Thread: Best Filarmonica: Sub Cero or Jose Monserrat?

Which one of these is a better shaver in your opinion? If I'm going to throw down some money I want to get the better of the two.

I only have one filarmonica, so cannot answer, but those who can will want a bit more information from you - what era are they? In general, a razor stamped JMP has a higher value than one made after his death (and therefore not stamped). Make sure you are comparing items from the same era

The Sub-Cero is a model, Jose Monserrat Pou was a person - there is no model called 'Jose Monserrat Pou'. Sub-Ceros were made both before and after his death, therefore with and without the JMP stamp. I have a Sub-Cero 14 with the JMP stamp that is a superb shaver.

The "Sub Cero" was a cryo-treated Doble Temple, the Sub Cero date from mid 1960s to the late 1970s I would personally go for a Doble Temple JMP or a Especial pre 50s or earlier if you can find a nice one.

Is the number the size of the razor, i.e. 14/16ths? I don't know much about them, I just would like to get a 7/8 or 8/8 without breaking the bank.

The number correlates to the blade width so a #14 razor would typically be 7/8" - 8'8", The #13 would be a 6/8", #12 5/8" and so on..

Depending on your budget the size 13 or 14 Sub Cero and Doble Temple are both fantastic....the 13 size (6/8 generally) is much easier to find and more affordable...the 14 (7/8) of any model is more difficult to find and way more expensive as collectors tend to hoard them (understandably). As mentioned the JMP stamped razors are far more desirable so keep an eye out for them. They are great shavers for sure....but look for value if you can find it. At the end of the day these were produced somewhat later than a lot of vintage makes (into the 60's for "good" JMPs) and there are a lot of them out there, even in new (NOS) condition.

The real question is are they worth what folks are paying for them in terms of actual shave quality over collector's value or hype? At a the $250-350 price point for a 13 o 14 respectively, I would say perhaps...though I would argue that for a fraction of that (half or better) one could acquire a Henckels Friodur and get every bit the shave and quality without spending quite as much. Just my opinion there. Again, YMMV and form/function for each individual.

I just picked up a nice JMP 14 Sub Cero from a SRP member. I have looked at the Henckels and hopefully will add one of these to my collection one day also.