Thread: Question on Puma Razors

Here's an early Puma I sold a few years ago, it's made from Kayser Ellison Sheffield steel.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Only have to look at that one Bob linked to see that it's rubbish.
Edge is frowning & has been ground right up to the stabiliser. Sad...

Now that I look at it, that shoulder looks kind of rough.

Originally Posted by JP5

Now that I look at it, that shoulder looks kind of rough.

Always makes me shake my head when I see new razors with heels ground like that.

Once you have seen a few vintage Pumas the currently made ones look pretty shabby by comparison in a few areas.

Bob

All top quality Pumas. I once had that #97 model in my stable, was a great shaver and a beauty. You don't see many of those.

Pumas are not any better than other Solingen razors of that period. What distinguishes Puma is their good marketing and nice presentation. The durafol cases are definitely more appealing than cardboard boxes.

Right. Well. So here's a little brain teaser: Who actually made the allegedly "good" Pumi's?

I'll wait...

I have two Otto Busch Worldmasters a 6/8 and 7/8ths. Both fashioned from Kayser Ellison Silver Steel.
They are top notch pieces of kit. That steel in the hands of old world craftsman. Would be difficult to beat for razor making.
My $.02 Ken

Originally Posted by Maryland998

I have two Otto Busch Worldmasters a 6/8 and 7/8ths. Both fashioned from Kayser Ellison Silver Steel.
They are top notch pieces of kit. That steel in the hands of old world craftsman. Would be difficult to beat for razor making.
My $.02 Ken

Agreed Ken, the Busch Worldmasters really stood out to me when I got an inexpensive one early in my collecting that had been restored with olive wood scales. They take an amazing edge pretty easily and respond well to good stropping. Something about the steel and the grind on them just works really well. I didn't know the Worldmasters were made from Kayser Ellison Silver Steel. Sheffield steel with a German grind seems like the best of both worlds.

The razor with the cracked ice scales in the first pic below I still have. The second pic is of a Worldmaster that was destroyed by celluloid rot several years ago, the only razor I've owned that this has happened to (knock wood). It is a real thing. By the time I discovered it, the blade was so etched and pitted and black, it looked like it had been through a house fire. If I had pictures, they would make you retch. I had to just throw it in the trash, so sad. Fortunately, it didn't affect other razors stored in the same place. But I do keep my celluloid razors separated now, and check them occasionally.