Thread: Help on Swedish razor

I've copies of factory sheets from Heljestrand that says that the MK, Bk and RK stands for different grinds (the sheets are only from three different times periods though, I think they stretch over a couple of years each and I think they're from the 1940:s and 1950:s). I got these from the town museum of Eskilstuna and they thought that the MK stands for "Mästerlig Kvalité", when I asked them. I'm sorry to say I never made the trip there and asked to see more of their documentation about Heljestrand, never got around to it, but I don't think a well known Swedish company would name their products with the names of children to a son who moved to France (that kind of honor was more for people who meant much for the products or production, in one way or another). There was a line, with three different razors made for the Frence market and the factory sheets also names them and that they where made in three different grinds and that the names where connected to the grinds.

I think the MK, BK and RK are marks for different grinds. Sometimes MKs are a 1/4 grind though, but I also think some razors where mislabelled - I think they had a higher tolerance for smaller errors back then and that QC wasn't 100 percent (not like today).

Where does this leave the models with neither of those markings, but simply a "No", like C.V. Heljestrand No7? The link below is to a store that sells a No7, but also a MK7, which is different. So it doesn't seem to be a mistake.

http://www.sliqhaq.se/stock-heljestrand-p-1215.html

Ferdi has a point

Feel free to read Bosses postings in another forum, corresponds well with the historical facts and what kindals relatives today says

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...mparing-models

Originally Posted by Bergstedt

Where does this leave the models with neither of those markings, but simply a "No", like C.V. Heljestrand No7? The link below is to a store that sells a No7, but also a MK7, which is different. So it doesn't seem to be a mistake.

http://www.sliqhaq.se/stock-heljestrand-p-1215.html

I think those models (with only a single digit) was later/ more contemporary models.

Originally Posted by Frameback

Ferdi has a point

Feel free to read Bosses postings in another forum, corresponds well with the historical facts and what kindals relatives today says

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...mparing-models

I'm sorry, but what historical facts? I don't belive it was like that and all the MK:s or BK:s I've ever bought has been bought in Sweden (and it's no small number) and I find it unlikely they first where exported and then brought back to Sweden. I think facts should be from written documents and not from what you hear from different people or relatives wanting to promote their own name/biz.

I don't know all facts, but I do trust the factory cheets I've got and they say that the different marks stands for different grinds (and that you could have them all with different types of scales, some being more expensive than others).

Honestly, I don't know all the facts, maybe there's a mixed truth of the everything. Maybe the models names Mk, BK, Le Prince etc are both names that tells the diference between grinds and connected to the grand, grand children of C V Heljestrand - but why didn't they name the French line after the french family then? The later is only speculations however, until documents prove otherwise (and that's not what someone in France writes on a website).

The fact that Ferdi was pointing to,

Kindal bought AB C V Heljestrand when it was up for sale.

Not facts, but more interesting reading for who is interested in the subject
Kindal | eskilstunaknivar.se

Originally Posted by Mikael

I'm sorry, but what historical facts? I don't belive it was like that and all the MK:s or BK:s I've ever bought has been bought in Sweden (and it's no small number) and I find it unlikely they first where exported and then brought back to Sweden. I think facts should be from written documents and not from what you hear from different people or relatives wanting to promote their own name/biz.

I don't know all facts, but I do trust the factory cheets I've got and they say that the different marks stands for different grinds (and that you could have them all with different types of scales, some being more expensive than others).

Honestly, I don't know all the facts, maybe there's a mixed truth of the everything. Maybe the models names Mk, BK, Le Prince etc are both names that tells the diference between grinds and connected to the grand, grand children of C V Heljestrand - but why didn't they name the French line after the french family then? The later is only speculations however, until documents prove otherwise (and that's not what someone in France writes on a website).

Have to agree with Mikael here - that post has no historical references that can be checked - its just one man's opinion.

Originally Posted by Frameback

The fact that Ferdi was pointing to,

Kindal bought AB C V Heljestrand when it was up for sale.

As far as I know it, Heljestrand was still owned by the Heljestrand family in Sweden when they closed shop in the 1980:s. I could be wrong of course, but that's what I've red (I think they kept on doing some tools for the hospital industry though, not sure however).