Thread: All time classic razor

To me the classic razor is: Böker - The Celebrated

I would say that the "classic razor" would be the archetype of razors, meaning, the razor that is immediately idendified as a razor beyond any doubt by anyone who is not a razor specialist. For instance: a W&B might be a classic to us, but the barber's notch would be a little too much... a spike point is elegant but there's something "wrong" on what concerns the archetype. Because of so many images people have seen in movies, photos and whatnot, I'd say that the archetypical razor is a 5/8 round point, no matter where it comes from.
For me a "classic" is no more than a benchmark for whatever it is. But mind me, the perception of archetypes and therefore, the perception of classic status - a symbolic value atributed to some object - varies a bit, despite the fact that an archetype does not vary in it's essencial lines. That's what an archetype realy is... but whatever involves the atribution of symbolic values is not ground as safe as the previous one...
Everybody knows what a razor might look like (excluding most eBay sellers... they don't have a clue!) meaning, if someone is asked to describe a razor, they will describe, more or less, the lines of the western razor (that don't change much from model to model or maker to maker). Nobody in the western world would describe a razor that fits the looks of a japanese style razor... I guess. This creates an archetype... but the definition of classic, being both an atribution of symbolic value and the benchmark for the definition of what a thing has to be (either as a whole or as a strating point) is much moe complicated and it takes someone who is a bit more knowledgeable to define a classic for himself. And others might follow his ideas... or they might not...
So, to me, there's an archetype. And I can add my idea of a classic razor: a 5/8 spike point. Maybe with tortoise scales. Why? Because a classic has to be a bit more than the archetype... it must raise it up a notch but keeping in mind that a classic is precisely that: a classic... meaning deportment and style and constitute a safe choice wherever, whenever.

Hope this confuses the hell out of you! I got a bit confused, I confess...

This is just the opinion of someone relatively new to straights (one month in now) but I would say in Australia the Bengall is a classic because it is reputed to give a good shave and is also very avaliable. It seems they were very popular in Australia before safety razors became popular and as a result it is fairly easy to find one still in good shape.

I tend to agree with Big Red. A model A Ford is a classic as is a '57 Chevy. The old W&Bs and the later FWE or Dubl Ducks qualify in my mind. There are many others.

If you want some examples of classic razors you will find some member's favorites here.

A seller once told me that he values Wostenholms, Dubl Ducks and "some of the Swedish steel makers" most for the quality of the edges they can take.

Interesting post.

The way I see it there is classic and there is classic. They have these classic car shows and the cars are classic? Maybe to collectors but I don't see anything classic about a chevy corvair or chevy nova. Or maybe you walk into a clothes shop and they sell classic suits. Whats classic about that? If you wore the suit in the 1930s or 1890s you'd look silly.

To me what makes something classic is its a timeless item either design or function wise. If you can't buy it now well so much for timeless design. I would say a straight razor is a classic shaving implement because it has been relatively unchanged for a very long time and it can still be bought. A hollow ground razor is timeless also because its been around a long time and can still be bought but a true wedge? They don't make em anymore and haven't for a longtime unless a custom guy will do one for you so its not timeless its obsolete and not a classic to me. In ways razor brands long gone may be classic in the way the corvair is or that classic suit is.

Gentlemen, gentlemen,

Tsk, tsk, tsk, are you not forgetting the ne among the plus ultras, the best of the best, the end-all of the be-alls, the most coveted among the most closely held, the head above all the shoulders? The CHRONIK!!!!

I don't have one, but I know were I to have one and merely flash it in the mirror, the whiskers would jump off my face - such is the reputation of the CHRONIK!!! that stubble flees the safety of its follicles rather than suffering the indignity of defeat by the insuperable, the CHRONIK!!!