Thread: How old might this 'Joseph Elliots' razor be?

Thanks much for the resources, Oz and Manah! Oz, I noticed that in the "Old Sheffield Razors" article, Lummus states that "Certain blades are almost invariably worthless,...such as those made by Frederick Reynolds." Huh, and here I thought that, when I got my 1st Sheffield recently, a beautiful FR referenced in this threadhttp://straightrazorpalace.com/aucti...-reynolds.html, that it was an esteemed old Sheffield maker. To my limited knowledge, it seems like a quality, finely-crafted blade also loved by many people on SRP. Who knew they were junk? Oh, well, I like mine.

Sorry for the hijack, Spinsheet. I love that The Celebrated. The more I learn about these old razors, the more fascinated I become.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

... I noticed that in the "Old Sheffield Razors" article, Lummus states that "Certain blades are almost invariably worthless,...such as those made by Frederick Reynolds." ... Who knew they were junk? Oh, well, I like mine.

I have several Frederick Reynolds razors and I wouldn't call them junk. In general they do appear to be made of a harder steel which makes them difficult to hone for most people. A semi wedge blade made of hard steel and a smiling edge compounds the honing issues. All of the Frederick Reynolds razors I have are great shavers and hold an edge very well.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

I noticed that in the "Old Sheffield Razors" article, Lummus states that "Certain blades are almost invariably worthless,...such as those made by Frederick Reynolds."

I think you'll find Lummus is coming from a collectors perspective rather than a user's. I have no idea what makes something collectable or not but remember that some collectors even just collect for the scales & the blade is secondary. Many don't even shave with one.
Gotta agree with Joe. Reynolds razors are a good thing.