Thread: Custom razors

It’s funny, when I was younger I might have been jealous of the avid collectors. Now, I am able to appreciate the amazing custom and beautifully and often rare restored razors and strops and brushes members show on the various SRP forums. One has to admire the knowledge, skill and artistry of their creators and the ability and creativity of the restorers.

I am not envious of the stuff they have so much as challenged by the ability of members to do things at a level of skill, artfulness and craftsmanship I can only hope to reach.

I have some vintage razors that can hold their own with any of my customs. They may not be pretty but if you judge them on the quality of the shave, not appearance they do a first class job. However, if you like to look at the craftsmanship of the custom razor, then you can have both with them.

Think for the price point Rigarazors take some beating! Build quality is outstanding and just the feel of the razor oozes quality!

Originally Posted by Ambersnake

Think for the price point Rigarazors take some beating! Build quality is outstanding and just the feel of the razor oozes quality!

RigaRazors are very nice, one thing that may be a deal breaker for many they only come with one grind a quarter hollow, there are not too many custom makers who can offer or produce a full hollow grind and even less who can produce an extra hollow, I can only think of 1.

I have previously had Thiers but the Riga has been a revelation in my shaves - just get on really well with the feedback , weight of the blade !
I did hear on the grapevine (I may be incorrect) that Riga were looking at a water cooled grinding equipment which would make full hollows a possibility! This i’d love to see ! They get a hollow nailed and combined with their build quality it’s going to be quite a thing !

they don't need the water cooled grinder to achieve, just a great craftsman. 1/4 hollows are easy that's why most of the custom guys stick with it,, but as Jaime said there are a couple who can do it well. Tc

Think the water cooling reduces heat build up in a rapidly deminising blade thickness which is harder to manage as the hollow gets thinner !
Maybe possible to do without for sure but perhaps when you are trying to produce commercially a water cooled grinder is a valuable aid !

this may be true for a commercial razor maker, but a custom maker, isn't turning out thousands of razors, they are hand making them one at a time,, the grinders your talking about have been with the big boys a long time,, but even then the razor makers from Solingen were turning a lot of razors out with out, and they were the kings of hollow grinding.

ive ground a razor to full hollow and heat was never an issue,, that's only if your not paying attention Tc

I have Thiers razors . I’ve read that quality is sporadic, a lot prone to micro chipping . I’ve personally witnessed this which in my opinion is down to the temper of the steel.
For sure a hollow can be achieved without but with conertations to the honeabilty future use ! If a water cooled improves a build why wouldn’t you use that technology!

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