Thread: Senior members, a question

Originally Posted by Ichinichi

I've noticed grumblings on SRP about Flavor of the Moment/Month (FOTM) straight razor shaving items. To wit, re: Wade and Butcher Barbers and DublDuck Wunderedge blades.

Both of these have been cult items around here for many years - they're hardly "flavors of the month".

Originally Posted by mparker762

Both of these have been cult items around here for many years - they're hardly "flavors of the month".

Their presence in the public consciousness here is not in question; the recent upward trend in pricing is what categorizes them as FTOM.

6 months ago, no one would pay $350 for a WB Barbers; today, that's the going rate. That doesn't mean that no one was aware of the quality of WB Barbers, nor is it that the quality of WB Barbers have changed; just that 6 months ago they weren't as highly valued as they are now, satisfying the FTOM criteria above.

Originally Posted by Ichinichi

6 months ago, no one would pay $350 for a WB Barbers; today, that's the going rate.

Mparker is very right. No offense but it sounds like you have plenty to learn- and are in the right place I suppose.

Your $350 W&B comment no doubt stems from eBay or the classifieds. They surely are not a flavor of the month and their price will most likely stay that high as yes, they have been for a while. eBay prices are never a good standard if you want to really see the value of something. It is completely hit or miss sometimes. If no one remembers to set their snipe or everyone wins a different blade right before a certain auction the going 'rate' will change within a day. The classifieds here in my experience seem to flow more with the economy.

People will always be looking for Wonderedges and other well thought of blades. It's not necessarily that one shaves better than the next, especially considering that everyone has different shaving preferences. So no, no one maker then or now has any magical properties in their razors that make them the best. You need to try different styles and see what works for you. Anything from Sheffield, Solingen, Sweden, USA, France, and maybe a few other places will be eligible to give a good shave.

Originally Posted by Philadelph

So no, no one maker then or now has any magical properties in their razors that make them the best. You need to try different styles and see what works for you. Anything from Sheffield, Solingen, Sweden, USA, France, and maybe a few other places will be eligible to give a good shave.

That's the answer I'm looking for. To be clear then, with respect to the razor itself, there is no justification for me to shun that great looking $9.99 razor on the bay stamped solingen or sheffield because I've never heard of the name on the tang. Correct?

I assume that ease of resale is a different issue altogether and more intimately tied to market sentiments.

Originally Posted by Ichinichi

To be clear then, there is no justification for me to shun that great looking $9.99 razor on the bay stamped solingen or sheffield because I've never heard of the name?

I assume that ease of resale is a different issue altogether and more intimately tied to market sentiments.

Exactly. Just make sure it looks to be in decent shape. If there were any one maker, etc. that had superior razors in terms of shave quality I think it would be pretty easy to find out as EVERYONE would want them for that reason. I don't think anyone has heard about a razor like that. Maybe in their own head they have, but the next guy's opinion will always be different.

In senate hearings debating the tariff act of 1921 H.L. Henry, the head of the Geneva Gutlery Co., and representing nine other razor companies including; Torrey, Case, Droescher, Clauss, National Razor, Union Cutlery, Geo. Korn, and Poughkeepsie Cutlery, claimed that the German market was flooding this country with poor quality razors and threatening the stability of the U.S. manufacturers. He said they were made from Bessemer steel or a cheap grade of Swedish steel. Interesting reading.

Regards - Walt

^Oh, very very cool.

Originally Posted by Walt

In senate hearings debating the tariff act of 1921 H.L. Henry, the head of the Geneva Gutlery Co., and representing nine other razor companies including; Torrey, Case, Droescher, Clauss, National Razor, Union Cutlery, Geo. Korn, and Poughkeepsie Cutlery, claimed that the German market was flooding this country with poor quality razors and threatening the stability of the U.S. manufacturers. He said they were made from Bessemer steel or a cheap grade of Swedish steel. Interesting reading.

Regards - Walt

This is awesome!!!

Thank you,

Lynn

Walt- that is a very cool piece of history. The guy from Geneva basically foretells the crumbling of the American razor manufacturing business. Crazy.

I read somewhere that Sheffield and Solingen, for a time, swapped steels. Then as steels became more abundant in England, they would ship to Germany for other processes. Germany would ship to England for MOP and other scale material.

It is all intertwined and it would not surprise me to learn that the steel came from the same mine. So a Solingen blade would have the same steel as a Sheffield.

American steel is made here so all the razors that were made by American companies were made here.

There were exceptions. American Companies that used German blades etc then restamped then with the companies logo.

I really do not think it was so much the steel as the forging process. A good blacksmith family was worth there weight in gold if they could produce superior edged weapons. Obviously crappy steel, is just that, but even marginal steel could be made into a good shaver with the right smith at the helm.