Thread: popular cutlery manufacturers and strait razors

I've not been into razors as long as most of you, but I've collected pocket knives for years as well as my father and his father. I'm quite surprised that there's not that many cutlery manufacturers that produce strait razors. I'm quite pleased that Boker and Henckels still do, but I've read that companies like Case,Robeson, and Hen & rooster used to make them as well. Are strait razors really that much harder to make that most of these companies just stopped?

I don't think that it is because it is harder to make, just that when King Gillette made the Safety it was a breakthrough that it drove straight razors out of business. I don't think it is much harder to make a straight as opposed to a pocket knife, just the sharpening is different.

Parker

I came across a Case XX straight edge at an antique store on Saturday. Pretty hefty price on it.

Back in the day a man might buy only one or two Straights in his lifetime,but he and his family will buy alot of knives, forks and spoons

+1 to what has been said. Another thing is the barbers. After the safety razor became so popular the barbers were the main end users of straight razors. In the 1960s when long hair and beards became popular barbers were hurting. Shaves in barber shops began to decline and in the 1980s when AIDs surfaced that was a real game changer.

Most of those companies went out of business years ago. Some are now just names bought and sold. Also straights just went out of use so there was no reason to make them.

I actually bought a Hen & Rooster strait razor from SMKW while in TN. So far on I cant get a positive answer on who makes it for Hen & Rooster, as there is nothing engraved on the tang, just a H & R etching on the blade and on the white scales. One guy says Dovo makes them but no one is certain. One thing that is certain, it aint shave ready! That was my first sr shave and man was my face red and burning. I just thought thats what strait shaves must be like. I bought a shave ready razor from Glen at Gemstar and man was it smooth! The only thing I regret from it is that my beard doesnt grow faster so I can use it more! I asked a reputable honing guy about the Hen & Rooster and he says the new ones dont hold an edge very long like the old ones they made.

Originally Posted by CStevens

I actually bought a Hen & Rooster strait razor from SMKW while in TN. So far on I cant get a positive answer on who makes it for Hen & Rooster, as there is nothing engraved on the tang, just a H & R etching on the blade and on the white scales. One guy says Dovo makes them but no one is certain. One thing that is certain, it aint shave ready! That was my first sr shave and man was my face red and burning. I just thought thats what strait shaves must be like. I bought a shave ready razor from Glen at Gemstar and man was it smooth! The only thing I regret from it is that my beard doesnt grow faster so I can use it more! I asked a reputable honing guy about the Hen & Rooster and he says the new ones dont hold an edge very long like the old ones they made.

Hen and Rooster has been bought and sold many times. the original ones are marked Bertrum. A.G. Russell bought that company and sold it to Klass and it went hand to hand for a while. The last I heard Frost owned them but that was 3-4 years ago I don't know now. Some of them are made by Dovo or at least were a few years ago.

Originally Posted by CStevens

I've not been into razors as long as most of you, but I've collected pocket knives for years as well as my father and his father. I'm quite surprised that there's not that many cutlery manufacturers that produce strait razors. I'm quite pleased that Boker and Henckels still do, but I've read that companies like Case,Robeson, and Hen & rooster used to make them as well. Are strait razors really that much harder to make that most of these companies just stopped?

Look a bit farther and you will see, Geneva Cutlery, Schatt & Morgan, Waterville, Wilbert, Robeson, Terrier, Cattaraugus, and Union Razor (which later became known as KA-BAR) Challenge Cutlery, Aerial, Clauss, and Schrade. Those are all I can think of off the top of my head at the moment. I've seen and owned pocket knives by all of the above. I'm sure there are probably a few more.

As was stated above, most of them dropped their razor production by the 1920's. Most of them were out of business by the 1930's.

As far as current production? Straight razors are still pretty much a "boutique" market. The few companies still producing new razors probably make enough to satisfy the market's demand. Add the fact that there are still probably millions of usable vintage razors left laying around here and there on the planet that are still quite serviceable and the demand is currently rather well satisfied.

FYI, the old razor makers were the highest paid of the cutlers back in the day. I've always thought it interesting that a 2 bladed pocket knife with 10 or more major parts not counting the pins would sell for 35 cents and a razor from the same company with 3 major parts plus the pins would sell for two or three dollars.