellent from those very hollow ground blades. My new production Revisor also shaves well.

Thanks for the Durofol link. Always wondered what the Puma cases were made of and as a bonus found out what some P-38 grips/G-43 handguards were made of also.

Bob

Congrats on your new razor. Considering Puma Vs Revisor. I would choose Revisor. More selection and it helps keep the craft alive and support the makers still making them the old way. I own both and find them both great shavers.

Both excellent razors and I hone quite a few of both makes, having owned a few Puma's If I had to make my choice I would go for the Revisor.

I've told this anecdote before, but it seems fitting to tell it again. When I spoke to some (three) retired craftsmen in Solingen, I asked them about some of the brands about which forum users outside Germany tend to wax lyrical. Puma being one of them, of course. And they just smiled. Because Puma was considered to be producing solid tools for mass use. Granted, the boxes, and some of the scales, look nice. Also, the etching is typically vintage Solingen quality, ie durable.

But one should not forget that brands like Böker, Henckels, or Puma (not to mention Bresnick) produced thousands of razors. Per month. For decades. Think "Volkswagen Beetle". Both work. And that is it. Mind you, I am not talking about the few limited editions or masterpieces (Meisterstücke) they made - those can indeed be quite nice.

But given that decades in metallurgy and steel research have passed since then, it seems a bit absurd to claim that "back then", steels were better. They were not. Or does anyone believe that after the war, with major parts (including 94% of Solingen's industrial district) of the Ruhr area having been bombed to smithereens, quality assurance was as good as it is today? Setting aside modern technology for a moment, that is.

So, yes, I would definitely buy a Revisor, unless you need a Puma (or any other vintage razor) for sentimental reasons.

I haven't had any of the new Revisors though I have had a couple vintage ones and they were great shavers indeed. However I have had several vintage Puma's and they were all top of the line shaves and were very easy to maintain.

We have discussed previously those rare razors that seem to give best of the best shaves and for me all the Puma's were in that category.

I have three Revisors, no Pumas. But I would put my Revisors against any of the highly coveted razors I've tried. When I started getting into all of this I always thought that some of the coveted names would REALLY make that next shave the ultimate shave. I thought the next and most coveted soap was going to do the same. To be fair, many of them were/are great. But the perception was always that the more elusive it was the better it would be - the holy grail of shaving. I've actually wanted a Puma for quite a while now. But finding one that I want, in good shape, in the style I want, and at a reasonable price has been tough. At the end of the day Revisors are there for the taking. After I started to evaluate these things based solely on the shave experience and honing experience, I found that there were a lot of good options. And that shave experience that I got from a Philly or DD could just as easily be had with another razor. Its fun to chase them (I did and do to some extent) but understand that there are a lot of great razors and new production is not a lesser option. If I stumble across that Puma at some point in time I may buy it....or not. We'll see how I feel. But I'm not really actively searching any longer.