Thread: Need help identifying my razors

I bought my first two straight razors at a local antique shop a couple of months ago and ordered a strop and have begun to use one of them every day. I use the one that had a curved toe to help prevent digging into my face so much...well, that was the plan. Both were pretty sharp when I bought them. They would each dry shave the hair off of my hairy arms and take a thin layer of dry skin off.

The one I first started using is engraved NABOR on the blade and has a pin repair in what I believe is French Ivory scales. It took a while for me to realize it was dull enough to need extensive stropping if I wasn't going to send it off to be honed. Something I will eventually do. Anyway, I stropped it one morning 200 times and got the best shave with the least amount of irritation and no nicks (for a change). Since then, I have been stropping 200 strokes each morning as a matter of habit and have found that the razor also benefits from a touch up between my WTG and XTG passes. I haven't built up the nerve to go ATG on a regular basis yet. I usually cheat and finish off with the ATG with my Fusion. I get way closer with this method than I was ever able to get with the Fusion alone even when I travel and follow the same WTG, XTG, and ATG passes with the Fusion alone.

I have started using the other now that I am accustomed to using a straight and find it to be in similar need of extensive stropping.

Below are some of the photos of my straights. One is engraved, as earlier mentioned, NABOR with French Ivory scales and the other is engraved Christ Hecker, Cincinnati with what I believe is probably bone scales. I don't think it is ivory because the material is smooth, but has been polished or sanded and is thin in the middle and has a definite open grain at the pins where there are stains from polishing and/or honing that could not be sanded or polished off because of the proximity to the pins.

My main questions re: any info I can get, but is the NABOR Pakistani or something to require so much stropping or just duller than I realize?

Looks like regular bone handles, I have some that look just like it. Not sure about the Nabor, but most US straights I have come across have been great shavers. I guess if they where not good they would not have survived this long I've become addicted to US blades as I like a bit harder steel. Not to say the others are soft exactly but they are not as hard

200 passes... ouch, ya you need a good hone job, in my opinion

Thanks for the reply. I was pretty sure the scales on the one was bone. There was a third straight razor at the antique shop that was priced at over $120 so I assume it was the ivory model. I didn't buy it.

The one with the French Ivory scales appears to be plastic, but has two tone striping to it to replicate ivory but the stripes are to perfectly parallel to be organic in my opinion.

I've gone back to the NABOR because the Chirst. Hecker need too much work right now and I have cut myself with the point a couple of times.

You want hard, try Wacker or Filarmonica razors. Both of these brands are not stainless steel, just regular carbon steel. They take longer to hone, but they do give great shaves. Juan.