Thread: Need help identifying Bengalls, please.

I have 6 different Bengalls. When were they made?
What are the differences?
Different steel?
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The differences are mostly attributable to when they were made: Razor 1 is probably before 1891 and may not even have been made by Cadmans - the lettering style is a deviation from their usual practice in this period but who really knows?

Razor 2 is possibly a Cadman made item from just after the US requirement for country of origin ID began in 1891.

Razors 3, 4, 5 & 6 are clearly made by Cadmans but before the requirement for "Ltd" in their company name came in (abt 1923 I believe). These are possibly all pre WWI but I'd need to see the wedges to be more certain. My theory, and it is only that, is that lead wedges are pre WWI and synthetic ones during and after the war.

Originally Posted by Maladroit

These are possibly all pre WWI but I'd need to see the wedges to be more certain. My theory, and it is only that, is that lead wedges are pre WWI and synthetic ones during and after the war.

Thank you. #3 and #6 have synthetic wedges and #1, #2, #4 and #5 have lead wedges.

Originally Posted by Maladroit

The differences are mostly attributable to when they were made: Razor 1 is probably before 1891 and may not even have been made by Cadmans - the lettering style is a deviation from their usual practice in this period but who really knows?

Razor 2 is possibly a Cadman made item from just after the US requirement for country of origin ID began in 1891.

Razors 3, 4, 5 & 6 are clearly made by Cadmans but before the requirement for "Ltd" in their company name came in (abt 1923 I believe). These are possibly all pre WWI but I'd need to see the wedges to be more certain. My theory, and it is only that, is that lead wedges are pre WWI and synthetic ones during and after the war.

Wow, you certainly know your stuff about Bengalls. I didn't realize there was multiple manufacturers using the Bengall label early on.

Interestingly, a few weeks ago I came across a report of a court case that Cadmans brought in Germany (possibly in the 1890s) against several Solingen manufacturers who claimed "Bengall" should not be registerable as a trademark. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find this again, but I recall that TR Cadman won the case. The golden age of trademark counterfeiting came to an end about this time, due largely to the enforcement of trademark laws and design registration requirements.

Other Sheffield makers have apparently used "Bengall" but I have no idea who they were. The fact that they applied no other name to those razors makes it effectively impossible for us to ever know. As I said, these dubious practices largely died out in the early 20thC.

There seem to be quite a few that possibly came from Sweden with just the Bengall stamp. Pre 1891.

Originally Posted by Grazor

There seem to be quite a few that possibly came from Sweden with just the Bengall stamp. Pre 1891.

Would you have one you could show us Graeme?

I seem to remember seeing a razor stamped "Bengal" (with only one L) a few years ago. I'd be guessing that it was a trademark intrusion razor.