All of the brands listed in the wiki article that Otto listed are brands that are known to be good, but I stick to my first comment.

Virtually any vintage blade forged in Europe or the US can probably be made to shave very well.


As far as assigning value, there's no easy formula for this. I'm sure everyone here has their own personal scale for determining the value of a razor.

Just a few things to consider....



  • Brand. A "known brand" like Dubl Duck or Genco is probably worth more than an "unknown brand" but that doesn't necessarily mean it will shave better.
  • Scale condition. Are they clean? Straight? Free from cracks? Are the pins tight like they should be?
  • Blade condition, cosmetic. Is there rust? Pitting? Patina? Is it nice and shiny? Is it shiny, but only because it was restored, and not restored well?
  • Blade condition, mechanical. Is it shave ready? Does it have chips? Cracks? Does it center well in the scales? Does it have excessive or uneven hone wear?
  • Collectibility. Is it collectible? How collectible? Do you care?

As you can see, there's too many variables to give you a scale to go by. FWIW, personally, if it's shave ready and I like the shape of it, it's worth at least $25 to me, no matter how ugly it is. As it get's nicer looking, and the condition improves, so does the value.