Thread: 4 for the laddies from Wales

I got this boxed set of four horn handled beauties from a buy it now on ebay a couple of months ago. I have gradually honed and shaved with three of the four and they were all first class. I have one to go and if the other three are any indication it too will be a winner.

The seller let them go for just under $100 shipped and they are well worth it. I had never seen a razor made in Wales before these. They are a high quality product probably made in the earlier part of the twentieth century. I find it curious that they made a set of four but perhaps it was thought that a set of seven would be too pricey for the segment of the market that they were targeting.

In looking up Cardiff here I found that it is the capital of Wales and was at one time a flourishing industrial area. If anyone has any info on the maker, A.W. Staniforth Cutler, Cardiff, please post whatever it may be.

Wow, what a great set Jimmy! You did good on those very nice and interesting. What are the scales made of?

[Edit: horn handles]

To quote Borat:

"Thats niiice!!"

Really handsome set! Looks like an excellent find to me.

We have two or three members here from Wales who may have some information on the maker.

Rich

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

What are the scales made of?

[Edit: horn handles]

Yeah Lee they are horn. One of the things I love about these blades is the jimps top and bottom. They are of a really quality steel and judging by how they honed up and shaved the heat treating and tempering was done with great expertise. I had never heard of the maker before. It will be interesting to see if any of our members from Wales know the maker.

Isn't it more likely that they were made in Sheffield or Solingen for the retail trade and Staniforth had their name stamped on them. My father was born and grew up in Cardiff.
As a child I spent a lot of time there at my grandmother's. I would love a razor with a Cardiff stamped on it.

Originally Posted by welshwizard

Isn't it more likely that they were made in Sheffield or Solingen for the retail trade and Staniforth had their name stamped on them.

I don't know how likely that is, but it is my guess

Originally Posted by welshwizard

Isn't it more likely that they were made in Sheffield or Solingen for the retail trade and Staniforth had their name stamped on them. My father was born and grew up in Cardiff.
As a child I spent a lot of time there at my grandmother's. I would love a razor with a Cardiff stamped on it.

Your guess is as good as mine and it is quite possible. OTOH, here is a quote from the Wiki article linked in the first post," The city also strengthened its industrial base with the decision of the owners of the Dowlais Ironworks in Merthyr (who would later form part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds) to build a new steelworks close to the docks at East Moors, which was opened on 4 February 1891 by Lord Bute."

Apparently Cardiff was a major port in the early twentieth century with coal playing a major role. It may have also had a lively trade in iron and steel. So it is not too far fetched to suppose that there may have been manufacturers of cutlery in Wales. OTOH, I have read on the forums that the steel used in much of the Sheffield and the Solingen production was Swedish in origin. Seems like the global economy isn't as new a phenomenon as I thought.

Those are beautiful. What a steal too. It goes to show that if you know what you are looking for you can still get a great deal on ebay.

A beautiful set, Jimmy!

There was a set of four razors in a roll-up pouch recently, with the following markings:

Sunday
Monday/Wednesday
Tuesday/Friday
Thursday/Saturday

I guess you are correct about the price being right for the segment of the market they were aiming at, but having even a matched set of four must have been quite something!

They all get a days rotation, too - except for lucky Sunday who gets a nice long rest!

Regards,
Neil