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Came across older posts (almost 1 year back) about the Pierre Thiers razor (and I wasn't even looking for it:thinking: ). Everybody seemed happy with the shaving abilities of this razor back then... until now.
My question:
Who still has the Pierre Thiers in his weekly routine????????????
I know the razor looks great! And it gives an extra :D knowing it was forged back then.... But I'm still just wondering what this 'expensive' razor makes such a good shaver! Is it the Grind?
Thanks,
michel
I've got one in my rotation, and it is certainly an above average shaver. The steel quality is much higher on the hammer forged model, and purportedly all hammer forged razors shave better and take a better edge.... while I cannot speak to that statement - I can say I find the hammer forged razors I own to be superior for the most part.
Personally.. I wouldn't buy another TI LE Hammer forged... don't get me wrong, they are nice as all hell - but in my opinion for around the same $ you can get one HELL of a nice Robert Williams hammer forged razor, and while they are a ^$&^& to get "tuned up" as they are so damn hard, once "tuned up" I find the RW's to be superior to that of a LE TI..... I ordered another RW. :D
There are other TI's out there that will out shave the LE hammer, that are a lot less money though, and while the LE hammer is neat, and is a superlative shaver, they are more of a usable collectible/historical item - then just an "incredible shaver" - so if you buy one, buy it for the historical value. Too often I think we gents look too much at superior steel as an option, versus superior honing/stropping. I've got a $10 Genco that'll mop the floor with most of my $500+ razors... if you are looking for the "best shaver" I don't think expensive is really the right ticket. $ razors are typically rare, made with expensive materials, etc - not necessarily better. Most of the cheap oldies will shave just as good as my big dollar razors... hell.... most of 'em shave better :roflmao
YMMV
I've got both the TI Pierre-forged LE and a Robert Williams in my rotation and I'll second Joel's comments about both (edit: I think the Pierre is outstanding, not merely "above average" though I second the rest about being a usable collectible). I don't have a $10 floor-mopping genco in my rotation, but I do have an $11 floor-mopping Clauss in the rotation.
The Robert Williams razor is a marvel. I don't know how it compares to Livi shave-wise, but it's a remarkable shaver, very very hard but without any tendency to microchip. They are a b*tch to tune up, mine laughed at half my hones (including my shaptons), but took an edge that was way too featherlike for my taste. I've since dulled it just a tad so its a bit more forgiving.
I'm getting another one as well, I'm just waiting for him to get in the necessary equipment.
I have 2 of the TI Pierre Thiers. They are awesome shavers. My only problem is that I have a ton of awesome shavers. Most are not of the $10 variety however......hahahahaha. I like to buy my razors in either mint or near mint condition, so usually not much of a chance at a steal anywhere, especially not these days.
Have fun.
Lynn
The Livi's come ready to rock and roll - so for the average joe - they would be "superior" and the Livi's look much.... much nicer. Now, the big "but" - if you have the honing skills to tackle a RW (and seriously... it is like 1 month of shaving with it every day, then tuning it up over and over - and hell, it STILL keeps getting better) it will take an edge that will make my damascus Maestro blush. Keep in mind - Maesto's are right up there at the top (and hands down the best looking razors ever to be hammered out) but for pure "shaveability" I think the RW's are the best I have experienced.Quote:
Originally Posted by mparker762
Again though... the REALLY big thing with them is the tremendous pain in the ass to get the things tuned up. When I heard they were really tough to tune up, I scoffed it off - but after several hundred swipes on the 4K side of a Norton, and it not doing a damn thing (or really even removing much steel) I started to get the picture. These SOB's are hone eaters... but from the looks of it - once you get an edge on this thing, good god it'll be in your great grandkids hands before it needs to be honed again :D
For most guys out there... I'd still say keep your daydreamin' fixed on the Maestro's though - as the overall "mix" of 'em (balance, looks, feel, shaveability, etc) is unmatched. Only one problem... they aren't cheap.
RW's are reasonable... but it's like comparing a Land Rover to a Diesel duelie Pickup. Some want flash, pizzaz, ergonomics and performance, others just want a big, huge hunk of performance.
Really though... not to be a broken record - but seriously - heed my words... tuning up a RW is a MAJOR pain in the ass. I want to send the next one Robert is making for me to Lynn to tune up - but I am afraid Lynn might charge more than the cost of the razor to hone the SOB up :roflmao
Mine wasn't quite that tough to tune up, but it was definitely an interesting couple of days. I want to emphasize that it's not frustrating to hone like a Wacker can be, because the lack of microchipping means that you keep making positive progress, it's not a two steps forward and one step back kind of deal. You give it a hundred licks on the hone and it's a little bit sharper, then you take a breather and come back and give it a hundred more and it's a little bit sharper, and this goes on and on. Then one day I realized that it was just a little too spooky sharp, so I julienned a wine cork and that took some of the scariness off the edge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel
This razor really clarified for me why the commercial razor blades can go for days and days without stropping - they're simply hard enough to do it. I shaved with the Willams for three days straight without stropping just to see if I could, and it didn't seem to care.
I believe yours is a 1/4 hollow..... mine is a very large wedge... proally the difference in the amount of metal needed to hone off is what seperates the difficulty factor between the two.Quote:
Originally Posted by mparker762
I still love mine though :)
I think too many people try and associate the big bucks with big performance. Usually expensive razors are great shavers but not always. However you can spend little for a razor and get awesome performance also. My most expensive razor is a TI damascus and frankly it does give a great shave but I have many other razors costing a fraction of the price that shave better. I have a Pierre LE and it is one of my best shavers, right up there with my Maestro razor, my puma's and a few DDs and a couple others. What I call an exceptional shave where if you were blindfolded and someone shaved you with it you would never guess there was a razor on your face. You can't get any better than that. The only problem is that after you've experienced that level of a shave everything else is somehow just inferior.
Well, I can certainly make them easier to hone, but...... then it requires more maintenance. My ideal is a razor that will get as sharp as you want to get it and then stay that way with minimal maintenance and stropping.
Banish that thought! Once you get them rocking then keeping them that way is a breeze. Besides they aren't tricky to tune up the first time, just time-consuming.Quote:
Originally Posted by PapaBull
I have a TI Pierreforged and I have to say after I honed it right it's one of my best shavers now, probably neck and neck with my Lynn honed DD satinedge and my 'me' honed Maestro Takeda.
The Takeda is the Livi that interests me the most. I'm a sucker for hard steel, probably because so many of my first razors were Friodurs.
I agree with MP, don't change a thing! My razor took me some time to get feather-like sharp but it is definitely one of my best shavers now.
Is that razor done yet? :rolleyes:
Quote:
Originally Posted by mparker762
+2Quote:
Originally Posted by 520dvx
:D
Seriously... I think I might have to get 7 RW's and have a box made for 'em as a sweet 7 day set! :hmmm: