Thread: Henckels Friodur Spine/Vintage Question

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I guess the bigger question Joe is where/who provided the entire re-grind story?????? I only know of one source of this story, and I will just say that source was easily convinced of other stories too.. Whether this re-grind story is true and how we know that, is really my question? ...

As with most of the straight razor information we work with what we have available and what we can deduce from there. It's been so long since I read about the Henckels regrinds I really can't remember where I read it but I do know it didn't come from Henckels. The other part, which we can deduce is that I have not seen any vintage Henckels with Spanish points or spines worked as the '2nd generation' razors display. Take that, the flawless finish on gen 2 razors as well as the shank issues, it is not hard to believe that these razors have been finished off after they were discontinued. Now that I am thinking about it some more I believe one of the last German craftsman that ground razors in the day was rumored to have these blanks on hand and finished them off himself. They may have been done by Mr. Wacker himself, but that is just a guess of what I may remember from the original story. Anyone that remembers a few yrs back when the gen 2 Henckels were a big topic on SRP please chime in. I guess I can do a search to see what I can come up with but I know for sure I don't have the time available to do that this week. I look forward to refreshing my memory on this topic if someone can assist.

That 250 anniversary model is a beautiful razor,have you ever used it? it looks untuched.

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

That 250 anniversary model is a beautiful razor,have you ever used it? it looks untuched.

I bought mine NOS, I've used it twice.

I bought a 7/8 Friodur with the same worked spine on the Wacker site a few months ago. It came shave ready and so far I have only needed to strop the razor (used about 4 times so far). I am pleased with the blade. I bought the cheap plastic scales to save money, which with hindsight was a mistake - I don't like them.

It was my understanding that "regrind" on the original wedge/near wedge blanks made for Henckels was to change the blade to "hollow" grind. It would appear from this post that not all "regrinds" have been of the same quality??

My understanding of this is that these are not "regrinds", but actual blanks that were tempered and cryo-treated by Henckels and ground for the first time recently by someone who was working for one of the current razor manufacturers.

Please note that I'm not 100% sure of the whole process behind the creation of a razor, but isn't one of the main features of these Friodurs that they are an exceptional steel due to the treatment they receive? So would it matter who ground them, as long as the grinding was a job well done? I mean, sure, they won't have the caché of a vintage, but if they shave well, that's the most important thing, IMHO.

I'm just excited to get a nice 8/8 in quality steel for a reasonable price. I like the Spanish point and worked spine design, so that's a plus. I'll probably rescale it and use the plastic scales for a lesser blade.

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

That 250 anniversary model is a beautiful razor,have you ever used it? it looks untuched.

I don't purchase a razor unless I intend to use it. I've shaved with mine several times. She shaves very, very well!

Thank you everyone, I think with the information here my questions have been answered.

Originally Posted by Joed

As with most of the straight razor information we work with what we have available and what we can deduce from there. It's been so long since I read about the Henckels regrinds I really can't remember where I read it but I do know it didn't come from Henckels. The other part, which we can deduce is that I have not seen any vintage Henckels with Spanish points or spines worked as the '2nd generation' razors display. Take that, the flawless finish on gen 2 razors as well as the shank issues, it is not hard to believe that these razors have been finished off after they were discontinued. Now that I am thinking about it some more I believe one of the last German craftsman that ground razors in the day was rumored to have these blanks on hand and finished them off himself. They may have been done by Mr. Wacker himself, but that is just a guess of what I may remember from the original story. Anyone that remembers a few yrs back when the gen 2 Henckels were a big topic on SRP please chime in. I guess I can do a search to see what I can come up with but I know for sure I don't have the time available to do that this week. I look forward to refreshing my memory on this topic if someone can assist.

If I find anything I will post it here. Joe I am REALLY looking forard to any additional information you can share :

I got my Henckels Friodur 8/8" today and shaved with it this evening. It might not have been ground by Henckels, but the blade shaves very nicely. It was smooth and comfortable and I like the finish, which is a bit more utilitarian. It's not mirror, but more of a satin finish, and there's a roughness to the blade in terms of the grind and spinework that appeals to me. You know you're holding a tool in your hand.

Anyway, here are my pics. I am going to rescale it, either in black horn or maybe bocote wood. I'm leaning toward the horn because big razors with imposing black horn scales are sweet.

Glad you like the razor, I really like mine also. The scales mine came in were real crap so I also rescaled it. The black horn sounds nice. Here is the results of my rescale: