Thread: Senior members, a question

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.

But these trends ebb and flow, often on the order of months, and are emergently replaced by the next trend.

Ultimately, the fact that these items are so fungible suggests that they are only elevated from "somewhere above average" to "exemplary" for the moment, and when that moment is over, these items revert back to their proper berth.

However, in some cases there are items that are true champions of their contextual raison d'être that truly are exemplary (i.e. 3M sandpaper; I know it's a weak example, spare me).

So, in the most roundabout way possible, all else being equal (the honemeister, the brush, the strop, the lather, etc. minus the razor itself), are there blades that belong to the latter of the two categories? or are most blades (from sheffield or solingen), regardless of brand, comparable if properly honed and stroped and the face properly lathered?

Thanks in advance.

IME as the old barbers in Newark told me 25 years ago a good Solingen or Sheffield steel will give a good shave. I would also include vintage USA blades in that equation. The customs that are being put out nowadays rival the old stuff and again IME TI and Dovo are putting out some super blades. Just IMO.

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".

I can only tell you what I shave with.

I have a Geo. W. Korn (Which made Case Razors) it is the best American Steel Razor I own. My Union Cutlery Spike and Torreys are very close seconds.

My new Dove (10 years old) shaves ok, I am not a fan of the steel.

My Solingens from days of yor are good shavers but I find that the older the blade the better the shave.

My Sheffields, well currently I am not speaking with one of them I am having problems with the edge. But the others are the same as the Solingens.

My Japanese str8. Wicked sharp and a good shaver.

I do not own any new fangled customs.

The heart of your question, correct me please, is this. What are the differences in the steels?

Some makers hit on the magic ingredients, some makers hit on the magic hardening, some makers hit on a good grind.

I know that my Korn is a full hollow and weighs nothing, the edge is thin as 2.0 beer and it shaves like a light saber. I do not know if it is the grind, the steel, or the quenching process, but whatever they did they did it right.

Originally Posted by singlewedge

The heart of your question, correct me please, is this. What are the differences in the steels?

Some makers hit on the magic ingredients, some makers hit on the magic hardening, some makers hit on a good grind.

I wonder if some batches of blades happen to come out better than others ? The alloy isn't always the same and there may be subtle variations in the heat treatment. I'm assuming here ... Then there is which workman happens to be the one grinding and if he is really "on" that particular day. I know that they were/are sort of mass produced but there were a lot of separate hands on procedures performed on each blade that could possibly make one slightly but perceptibly better than another..... I assume.

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 singlewedge

The heart of your question, correct me please, is this. What are the differences in the steels?

I intended the scope of my question to focus on the manufacturer ranther than the steel. The question is given sheffield or solingen steel (I would buy no other), were there manufacturers that consistently put out superior razors, razors that would be valued for there craftsmanship regardless of FTOM influence on price?

Put another way, who were the Ferraris and Lamborghinis (or BMW and Porches) of the straight razor world in the 1800s? What did every early 19th century gentleman wish they could afford in terms of the blade (i.e. omitting diamond encrusted scales and other non-shave related extras)?

I guess I'm looking for a history lesson.

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.