Thread: Curious about a J. Wiss and Sons set

I got this pair of J Wiss razors last night and I was hoping someone could offer some insight. I found this page of the J Wiss catalog J. Wiss And Sons Co - 1907 Catalog: Page 55 and it gives a little info about the two razor set. The numbers stamped on the tangs of the razors are 44 and 45, respectively. The razor marked 44 is a 4/8 while the one marked 45 is a 5/8



Was it pretty common to have two different razors in a set? In my limited knowledge, I assumed that cased pairs were usually the same model/identical.

Thanks for any insight.

Cheers

Are they stamped Newark NJ ? The Wiss company was located there for some, if not all, of their history. I notice that because I used to live in that area. I've seen some two razor sets that were made up of different models. Whether they were that way from the factory ...... who can tell ? You would have to see some old ads that would indicate that for sure. They should be good shavers though.

Indeed they have the Newark New Jersey stamp, and the pair came with the leather and velvet case. The blades have some wear but the edge is still pretty keen.

Does the leather and velvet case have Wiss markings on it?

Yup, sure does

Nice one! Im with Jimmy on this one, ive seen different razor from the same company offered as a 2-7 razor set. The case and razor look to be in good condition, very nice pick-up. Enjoy!

For the condition of the blades, the larger blade had some active rust on both sides of the blade that I got off last night. The smaller blade had some as well but it wasn't bad. The hinges on the case are nowhere to be found and the leather is cracked on the top. The scales on the smaller blade are busted as well, hence the tape (it was their doing, not mine!). All in all, they were only asking $22 for the set so I couldn't pass up on that. I'll make some matching scales in the weeks to come...or as close to matching as I can make with hand tools and I'll work on the blades as well. Thanks for the responses!

Because of the different shape and styles of the scales, I would guess that this is a mismatched set.

Regards- Walt

I don't think those two were a set. At least not from the info in the ad. My read is that you could have a set of two razors, both the same "thin-ness," which I would assume was the blade width. Perhaps each was pulled from a different set, or maybe the are just two single razors brought together.

If it's original to the box, it will fit into the groove perfectly. If not, it's not.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I don't think those two were a set. At least not from the info in the ad. My read is that you could have a set of two razors, both the same "thin-ness," which I would assume was the blade width. Perhaps each was pulled from a different set, or maybe the are just two single razors brought together.

If it's original to the box, it will fit into the groove perfectly. If not, it's not.

The larger of the two razors fits more snug, though they both fit pretty well. After playing with them for a bit I'm moving to your corner. I figured it plausible that the razors came like that given the numbers on the tang are sequential - 44 and 45. After doing the fit test though, it does seem to allude to the razors (#44) not being part of the original set.

It's all the same to me really, I'll still use them