Thread: Are all Sheffield and Solingen steel created equal?

Hi:

Can one generalize about the quality of vintage Sheffield and Solingen razors? For example, are most Sheffield razors made between 1850 and 1900 mostly great? Or all Solingen pre 1950s? The question arises as there is a ton of brands out there that don't command the prices that the big boys do, but they look like awesome razors. For example, are Wade and Butchers better shavers than their contemporaries or just more beautiful and thus collectible? And then I have heard comments about 1920s to 1930s Solingen being scary sharp--or is that more their pre-World War II cache??

A related question, did the types of steel change from one era to another and how does that affect the shave and also the sharpening?

Hi HarryA,

Some of the information you are looking for can be found here and in the "Good Straight Razor Brands" and "Brands of Straight Razors to avoid" links.

I decided on a Boker Red Injun 101 (Solingen 1924-1935) for my first razor. It was honed by one of the gents here and was definitely sharp. It also held a nice edge for quite a while before it needed touching up.

I can't comment on the Sheffield steel.

I would say yes, you can generalize that all vintage Sheffield and Solingen steel is high quality. The really really old Sheffield steel is a bit different from the "newer" stuff of the 1840's and on, which is different from Solingen. These are generalizations, though. And different does not imply better or worse, it's just different. Some people prefer certain ages/origins/grinds/sizes/etc, but I'd have to say that is just personal preference.

If you're concerned with the steel quality remember that most makers of razors don't get involved with steel fabrication they buy the raw stuff from a supplier and probably very few suppliers supplied the whole industry so I would expect the steel to be pretty much the same across brands for any given era.

Assuming the razors are in comparable shape, I have found anything stamped "Solingen" is as good as anything else bearing the same stamp.

In fact, searching on eBay I sometimes just search for "straight razor" and "solingen" and sometimes add "NOS." You can get a lovely, pristine Solingen straight that is an obscure name or orphan (no name, just Solingen) for a quarter of the price of the famous names.

I find the same for Sheffield, though for some reason I've found more good bargains on no-name or minor-name Solingen razors than Sheffields.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I would say yes, you can generalize that all vintage Sheffield and Solingen steel is high quality. The really really old Sheffield steel is a bit different from the "newer" stuff of the 1840's and on, which is different from Solingen. These are generalizations, though. And different does not imply better or worse, it's just different. Some people prefer certain ages/origins/grinds/sizes/etc, but I'd have to say that is just personal preference.

it's sure, goog analyse

Are all AMERICAN cars created equally? Are all GERMAN cars created equally?

Granted we are talking about a less complex subject than an automobile with considerably fewer components, but I am sure you will appreciate where I am coming from in response to your question.

Different companies specialising in the same field adopt different practices, just like different cutlers will have had their own heat treating and grinding techniques. Some Sheffield steel is extremely hard and some is far less hard, eg. Rodgers/ Reynold v Wade Butchers. (IME).

Joseph Rodgers as I am sure you may know, were selected among other cutlers as 'Cutlers to their majesties.' There is no evidence in my experience to suggest that this was for razors, however it was for cutlery, which is more simlar than say, cars.

To answer your Q literally, no they are not. Consider those razors which fail the heat treatment and can never take or hold a particular good edge among seemingly identical others. This is the case, there was a post on this the other day.

Surely you were not asking this, so putting this aside, still no, they are not. I have had some Solingens which are just that touch nicer than others and this is also true with Sheffields, though the former I have more experience with. Further proof of variencies in either or both the quality of the steel and the heat treatment is that many razors of the same origins will respond differently to different finishers eg. Most Sheffields will not respond so well to high grit synthetics, but some will.

Alot to consider and I could go on and on, but I am sure you will begin to appreciate they are not all equal at all.