Thread: Japanese Straights (not Kamosori)

I only see one folding straight on that page and it is a solingen.

Opps, spoke too soon. Didn't scroll down far enough. Thanks, this is what I'm looking for...

Is it safe to safe that Japanese straight as a whole are likely to be as dependable as solingens as a whole? I'm getting from this thread that it's difficult to go wrong with them.

Originally Posted by hakan

I own two.
Maybe Ill have to post pics?

yes please post pics of those razors.

I know I'm tempting the "conflict of interest" demon (although 100% of the price of those razors goes back to Naomi-san, after paypal and the banks take their cut), but I hope you will believe me when I say: They're good. A few of them are great. I get the feeling QC was taken very seriously in the production of Japanese razors.

Thanks for chiming in Jim. I know I'll be ordering up a few in the near future.

attempt 01 (since the img upload kept crashing)

w00t! it worked.
It's a Kikuboshi, dont know the name of the model and it looks much nicer now that Ive polished it.
Sorry about posting old pics but my camera is dead and these are better than taking stills with the webcam...

The other one looks pretty much the same but is of another brand.

I’m happy with the NOS razor I purchased from Jim too and there are several others that I have inherited that, although are not all honed to shave with yet, look to be of high quality to my less then experienced eyes. I have no reason to think the quality of other old razors would be inferior to the European manufacturers quality considering the standard attention to detail typical of Japanese products in general given the exceptions to this rule that some may have experienced.
In regard to the photos, I’ve seen this before on the yahoo auctions here in Japan and some that were just Kamisori pinned with scales. Although these razors seem aesthetically pleasing, I would be worried about how practical the grind type/scale combination would be were you to use the purist fashion/technique of shaving with a Kamisori whereby the scales could be a hindrance in maneuvering the blade around your face. Take this with a grain of salt as I’ve never taken on the Kamisori and only came to this assumption after watching Jim’s video.
Hakan, how is your experience shaving with those two you have in this regard or are you shaving with the same technique you would as if you were shaving with a symmetrical blade? In that case how is that working?

Joseph

Originally Posted by JosephG

Although these razors seem aesthetically pleasing, I would be worried about how practical the grind type/scale combination would be were you to use the purist fashion/technique of shaving with a Kamisori whereby the scales could be a hindrance in maneuvering the blade around your face. Take this with a grain of salt as I’ve never taken on the Kamisori and only came to this assumption after watching Jim’s video.
Hakan, how is your experience shaving with those two you have in this regard or are you shaving with the same technique you would as if you were shaving with a symmetrical blade? In that case how is that working?

Joseph

I am using these in kamisori-fashion, eg. omote side against the skin at all times. Although it would work to use both sides, like a traditional western straight, that would feel weird. Like only using one side of my TI silverwing. It's not what it's for.

If we, for arguments sake, consider JimR's "shaving with kamisori" video as an example of "purist fashion/technique" then I would claim that the scales are not in the way. Maybe a little, but you can move the scales around a bit similar to when using different grips with a symmetrical.

Imho there is something magical with the "kamisori grind". At least for my face, and the curve of the omote makes it easier to get at my skinny neck. Ill be buying a "real" kamisori when I can afford the one I want. Ive always been drawn to japanese stuff and design and it has always agreed with me.

Here is a Japanese frame back I have. I honed it up and it shave very nicely. I will say it is heavy compared to most others I have. I think due to the quality of the steel.

Originally Posted by jcsixx

Is it safe to safe that Japanese straight as a whole are likely to be as dependable as solingens as a whole? I'm getting from this thread that it's difficult to go wrong with them.

From my experience yes, if not more so. With the Japanese razors I own they use a steel that is harder than most solingen razors. Similiar to Swedish steel which makes sense because I know japan sourced alot of high quality steel from Sweden. This leads to a slightly stiffer feel but an exceptional edge. That said this is all my opinion based on the 5 Japanese razors I have, YMMV but I would heartily recommend given Japanese straights a try.

I just remembered that I have a symmetric japanese straight too. A "66 SPECIAL Hollow Ground", which might be a "99 SPECIAL" since the numbers are rotated 90 degrees and Im not sure which way to read it.
Anyhow, I love it and it takes a wicked edge.