Thread: Picked up a vintage razor off eBay, anyone tell me if I've found a little gem?

Picked up my first straight razor off eBay today, payed about £9 for it. It's stamped Thiers-Issard along with "R. Marchand Paris" on the shoulder. It's also got "Le Supreme Tranchant" etched onto the actual blade. Anyone tell me anything about it?



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Few more pictures for you to look at...






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Welcome to SRP. The good news is that TI is a fine razor. The bad news is that particular specimen has been improperly honed and has a frown. Unless you are experienced at honing it would be best to check member services in the classifieds and send it out for honing by a pro.

I was wondering about the slight concavity...is this reparable? Would this render the razor useless?

That concave is called a "frown", a sad face. 'Tis not a good thing and should be corrected, as the previous poster said.

Originally Posted by rushton1305

I was wondering about the slight concavity...is this reparable? Would this render the razor useless?

Yes it can be corrected. There is also wear on the spine and the blade looks to be a 4/8 or so ? Hard to tell from the photo.

I'm referring to the measurement from the top of the spine to the bottom of the cutting edge. Depending on how much you have in it I don't know if it would be worth the cost of restoration ?

If honemiesters got paid by the hour it would be an expensive proposition. Fortunately most of them don't.

Here is the SRP Wiki where you can find all things related to straight razors. Shaving, honing, restoring and on and on. Check that out and you'll be on your way to shaving nirvana in no time.

yes the concave curvature on the edge is a serious problem, it makes it impossible to get the razor sharp. the edge has to be straightened first.
that's well beyond normal honing, so not sure how expensive it will be, but whoever decides to take it up will give you a quote.

So, given the damage the razor has, was it worth the £9 I paid? I mean, it is a Thiers-Issard.

A bit steep, but spend a bit more (by sending it out) and you may well have a decent shaver. From the pictures it looks like some of the etching will go. Alternatively, you could keep that one in reserve for when you feel like you're confident enough to attempt a restore. Ebay is a bit dangerous when you're new to the game.