Thread: American Steel

I'll take a Genco or Geneva razor any day. They shave great and keep a fantastic edge. I have ones that were made in the 1850's and they shave as good as any blade from Europe or Japan.

Originally Posted by jkatzman

I'll take a Genco or Geneva razor any day. They shave great and keep a fantastic edge. I have ones that were made in the 1850's and they shave as good as any blade from Europe or Japan.

I have both Genco & Geneva and I agree - they are top quality and are great bargains pricewise.

I picked up a very clean Genco with unique scales; couldnt pass it up. I am a not a honemeister by any stretch of the imagination but that Genco hone up wonderfully. Likely had never been touched before. I also have Geneva, also a great shaver. Would like to try all the american blades.

Some of the finest American steel was produced for suppliers used to having Germany make their blades until WWII came. THEN, they had to rely on American makers.
IMO, these last and finest Americans really shined.

Even Wester Bros could not get blades from Wester and Butz in Solingen.

This one is an absolutely premier example, IMO. Shaves like no other.
I wonder who made it? I have suspicions.......

Have to agree. I have a few US made razors and they shave with the best of them. They were/are under appreciated imho.

Bob

I have no American blades. I’ve wanted one but they are nowhere near as plentiful as the others. And anytime I’ve ever went on a quest to find a specific razor it has lead me to paying twice what I should. Maybe something will come along.

My RAD is frothing at the mouth!
I may need to get a third job working nights on a corner downtown.

But if you guys keep telling of the greatness of American razors the price will go up, and thus I'll need to spend more time in that corner!!! Shhhhhh!

You can find Genco's and Geneva's on Ebay or the for sale forums. They are not expensive. My barber said they are barber quality which means they hold a great edge and are very reliable shave after shave. Mine can hold their own with any foreign blade at a fraction of the cost.

In addition to the Geneva and Genco I mentioned earlier I have four Robeson Shur Edge all fine razors, two Winchesters ( I don't know who made them for Winchester) they
are also a joy to use. I have two Red Imps made by Case (two more Red Imps but made by Luco in Germany).

I just looked at my Razor Log. And I see I have 18 that are USA made razors. A few more if you count USA but german steel. Love me some USA made Razors. They might not be as fancy, at least mine arn't, but they sure do shave well.