Just out of curiosity, No Names and Pleasant Surprises

Wondering what everyone's favorite no-name or pleasant surprise razor is. Stuff you picked up in a lot of razors, bought when you didn't know better, cheap ebay or antique store gambles. Mine is this Phoenix razor. One side of the tang says Spalding & Co warranted on the other side Ground & Made in Germany on the other.

This was my second razor I bought ten years ago for a couple bucks when I wanted to learn to hone. The blade has a slight frown and knowing what I know now I probably wouldn't have purchased it. The shave quality is right up there with my Wade & Butchers and Bokers. I'm glad I didn't know better at the time, I really like this razor.

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PS No idea why the image is sideways

I had bought this german razor just for its size from one of our local sellers. It dont say anything besides Solingen Extra. It is an extra hollow 7/8. Great shaver but no clue who made it.

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Cool thread! Not familiar with the names on some of my shavers, but they may be considered notable makers to others here lol. I'll try to post something.

BTW Camaro, welcome to the forum. Love the 69 Camaro SS with hideaway lights myself.


John Cecil
Cast Steel

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Fortunately it does have the maker, so there is no mystery there. Some razors were made by prominent companies, but marked for other businesses. I have a razor that was likely made by Torrey (citing Richard/Geezer) and I have to agree after comparing it to another Torrey. It had the name of a retail business on the tang though.
Voidmonster has some razors he has researched and found cool backstories too. You should check out his threads.
You can read some of his articles at
THESHIVERINGBEGGAR.COM

Thanks! Wouldn't mind owning a 1969 ZL1 myself but its just a bit out of my price range.

This beastie was sold by Bartlett and Dow of Lowell, Mass.
They specialized in seeds, agricultural implements, hardware.
Wonder who made it? Fine, fine shaver.

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Wow and nicely restored!

Nice one Tom. And you have the original box. Seen any other razors with the "Solid Comfort" etching?

Nary another. At all?

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My old pics from broken computer to flash to another broken computer are deteriorating....

Here. An old thread.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/custom-...tlett-dow.html

Very nice restoration work! And an interesting provenance.

I call this my "bowling ball" razor. I bought it years ago just for the wild scales, it was cheap on eBay. But in spite of the wear, after honing it, it was and is a total standout shaver.

I'm more of a 6/8s guy, but this razor may be my very favorite 5/8s-sized razor. It is only marked "Chas. Thomas / Wilkes Barre" and I've never found any other information on it. This picture was taken with several other cheap eBay finds from lesser-known or unmarked makers before I honed it up. It has a stiffer grind than most American razors from this period I've tried, but the feel and sound of it when shaving are very much like other American steel razors I've tried.

The Allegany Instrument Corp. (AIC) razor partially shown next to it has a paper-thin grind by comparison. It's a decent shaver, but it's no Bowling Ball. :)

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Interesting timing on this one. I was just about to post questions about this one when I saw this thread. The topic is almost diametrically opposed though. This no name... And when I say "no name" I mean no name since the only thing on it is Made in England... I had high hopes for but have sadly been disappointed. I have other obscure ones that I've been very pleased with but sadly this one doesn't fit that bill.

Mine would have to be a George Rohr, of Dayton, Ohio. No idea of who made it, or from where. George owned a hardware store, but was only in business for 1.5 yrs. :shrug:

Blade, gifted by a fine gentleman from Texas.
Scales, hand carved, in the great white north.

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The aforementioned "Made in England" razor is the only truly no name in the sense that there is literally no name on it but I have several that are not name brand razors that I truly love. Probably the one I currently love the most is this Najeeb Malluk & Co. engraved "The Dewey Razor"

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I posted about this before. It has every reason to be a piece of crap but it's not. This is a fine shaving razor that holds an edge beautifully and shaves like a dream plus it has the fancy scales which are a little added bonus.

Nice looking razor Paul. Why would you say, "it has every reason to be a piece of crap?"

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Originally Posted by JP5

Nice looking razor Paul. Why would you say, "it has every reason to be a piece of crap?"

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Well, it is a paki, it is a knock off of The Dewey Razor Company and it is a no name import.
Here's more info.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/razors/...conundrum.html

Really?............

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Really?............

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More accurately. After I got it I started researching it and found some things seemed to suggest that it might be disappointing in terms of quality, in particular that it might be a a paki (in truth I may have misspoken before. I don't know definitively where it is from but it is possibly a paki import with no marked country of origin likely made after a period when it was supposed to have). As it turns out it is as nice as it looks and shaves exceptionally well.

I think it a Solingen-made blade for a Middle-Eastern -American Firm in NY.
We must remember that when NY had areas for many different immigrant communities, all needed barber's supplies.

Najeeb Malluk & Co. filled the Arabic community's orders. I expect.

There were several others with names combined with theirs. Businessmen!.

I always thought those Najeeb Malluk & Co razors had the look of a quality made razor. I have seen others with the Statue of Liberty and the words America My Home on the blade. Given that and the Dewy blade etchings, both patriotic markings, could it be a US made blade for the US market considering no makers mark? OTH other Solingen made razors had similar US patriotic markings but had makers names.

Bob

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

I think it a Solingen-made blade for a Middle-Eastern -American Firm in NY.
We must remember that when NY had areas for many different immigrant communities, all needed barber's supplies.

Najeeb Malluk & Co. filled the Arabic community's orders. I expect.

There were several others with names combined with theirs. Businessmen!.

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Malluk was from Turkey. An importer and a merchant of durable goods from the Middle East (that's why I mention I think Pakistan) in New York. He was obviously a proud new American based on the evidence Bob mentions. I'm curious what makes you say you believe it is Solingen made? I'm not saying that it's not necessarily but really want to know because the only thing I saw referring to Germany was a misguided fellow on Worthpoint who had one in an incorrect box. Perhaps you know something I don't but would like to.

I should also mention again (because it's confusing and I think that was their intention) this blade does not say the Dewey Razor Company but rather is engraved "The Dewey Razor" apparently piggybacking off the Dewey Razor Co. name. That is another reason why I suspected it might be fancy junk. By the way, I shaved with it this morning and again it shaved flawlessly.

Its probably not a Paki, then. I've got one, and you'd be lucky to finish the first pass, before the edge gave up.

The razor is/was a tribute to Admiral Dewey.
The razors Majeeb Malluck sold were quite fancy, I think.
Not the sort of thing American makers did. Still, they were quality blades FME.
I think, being importers, they had them made in Solingen.

At the time these razors were made I don't believe Pakistan even existed coming into being in 1947. Pakistan made razors came into being due to the current interest in straight razor shaving and globalization of trade. Also at the time these razors were made they were in wide spread general use so an inferior product would not last long on the market. It would not make sense to import junk unlike today when the knowledge of straight razors is pretty limited in the general public. I still think the best bet is that it was made in Germany as Solingen was known for making made to order razors for importers in North America. I only mentioned the possibility that it could be American made as the country of origin stamp may possibly not be required if the product was for sale in the home market and not an import.

Bob

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

The razor is/was a tribute to Admiral Dewey.
The razors Majeeb Malluck sold were quite fancy, I think.
Not the sort of thing American makers did. Still, they were quality blades FME.
I think, being importers, they had them made in Solingen.

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I resemble that remark ....

Here’s one that I’ve never seen before or since. The tang is stamped ‘M. Abdallah Phila’ on the show side and ‘57 Germany’ on the other side. As you can see, it’s quite ornate with an olive branch (I think) and hammer etch on the blade and ornate scales. Kind of a middle eastern theme.

I’ve searched on ‘Abdallah Philadelphia’ and get lots of hits, but none of them related to barber’s supply, razors, cutlery, import, etc. If anyone knows anything about it, please post!

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Originally Posted by BobH

At the time these razors were made I don't believe Pakistan even existed coming into being in 1947. Pakistan made razors came into being due to the current interest in straight razor shaving and globalization of trade. Also at the time these razors were made they were in wide spread general use so an inferior product would not last long on the market. It would not make sense to import junk unlike today when the knowledge of straight razors is pretty limited in the general public. I still think the best bet is that it was made in Germany as Solingen was known for making made to order razors for importers in North America. I only mentioned the possibility that it could be American made as the country of origin stamp may possibly not be required if the product was for sale in the home market and not an import.

Bob

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You're right that Pakistan as such did not exist then. It was part of India so to say "Paki" is technically incorrect although in reality the area and people did not just magically appear in 1947. They just called it something else. I am quite sure that this was made after The Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 because that is what Admiral Dewey was famous for. It just seems like if it were made by a reputable German company they would have put the country of origin on it. Although perhaps it was left to the importer to do the stamping. Still wondering why I am hearing Germany. Were they the only ones making razors for other companies? I know Ern ground for many others but did they not do that elsewhere? US for instance?

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Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

You're right that Pakistan as such did not exist then. It was part of India so to say "Paki" is technically incorrect although in reality the area and people did not just magically appear in 1947. They just called it something else. I am quite sure that this was made after The Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 because that is what Admiral Dewey was famous for. It just seems like if it were made by a reputable German company they would have put the country of origin on it. Although perhaps it was left to the importer to do the stamping. Still wondering why I am hearing Germany. Were they the only ones making razors for other companies? I know Ern ground for many others but did they not do that elsewhere? US for instance?

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Yes, Pakistan was part of India and as such part of the British Empire. Britain had a policy of exporting British made goods to the Colonies while importing raw materials from them to make manufactured goods. I doubt they would look kindly on competition for Sheffield from the Colonies.

Yes, other countries did make razors for US importers but I believe Germany was the main supplier of contract razors. I have already said why I think it might be possible that it could be US made too.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that you will get a clear cut substantiated answer to country of origin or maker for your razor. Due to lack of info it will all be a best guess scenario.

Bob

Well at some point In a search one may find themselves out of answers and have to resign to not knowing. At the end of the day it is rather academic anyway. For the purposes of this discussion it is a good razor that shaves well so I'm going to keep it honed and shave with it until I'm too old or too senile to remember to shave.

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Here's another no name that turned out fairly well. It's an L. Löwe and Company. This was another German made razor for a barber supply out of Milwaukee. It came in a lot and it had a pretty pronounced frown to the blade.

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I corrected that and honed the daylights out of it to get the edge back and it shaves pretty darn well. if you run your finger along the rib you can tell there's some imperfection in the grind (high spot in the hollow) near the spine but it doesn't seem to affect how it sharpens or shaves. I wonder if some of these were line rejects but considered good enough to sell off as contract razors.
Here's an ad I found in The Barber's Journal from 1903. I know that's inconclusive but seems to confirm my feeling that it was likely from the late 19th to early 20th century.

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Again it has scales that were probably once black but now brown and seem to stain with water and handling. These are still fairly pliable.

Here's a no name I quite enjoy. Only stamp reads Solingen. It's a type 14 blade in 7/8 that I bought NOS.

It shaves like a dream and if stamped Filarmonica, it would have cost me at least 3 times what I paid for it.

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Originally Posted by Badgister

Here's a no name I quite enjoy. Only stamp reads Solingen. It's a type 14 blade in 7/8 that I bought NOS.

It shaves like a dream and if stamped Filarmonica, it would have cost me at least 3 times what I paid for it.

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Nice! Only thing is if you sold it it would bring you a third of what it would if stamped Filarmonica. That's an interesting little phenomenon like sellers market or buyer's market in real estate. if it's a seller's market and you sell a house it helps you but turns back around and bites you when you move into another one. The skinny of that being good on you since you bought it not sold it. It's nice to be on the receiving end of that once in a while.

I bought it with the intention of keeping it, and a keeper she is.