Joseph Allen & Son OR Griffon: Which to restore?

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. I've Been wet shaving with a DE razor for about a decade, and I recently inherited two of my grandfather's straight razors, so I thought I would join to learn something. I would love to poll the peanut gallery about which I should send out for restoration. Here is a little more info on each:

-Joseph Allen & Son - markings: NON*XLL, Sheffield England, Medium Size Hollow Ground. It has a half moon cut out of the end of the blade. This is the larger of the two blades. Slightly larger than 5/8" wide (probably 11/16"). Cutting edge is about 2 7/8"

-Griffon - markings: 05, Germany. This one is noticeably sharper than the JA&S, and even took a few hairs off of my arm when I tried it. That said, both are pretty dull by razor standards. Just about 5/8" wide, and the cutting edge is maybe 2 7/8".

Neither razor has any nicks or chips on the blade edge that I can see or feel.

I know nothing about these brands, really, other than that they are both considered "reputable." I'm looking forward to using one of these to start learning straight razor shaving.

Also, if you have any recommendations on who/where to sent it, I would really appreciate it.

I hope the poll setting works, but I can't seem to figure out how to edit the options, so please ignore if it doesn't make any sense.

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Both are sweet shavers and worth restoring. If you can find someone close who can take both, put them on a hone, and then provide a recommendation, that would be best. Good luck!

Either one or both are suitable to be restored.

Bob

You forgot the third option in the poll............BOTH :tu

Restore both but start with the Joseph Allen as it has a rounder toe so will be a little easier starting with out.

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Originally Posted by Dieseld

You forgot the third option in the poll............BOTH :tu

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This.

Also what eddy79 said. Beware the toe of the spike point razor. They bite, and often don't give forewarning before doing so.

yes, both nice razors. you can't go wrong with either i wouldn't worry about the spike point on the Griffon as it can be muted so as not to be a danger. If you don't have someone close by to do the restoration then any of the vendors listed in the classified should be a safe choice.

If those are heirloom items, they are irreplaceable. I would not use those to learn how to restore. Please send them to a reputable person for restoration.

If you just want a basic clean up and hone, I would be happy to do it for you. Having something that belonged to a father or grandfather is a rare thing, that many of us wish we had.

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Originally Posted by Magpie

If you just want a basic clean up and hone, I would be happy to do it for you.

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Hi Magpie,

That's incredibly generous of you! I really appreciate the offer!

Glen/gssixgun ended up getting back to me and I've sent my razors to him for a complete restore. I think they were a little bit rusty for just a basic clean-up and hone, and I didn't want to take advantage of your generosity by sending you something that would be more than you'd probably bargained for. Both also needed new scales before they're shave-ready anyway.

Thanks again! I very much appreciate your offer.

I'll post photos of the completely restored razors when I get them back.

I hope you are not learning with your heirloom razors. As a beginner I did a few bonehead moves and caused some minor damage to my razors. I would hate to see any harm come to an heirloom. An inexpensive shave ready razor from the classifieds would be a better choice for a beginner razor.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

I hope you are not learning with your heirloom razors. As a beginner I did a few bonehead moves and caused some minor damage to my razors. I would hate to see any harm come to an heirloom. An inexpensive shave ready razor from the classifieds would be a better choice for a beginner razor.

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Hi RezDog - good point. I was thinking of buying an inexpensive razor to learn how to hone and shave. I'll check out the classifieds.

I'm starting from scratch, so I'll also need a strop. Any recommendations?

I already have soap and brush (been DE shaving for years).

As you are in the USthere are several places to shop. You could either get an inexpensive Illinois from the net, or get a nice strop with a replaceable leather from Straight Razor Designs. New people tend to beat their strops up a little, so don't spend a lot. Replacement leather is really quite a bit less than a new strop.

If you are contemplating a strop I'll chime in and recommend SRD's modular paddle strop. I bought one of these to start with and it certainly has a couple of traits that I feel are a plus for those new to straight razors and their maintenance. The first is that a paddle strop simplifies learning to strop a razor to some extent because it allows you to focus on the razor and not worry about how much tension is being applied to the strop. Removing this factor went a long way to making me feel a bit more confident in my stropping technique. The modular design of this strop was also a big draw (no pun intended) for me as replacement leather is very reasonably priced and it allows me to try different leathers to find the draw I prefer. The one downside I will admit to is the fact that the only fabric panels available are the rock hard wool pads but I haven't found that to be a major issue for my own use.