A guy in the UK purchased this from the states and cannot seem to get a decent edge
Is this not fake Damascus , i ask because they talk it up a great deal so much so that i want one :/
https://www.thevintagegentlemen.com/...ht-razor-vg-17
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A guy in the UK purchased this from the states and cannot seem to get a decent edge
Is this not fake Damascus , i ask because they talk it up a great deal so much so that i want one :/
https://www.thevintagegentlemen.com/...ht-razor-vg-17
It’s an RSO.
Nobody makes a Damascus blade that is any good retails it for that price point. If it is too good to be true it usually is. Just one look and I'd be saying RSO imo.
Bob
I notice that nowhere in the copy for the RSO does it say anything about being a good shaver, edge retention or being shave ready. The text is not geared to someone who knows anything about shaving with a straight razor.
And, I agree with Bob - sounds too good to be true.
I saw an eBay listing once for one of these and sent the vendor a PM asking how he could offer a real Damascus razor at that price point. The response I received was an honest “we don’t expect anyone to actually shave with it.”
Thats a bit of a shame because it is real purty, I was tempted tooQuote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
Just look at a real straight razor and it just looks wrong.
Bob
You have to be extremely wary of any blade with "Damascus" steel at anything near that price point. Sometimes they are actually forge-welded steel of different types that etch differently, but there's no way to know exactly what kind of steel went into it. Could be mild steel and some low-grade crappy steel with some nickel thrown in. Or worse yet just pot metal (i.e. whatever happened to be chucked into the foundry that day). In other words: you might get it "sharp"-ish, but it will never ever hold an edge. And shave-ready will always be a distant an unachievable goal. Even worse, some cheap "Damascus" blades are garbage metal with a pattern painted or printed on to it.
Way too much work and way too much good steel goes into a good pattern-welded steel blade. In a nutshell, cheap = crap.
Also, that style of scale is a red flag. Way too big, clunky, and heavy to be a comfortable shaver. And more often than not, those scales are attached to truly useless blades.
So yeah, if you're looking for a wall-hanger, knock yourself out. But for a shaver, stay well away.
The scales are absolutely a red flag.
Yes the scales are common RSO, .These blades are £25 on the bay..
I had just told the guy that i would not hone it and it was not real Damascus but a pattern created with Acid maybe, probably made in Pakistan so i thought i would proof my thoughts/comments by running it by you guys..
Total crap and at a high price :/
The bloke that bought it should have saved his cash and put the money towards one of your lovely old Sheffied refirbs Joseph. Then he'd have himself a real razor.
Thanks.. and with my razors you are guaranteed a half decent edge :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tathra11
Meh. I am thinking RSO. On the plus side, if the seller can be believed, VG-17 steel. But that doesn't mean much if it is not properly hardened and tempered, or if the geometry is not in the envelope.
On the negative side, it says single alloy, VG-17, but also says pattern welded. So what... VG-17 just folded in upon itself with no other alloy? BS. The patterning is obviously electro etched or chem etched. BS. The scales are too heavy and look like knife scales. It doesn't even look like a razor. Not a single review from someone who writes like he is in the community. The first reviewer talks about how heavy it is, as if it were a good thing, and talks about dropping the princely sum of $30 for a strop to "sharpen" the razor with. Misrepresentation, and FAKE REVIEWS. BS on top of BS. At least, that is my opinion, admittedly given without actually having laid hands on it.
But if someone here wants to take one for the team and give it a go, I will offer a consolation prize of a honed GD66 for your review of that thing. I say consolation prize because I think it will be a disappointment, even without considering the $99.99 price.
There's an ass for every seat.
If someone does want to take one for the team - and I am *not* encouraging anyone to do so as people who sell that crap should not profit IMHO - I'm certain you could find a carbon copy of that blade for much less from another seller.
But yeah, please don't.
If by chance you know this bloke ask him to wipe the blade with some lacquer thinner and see if the waves are painted on.Quote:
Originally Posted by JOB15
Yes I think it's a Paki Razor Shaped Object.
I've got a fake Damascus
Attachment 329535
Shaves quite nicely though :o
Mark yours is not fake but misleading instead :)Quote:
Originally Posted by markbignosekelly
The buyer of the RSO is trying for a refund, i hope he gets that... In the meantime he took a beautiful razor from me which he can shave with and pass on to his children one day..
The acid etched Damascus pattern was common in old French framebacks, I have several of them. It was just the fashion of the time I suppose, but I doubt that anyone was confused.
I think that this class of things are actually RSKs, or ‘Razor Shaped Knives’, IOW, they’re actually a pocket knife that looks like a razor. That explains the angle, too-soft steel, and frequently the description. If it has ‘knife’ anywhere in the description, that’s exactly what it is even if it also has ‘razor’ in there too. Unfortunately, the vendor actually represents it as a Damascus straight razor for shaving.
There was/is an American vendor bundling one of these with a ‘shave ready’ Gold Dollar. The Damascus ‘razor’ is described as for practice and display, not shaving! When you’re comfortable handling the display razor, you move up to the Gold Dollar. Which os the only situation that I can imagine that one would move ‘up’ to a Gold Dollar, lol.
Good one, Steve. Yep, movi g up to a Gold Dollar is not something you hear much.
Absolutely an RSO/RSK. Same company as one I had to deal with. https://sharprazorpalace.com/razors/...ived-gift.html
The silver lining was I was able to get my first Koraat.
There have been patterned welded knives coming out of Pakistan and India for several years now.
I don’t know about razors particularly, but the quality of pattern welding steel has improved dramatically during that time as seen on knife production. That part of the world has a rich history of making steel, a bit longer, (13th Century) than the US or other parts of the world. When Pendray and Verhoeven, attempted to unravel the wootz's history and formula, this is where they turned.
So, are there quality razors being sold on eBay for $10-15 or even $100? Probably not, but it was not that long ago that Japanese cars and merchandise were less than stellar in quality…
Here is a good video of Al Pen dray’s story.
Alfred Pendray, Wootz Hunter: An Homage to a Remarkable Craftsman
