NOS PUMA

I recently picked up four NOS PUMAS. Two are 89 6/8 one is a Puma Gold 6/8 and one is a 90 5/8. I already owned a Puma number 9 from 1979 which was my best Shaver. The NOS Pumas didn’t come Shave ready but they all honed up very nicely and shave great. People often comment about new razors not being Shave ready from the factory. I was reading an old Puma booklet that used to come with their razors in the old days. It explained Puma quality control. Every razor had to pass 26 different test before they would ship it and nothing was recycled. If it failed any of the 26 test it was scrapped. One of the test, the final test I think was every mm along the edge had to cut a single hanging hair! What I personally do is hone my razors until it will pop a hanging hair on each 1/4th of the blade. I mark with a sharpie in four spots. The test has never failed me. If it passes it shaves perfectly.
Nothing it seems is as it once was.

You should hold on to the Gold, because it fetches insane prices already.

That said, Puma razors are considered so-so by the people in Solingen. I have two of them, and they are nice, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The thing is that Puma (like Henckels, or Böker) were a major brand, and therefore, many people made them. Depending on the decade in which they were made, this may or may not be a good thing...

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Originally Posted by RobinK

You should hold on to the Gold, because it fetches insane prices already.

That said, Puma razors are considered so-so by the people in Solingen. I have two of them, and they are nice, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The thing is that Puma (like Henckels, or Böker) were a major brand, and therefore, many people made them. Depending on the decade in which they were made, this may or may not be a good thing...

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The four I recently picked up were likely made by Dovo. But they are very good razors and keep the edge a long time but so do two Dovo Pearlex Razors I bought in 95' The other Puma though, My Father inlaw gave it to me in 79' I think but he'd had it for years before giving it to me. He'd never shaved with it or used it at the Barber Shop. Never honed it. That Razor absolutely does stand out above the Dovo's the other four Pumas, a Carl Monkhouse I just sold, A Silver Ring I just sold, A Hess I just sold, a Kross Keys by J. Nowill & Sons I just sold, and an Otto Deustch that I just sold. That is all the razors I have shaved with in the last 25 or so years except for a Wade and Butcher that was made in 1850. All of the razors I mentioned were fine shavers, took and held an edge etc. But, the one Puma cuts so damn smooth it is like drawing a hot knife through butter. It shaves as smooth as a 4 blade Cartridge. I may never purchase another razor. I have seven in my present rotation. I have thought of a Bismark but I'm sure it shaves about like other Dovos.