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I recently bought a razor from a local antique shop as it was £3.50 and I could'nt resist! It is marked "KROPP" on one side of the tang and "GROUND IN HAMBURG" on the other. It is a 6/8 extra hollow ground with black synthetic scales. Having cleaned it up and honed it, it gives a very good shave.
Anyway - can any of you tell me anything about the manufacturer, history, &c.?
Thanks,
Duncan.
All I can tell you is that they are AWESOME shavers. They do not get mentioned much but you definitely have a keeper. I for one will never part with mine.
I am not sure of the make but it sounds like an English company, even though it might say ground in hamburg.
Thanks to Amyn, I was introduced to Kropps. So far, it's by far the best shaver I have. Gives super smooth shaves and retains its edge very well. I wish I could tell you more, but this is all I know.
Thanks, gents. I have done a bit of Google searching, but all I have been able to find out is that Kropp is indeed a Sheffield company (not German, as I had thought) which was active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Beyond that I am completely in the dark - this one has me puzzled.
The Kropp Manufacturing Company was a London firm that made razors for the UK and world market. Some of their razors were made and ground in Sheffield, some were made in Sheffield and ground in Hamburg. They majored in good quality, everyday razors for everyday guys and succeeded admirably. They also supplied the retail trade and offered a variety of options, mostly engraved blades with the retailer's name on them. All Kropps I have had have been good and one of my prized razors is an 8/8 full hollow grind made by Kropp for Whiteaway Laidlaw & Co. Ltd., Rangoon. You have a good razor, no mistake.
I found a 1922 ad for Kropp razors here: 1922 KROPP Straight Edge RAZOR Ad
Would you be so kind as to add this to the Wiki. There is definately a growing amount of information about a lot of these companies. Just two or three years ago there wasn't much at all. Now with so many people researching, more and more is being discovered.Quote:
Originally Posted by blueprinciple
http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...uta-dis-sr.jpg i love my Kropp! it really is a great look peice and shaves great!
Wow I just bought my first razor unfortunately I sorted of winged it so I was not sure what I had. I am beyond excited to know that I purchased a highly rated razor and I can not wait to use it. Also glad to know that it says ground in hamburg. I could barely read it.
Thanks
Short of some hidden crack you have a Bargain
Osborne, Garrett & Co Ltd made the razors branded:
Kropp
Elmo
Carrara
Ogee
Osgar
I know it's an old thread but Here are some Kropp ads.
http://www.madaspenhome.com/straight...lg/kroppad.jpg
http://www.madaspenhome.com/straight...kroppad_01.jpg
Thanks for the ads Max. I like your new avatar.
I've just come by a Kropp, too, (and a Carrara in the same batch), and once again, it's "ground in Hamburg". The grind is of the bellied hollow variety, which is to say like a Hamburg Ring style. Mine also has a blade engraving by the agent, "A. Renshaw, Hairdresser, 1a Market Walk, Huddersfield". The Carrara, by the way, is Sheffield made and cosmetically very similar, but with a less pronounced belly, and a better polish job: it could easily have been forged by the same maker. In England Kropp seem to enjoy a good reputation without having developed a cult around them, which is good news for people looking for a decent shaver at a sensible price.
Neil Miller posted this pic last time I saw a thread about Kropps
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...roppadvert.jpg
I have a 6/8 round point, its great :)
I own a 6/8 Kropp. It probably was made about 1910. It is a nice heavy blade, feels good in your hand, and shaves like a dream.
I have a couple small KROPP's I just found two new 7/8ths+ blades without scales. I feel blessed!!
~Richard
Another day another three 8/ 8ths Kropp's. An old Friend done found them in drawer. Again, scales needed, should help rectify a bad case of optirectitus complicated by laziness. A good Day in the neighborhood! May the luck join you this weekend!
~Richard
[QUOT.E=Geezer;1291979]I have a couple small KROPP's I just found two new 7/8ths+ blades without scales. I feel blessed!!
~Richard[/QUOTE]
Buying them up, Richard? ;)
I like the old Kropps. Wish I had an 8/8 square point! :)
Yea I want an 8/8 Kropp. Jealous
I was really lucky getting this one on Ebay. Said it was never used, excellent shape. It did not have a bevel and looked like it was just made. It is 7/8 and once I honed it, it is on the top of my list for a smooth shave. Similar to the Bengall. You won't be disappointed.Attachment 255406
Yes, you are fortunate, I shaved this AM with its brother.
~Richard
Just received a couple of Kropp razors bought unseen at auction.
One is totally borked - the tip has snapped off and there is a split running right along the length of the blade
The other, on the other hand, looks OK, with just a bit of rust (did I say bit??) on the blade. Looks like the blade has been stamped/engraved with a retailers name (can make out "Cardiff")
Will have to see what emerges.
Great! Post picture when you get a chance.
OK, here ya go.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHouston
The totally borked blade - note the lovely split running along part of the length of the blade, and the snapped off toe.
Attachment 300116
OK, now the better blade.
The stamp on the blade reads "MADE EXPRESSLY FOR JOHN HALL - CARDIFF", which just happens to be my hometown!!!
Attachment 300118
Attachment 300119
Well after reading all the rave reviews I was feeling a little left out. "But Mom! All the other kids have one." Consequently I had to go out and buy one myself.
Attachment 300777
Like Yorkshireman's mine says made in England ground in Hamburg
Attachment 300778
I paid a little more for it than I really wanted to... Of course it would always be nice if people just gave them to me but ya know :shrug:
seriously though I'm not complaining for $37.50 I'm just pathologically cheap.
It has a little hone wear. However it was very clean, it came in an original Kropp box, it had been recently honed and came shave ready, oiled, wrapped in tissue paper in the box and in a Thiers razor packing box. I'm certainly not going to complain about any aspect of it. Like what I had heard it shaves like a dream and has tight scales and fits nicely in the hand. It has a ring to it when I shave. I don't know if I'm describing that well but one thing I saw in an old book said a way to test how well the steel is tempered is to catch it with your thumbnail and click it and listen for the ring. This one has that ring while I shave with it.
The guy apparently also loves straight razors and did some research about it which he detailed thoroughly in his description. Hell, he may be a member here. He claims it's made between 1891 and 1914 and I'll take his word on that. He apparently had used it himself and was very conscientious. He said he sanitized it which I appreciate. Of course I sanitized it again (as Ronald Reagan said trust but verify), stropped it and used it the way it came out of the box.
I am 100% satisfied although I blame all of you for making me buy it. Bunch of enablers is what you are.:rant:
See what you made me do!?
A no-frills Razor, Highly regarded and a good working man's razor. They hone well and hold an edge for a long time. For me, they are grea shavers.
JMO, YMMV
~Richard
An old thread revived! Nice!
Kropp is my brothers favorite. He collects them almost exclusively. The 8/8 Kropp I have I've never used, but I've shaved with several of his, and they are great shavers.
I also read about how they were aiming for the "common" market... BUT as an American, my impression before I read the history and opinions of others was very different.
I imagined a "riding crop"... Riding crop - Fox Hunts - Lords and Ladies - Upper Class - English Countryside...
Anything BUT common. Kind of funny how it was infact the opposite of my assumption/impression!
Sill haven't enlightened my brother yet, just can't do it. Lol
