Thread: Vintage vs. modern vs. custom

I like both new and vintage, I lean more to vintage because for myself nothing replaces the euphoria of incorporating a great quality str8 razor maker from another time in history back into a functioning piece again today. I just don't think anything can replace that kind of bonding with the past for me, and at the same time I also appreciate the shave from new also, ( never owned a custom razor ).


Scott

i think the work quality, 100 years ago, on straight razor are higher than modern age.. there was more competitiveness in production.
I prefer vintage one because when use it i think about its history and owner.... this thing give me something special.
There is also a good modern razors , produced in new kind of inox steel (like cpm35vn by duo medusa that I used), that are interesting...
Custom razors? i don't know this words....sorry for my vocabulary

Well at this point I have only vintage and 2 modern razors. The modern are dove best quality and they shave well. My others are all vintage that I bought off this site. I am very new at this so it saves me a lot of money buying vintage. I am glad I have I have found out what I like in size and grind with out spending a ton of money. MY favorite has been a Mandrin 6/8 excellent shaver and a NIcol also a excellent razor. Both are probably 90 plus years old.

I do want to but a Bismark vintage next and a Boker Edelwiss next. If the razors shave great who cares of it is new or vintage.

All I have right now is a modern. I have put some thought into the difference. The following is speculation based on manufacturing and demand in general. I would figure Vintage is the best quality but it should be easier to make a good razor now but it will require a bigger market to really move in that direction.

I think that straight razor manufacturing like many other old processes have seen better days but there is hope. Right now we have amazing advances in technology and for the last 80 years or so many of those have replaced more manual or less convenient ways of doing things. Before the 50s or so straight razors were king. I imagine that it would be about like cell phone companies now. Lot's of people making ones that work and constant pushing forward with better processes and methods to make a better or more attractive product to get ahead of the vast field of competition. After about the 50s or so the straight razor became the flip phone of their generation. Probably does the primary job better but doesn't have as many bells and whistles and takes a little longer for the full process. Some of the top of the field probably hung around longer than most and some may still be cranking them out. Though, even the top of the field slowed innovation most likely. What we are seeing now is a fairly small but noticeable enough to create a bit of a niche market, return to some of the old technologies. Straight razor shaving hasn't moved a whole lot in 60 years but metalwork methods and materials have somewhat. As these small niches of DIY and Retro ways of doing things start to grow for various reasons it attracts a large variety of players. Since it is easier now to put out a workable product, or even great ones there is potential for new innovation in quality and a vast decrease of expense in moderns as money starts coming back in. On the other hand there was a lot more pressure and incentive to make a truly great product.

All that said I think that millennials are starting to rediscover mechanical technology and older more interesting ways of doing things. As that increases we could see incredible modern razors being produced but I think as far as straight razors go it is still fairly small. For now I would say Vintage would be gold especially between the 20s and 60s. New razor technologies threatened Straight Razor dominance. I would imagine that competition drove some pretty impressive razors. By the 60s I would imagine that money would have slowed their flow for straight razors and they would have stagnated maybe even started to decline.

I imagine that right now there are some making interesting new blades but they are pretty expensive. There are probably several using mass production techniques to make pretty unimaginative razors based mainly off old designs and stamped out. There is great potential though for some really interesting things to come but it will depend on how extensively old school shaving catches on.

Although I own a few custom razors which in fact shave extremely well plus the grinding and workmanship and materials are superb, but If I had to choose my vintage Japanese razors would win hands down can't get enough of them.

I've used vintage, modern and customs, most all have shaved as well as the next. As long as you can put an edge on one it should shave well. My current favorite is a 6/8 Ralf Aust.

This might sound strange, but how is Vintage define compared to antique razors?
Thanks

My Iwasaki kamisori is vintage in design, modern in that it's currently produced & custom in that it's hand made by 2 guys in their workshop

Originally Posted by hasstar

This might sound strange, but how is Vintage define compared to antique razors?
Thanks

I am not sure, with cars isn't is something like 25 and 50 years or something.

I would imagine that all 3 of my Henckels would be classified as modern as well as my Hayashi, therefore, not owning a custom nor a vintage, I won't be able to comment.

I do aspire to owning a custom but the way our exchange rate is headed, that might take longer than I envisage.

A vintage is probably extremely hard to come buy locally and would have to be purchased overseas.