Solingen- Actually better or just a bandwagon fad?

Hey guys,

I've had this question for a while: is Solingen steel actually inherently better or is it just a branding fad? I don't mean to start any controversial threads I'm just wondering whether the steel is actually worth the markup they're charging for it. While I've seen plenty of people just stamp "Solingen" on the blade and call it a day, I'm pretty sure those people are just trying to live off of the fame that the major companies in the area have produced. So are the reputable companies in the area really on another level or is it hype? Also, if they are better, is it worth the premium they are charging for it?

Thanks for your input!

Not sure. I prefer the old Sheffield blades. Just a personal thing.

I guess I,m not following, the German steel,isn't any more pricey than any others. Most vintage blades barring the flavor of the month are pretty much around the same price,nand as new blades go, sone are sill reasonable. Soligen was where a lot of German manufacturers were located,so they stamped it that way then sold them to whoever,,, I don't see a premium charged for it. Tc

I guess my question is as compared to what. If we are comparing the predictable quality of a vintage Solingen blade to a modern Chinese blade and asking if it is worth the step up? Then I am not of much help because I have avoided the Chinese blades. If we are comparing vintage blades in general, then I have to say I have many from all of the common manufactures and they are all pretty good and we need to add in the personal preference thing. The vintage German blades as a mass generalization are very good razor with good geometry, quality control, steel and craftsmanship. They are easy to sharpen and hold an edge for a long time.

I agree

I have great shavers from Germany, England and the US.

In order to legally mark a blade 'Solingen' it has to be made within a strict geographical area. When this legislation was passed the Solingen name was then a badge of merit. The quality control was not just within the individual company, but was legislated into law, see - http://www.solingenmade.com/marke/so-engl.pdf .

As the PDF states, it is not a fail safe situation, but it is an attempt from over 100 years ago, to protect the name and reputation of goods marked Solingen. I've had many come and go, and haven't found a bad one yet. YMMV.

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Originally Posted by SingleMaltWhiskers

Hey guys,

I've had this question for a while: is Solingen steel actually inherently better or is it just a branding fad? I don't mean to start any controversial threads I'm just wondering whether the steel is actually worth the markup they're charging for it. While I've seen plenty of people just stamp "Solingen" on the blade and call it a day, I'm pretty sure those people are just trying to live off of the fame that the major companies in the area have produced. So are the reputable companies in the area really on another level or is it hype? Also, if they are better, is it worth the premium they are charging for it?

Thanks for your input!

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I buy mainly German razors (new and not old) and I have yet to see where I think they are any higher or significantly marked up over lets say a Thiers or even a Koorat for that matter. In fact, most German manufacturers have great prices on a no frills "Solingen" stamped blade that I have no doubt comes from said place. Solingen is not a steel "type" but rather a place.

Whether a Dovo; Boker; Revisor; or Ralf Aust they all have entry level and what I mean by that is a razor that will not break the bank. The blade on a Ralf Aust basic razor for $103 is as good as the blade on their $300 razor. You are paying for the scales and blade deisgn work that has been done at this point and to a degree the size of the blade < ie. more steel used to make in a wider blade.

So that said, I don't think you can go wrong with any basic razor from any German company nor their top of the line. Now when you start talking each of these companies older razors or collectibles as some say, you are going to get varying stories as to which is best. I really don't see too awful much difference but a lot say the older blades have better QC and craftsmanship.

Hope this helps shed some light I have found personally.

In modern times there are some stinkers coming out "made in Solingen". Timor, Fromm etc. I think it is no longer an absolute guarantee of quality razor grinding and steel it once was.

I really doubt that there's a perceptible difference between a major-brand Solingen product and a major-brand razor using steel from elsewhere. Maybe a century ago there might have been less standardization in manufacturing processes, and Solingen steel could have been truly premium, but I don't think that's the case today.

Even pre-WW2 solingen goods could be made with imported steel. The grinding skills and dramatic QC of Solingen artisans is what matters. Some German factories used to keep siderurgy facilities in Brazil at pre-war times. Lots of German guns and cutlery were made with Brazilian ore transformed by various procedures here. Krupp and IMOR steel are a good example.
Our domestic steel industry still retains good (and fair) fame because of that era. Tool steel, specifically.

When you start talking "made in" unless you have access to the actual laws you really don't know. Many products to be labeled made in only need to have a certain percentage of craft performed on them to make an Eastern Piece suddenly turn into a made in Germany Piece. It all varies from country to country and region to region.

I know in watch making for a watch to be labeled Swiss Made it has to meet certain guidelines however the entire watch does not have to be of Swiss origin. Swiss watches marked Geneve up the ante as to what operations and parts have to be of Swiss origin. That's a regional thing similar to Solingen. The question is if regional authorities can exercise such control over production.

If it's a branding fad, it's been one for over 100 years. I'm not sure that fads last quite that long.

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Originally Posted by Uzi

If it's a branding fad, it's been one for over 100 years. I'm not sure that fads last quite that long.

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:hmmm::nj:tu

Bob

I think someone could probably write a book to answer this question, but the short answer is that if it has Solingen on it then it was manufactured under quality control guidelines and overseen by a master cutler. You can live in Solingen and make wonderful razors in your house, but if they don't meet the Solingen Decree guidelines then you cannot stamp Solingen on them.
It was pretty much the same way in Sheffield, England and Heljstand, Sweden. If your work didn't meet the city's (cutler guild's) guidelines, then you couldn't put the city name on your product.
And if you were/are caught faking the name on a product, the fine is pretty steep and in some places punishable by death. (I don't think they kill people anymore though).

To me, if I see Solingen or Sheffield or Heljstand on a blade, it gives me an idea of its quality and its feel. All three will be of high quality, but all three will have a different feel to them. I happen to like Solingen steel, so I will choose a Solingen blade over a Sheffield just about every time, but I haven't really noticed a price difference just because it says the city name on it.

I can say, from experience, that the Germans love have standards on things. Almost as much as OSHA likes to add rules. As far as the consequences, I'm sure they would be pretty steep. How strictly the razors are inspected and what that QC process is, I can't tell you.

One thing that may interest many of you: I can say that manufacturers there and in the US have been complaining of increasingly poor steel quality over the last 20 years. This is especially with steel that is going to be heat treated or welded. It's become less reliable for the same steel from a different batch to react the same from a certain hardening process.