Thread: Bad razors

We seem to come across an enormous number of brand name razors from the olden days. Not only big names like Wade & Butcher, Bismark, Henkels, Filarmonica and what not, but also small brand names that were rebrands of bigger names.
Through my years, albeit very few, of straight razor place membership and use of these tools, I've read lots of times about eBay finds of unknown vintage razors: "here's a vintage razor from someone who nobody knows" and the replies are always in the lines of "it will hone up okay" or "these vintage razors are usualy nice shavers". It seems that all the animals are equal - but some are more equal than others... that is why a Dubl Duck or a Filarmonica are more desirable items than others.
However, it seems that the quality of all the razors made in the olden days is, pretty much, stable, meaning, generaly good or very good. I understand why this is: the steel was good and things were always made to last.
BUT... were there any razors that you know of that were sub-par? Are there any vintage brands to stay away from?

And don't think you can say that Filarmonicas are bad or Dubl Ducks are horrid shavers just to make me stay away from them on eBay or something... I already know better...

I can't think of any bad vintage razors that I've ever had.

Same, I can't think of one that gave me a bad shave or refused to hone up.
The only bad think I have noticed that both of my henckles seem to spot up more so than my bokers, wade&butcher, red imp I'll stop there it would be a long list. They are dry and oil when I put them away in the drawer.

Back when these vintage razors were made , they were made to be used for shaving . If the razors you were making didn't shave , you would not be in business for long . That is why you will not usually find a bad vintage razor .

i don't think they were all created equal. i've had and still have quite a few that aren't anything special. yes, they shave well, but they don't get as sharp and smooth as say my wonderedges (to reuse an already hyped up brand). of course there are many others that are right there, but i am not going to be naming names and contribute to another hype - everybody who has shaved with few hundred razors surely knows who these are.

similarly there are hyped up brands that in my opinion do not deserve the reputation - they completely lack the consistency of say the ducks, and my conclusions are based on statistics of about 30, so mathematically it's believable.
so i just don't get excited about them at all and buy others that i like to shave with much better.

Like the others that replied I have not come across a bad vintage straight razor. By bad I mean not worth shaving with or even honing. The next level of bad is dependent on who you talk to and your own preferences. If you are looking for something easy to hone you may want to stay away from wedges and Reynold razors. With wedges it takes a while to get them honed up. Add a smile and the time increased. Reynolds razors that Holli4pirating and I have honed up seem to be very hard and also take a while. If you don't have the patients to hone these blades properly these should not be your first choice unless you send the out for honing.

For us, we like to find the small razor makers and unknown brands. It's such a thrill to find one that really is up to par or out shaves the hyped brands. This is not uncommon. If you really get into this hobby/sport there are no bad vintage razors. If you just want a perfect razor and shave each and every time, spend the bucks and just get the hyped/overpriced brands.

Back in those days workmanship really meant something and if it was poor it simply would not be tolerated. I think there was or is a hierarchy in blades and though I've never seen a really bad vintage, like has been said there are some that are just a bit better than others when you use them. I suspect that's due to how individual pieces were made and some had everything come together 100% while others maybe 90% or so.

Originally Posted by Joed

Like the others that replied I have not come across a bad vintage straight razor. By bad I mean not worth shaving with or even honing. The next level of bad is dependent on who you talk to and your own preferences. If you are looking for something easy to hone you may want to stay away from wedges and Reynold razors. With wedges it takes a while to get them honed up. Add a smile and the time increased. Reynolds razors that Holli4pirating and I have honed up seem to be very hard and also take a while. If you don't have the patients to hone these blades properly these should not be your first choice unless you send the out for honing.

For us, we like to find the small razor makers and unknown brands. It's such a thrill to find one that really is up to par or out shaves the hyped brands. This is not uncommon. If you really get into this hobby/sport there are no bad vintage razors. If you just want a perfect razor and shave each and every time, spend the bucks and just get the hyped/overpriced brands.

I understand what you mean. But I don't mean the ease or difficulty to hone up the razor - we know that not all razors were created equal. But when they hone up, they are, indeed good.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Back in those days workmanship really meant something and if it was poor it simply would not be tolerated. I think there was or is a hierarchy in blades and though I've never seen a really bad vintage, like has been said there are some that are just a bit better than others when you use them. I suspect that's due to how individual pieces were made and some had everything come together 100% while others maybe 90% or so.

I agree - in the olden days quality was important. Because quality meant durability and that was the most important thing.
So, I guess that bad razors are a thing of today - because today quantity is what really matters... but not to us.

Unlike alot of things today, back then craftsmanship and quality was a matter of pride. Things were made to last because they weren't so easily replaced. I have yet to find a vintage razor that wasn't of quality.

Yeah... maybe my question was a stupid one...