Thread: Henckels real or fake?

you know the old saying ,"if its too good to be true...."
but you could roll the dice and see,it all depends on how much you like it and how much it costs.....

Several razors on ebay have been described as made during WWII in Germany.

In each case, the name "Germany" has been present on the blade.

Why would a German razor made during WWII have an English name for Deutschland? The export market in English would have been non-existent.

Given the "Solingen, Germany" and the use of the "Henckels" name, it either must be a real blade or a counterfeit, unless it's a spinoff from a distaff member of the family. If a real blade, it is not a twinworks blade, and has a strange logo.

I seriously doubt it was made during WWII, though.

Two things that would be eating at me are:

The font on the coffin seems too modern compared to other packaging I've seen from known WWII era items.

Considering the claim that the razor has never been out of the package, where are the milling marks that are left on the blade after manufacturing? The metal of this blade seems too polished.

Here is another one from this guy....seems his grandfather had an endless supply of new, unused razors..LOL

Straight Razor "J.A. Henckels" Solingen Nos! WW2 Rare - eBay (item 180566704329 end time Oct-06-10 07:07:36 PDT)

Have a look at one of the close-up photos of the tang, then enlarge the photo. That says it all to me.

The twins seem to be cut into the tang, and the name branding and description is laser etched. Back then they stamped it all into the tang.

Now I'm no history boffin, but they sure did not have laser etching machines back in WW2!

Decent looking imitation though!

PS-Even if it is a chinese copy, the quality will probably be very good, but not worth that much money. Probably worth about $40 or so.

Just my 2 cents!

Looks to me like one of those budget friendly Chinese made models. They are almost always a steal!

Originally Posted by leadingedge

Here is another one from this guy....seems his grandfather had an endless supply of new, unused razors..LOL

Straight Razor "J.A. Henckels" Solingen Nos! WW2 Rare - eBay (item 180566704329 end time Oct-06-10 07:07:36 PDT)

Have a look at one of the close-up photos of the tang, then enlarge the photo. That says it all to me.

The twins seem to be cut into the tang, and the name branding and description is laser etched. Back then they stamped it all into the tang.

Now I'm no history boffin, but they sure did not have laser etching machines back in WW2!

Decent looking imitation though!

PS-Even if it is a chinese copy, the quality will probably be very good, but not worth that much money. Probably worth about $40 or so.

Just my 2 cents!

Yes, I agree it is beginning to look a bit suspicious: but his dad could have been a Mr. Henckels I suppose...

Here is a close-up of the tang for anyone who can't enlarge it to see it better:




Regards,
Neil

Is it possible that these are simply newer production razors and the descriptions are inaccurate?

Originally Posted by HNSB

Is it possible that these are simply newer production razors and the descriptions are inaccurate?

That is what I would go with. Chances of the seller exaggerating the age are much better than a Henckels knock off. If you look at the pins, they are the newer style that are in current use, similar to a nail than a pin and two collars.

... WW2 Rare ...

... but with modern pins.

Hi there, I have recently purchased one of these razors at a very high price, I thought I was getting something unique but am new to the straight razor game and therefore apparently may have been taken for a nice little run.
A little more info about the razor itself so that I can be advised by people that know more than me, (or at least I hope you will advise me).
This razor has no spacer, the plastic of the handle meets where a spacer should be. It has a plastic piece rather than a third pin. The pin for the spacer is of the type that looks like a nail with a washer on the other side and the top pin seems traditional. The figure of the single man on the blade as well as the words and numbers seem to be cut into the blade but not as deep as some of the older razors like the Wade and Butchers that I have.
It says Henckels solingen germany and has the number 10078 1/2 on the tang as well. The plastic or composite handle has a single man in it as well but the man is not metal inlaid as another henckels that I have with the twins on it.
Anyway, thank you for what is on here so far as I am trying to get info on a possible refund on this item but I can't find any info on the single man or on production dates for specific henckels razors and may need this info to proceed.
Any info would be appreciated...