Thread: Poor Quality Vintage Razors?

Hi All,

A lot of the books we read mention the importance of quality tools for success in shaving. For example, the first line in Chapter one of the following:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...asyw0020th.pdf

While we all agree with that advice, it got me to thinking I've never actually used a poor quality vintage razor and don't even know the name of any makes.

Do you? If so, can you tell us anything about the companies?

I'm sure poor quality vintage brands exist but they would be more rare since 'way back when' straight razors were more of a necessity than a novelty. So, they were tools that had to work. These days there are countless entrepreneurs that capitalize on the droves of men who enter this hobby, not armed with knowledge and not armed with a proper budget and they make razors that look perfectly good but are about as effective as a butterknife.

When it comes to vintage razors the primary concern will be condition.

Here's a good starting point
Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Hi All,

A lot of the books we read mention the importance of quality tools for success in shaving. For example, the first line in Chapter one of the following:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...asyw0020th.pdf

While we all agree with that advice, it got me to thinking I've never actually used a poor quality vintage razor and don't even know the name of any makes.

Do you? If so, can you tell us anything about the companies?

Originally Posted by Natz

Here's a good starting point
Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Yeah, I looked at that page some years ago, but got the impression they were mostly new makers.

Back in the day people took pride in their work and I don't think you will ever find a poor quality vintage razor. Customers would never stand for it. I'm sure there were some defects but they would have been returned. Back in those days new razors were really shave ready. We live in a disposable world and settle for junk and poor quality. That was not the case years ago.

I remember reading an old barber manual which indicated Frederick Reynolds razors were considered low quality.
We should be so lucky to have such good low quality products today.

England and Germany both produced decidedly inferior goods during the heyday.

In Sheffield, there was an ongoing issue of poor workers producing razors and knives from iron bars in order to try and pay rent (to work in a Sheffield factory, the employees had to pay the factory owner and buy all their own tools and materials).

I'd guess that most of the badly or actively deceptively made items simply haven't survived because they were so poor. That said, I do regularly see Pakistani razors that're obviously 15 or 20 years old being sold as antiques.

Further up the quality chain are makers like I. Barber, or the many, many Rodgers (Rogers) families. They traded on having a name close to a more famous maker, and their goods probably weren't up to the same standards. But time has winnowed the wheat from the chaff there, too. Outright inferior razors were probably just thrown away. And even their 'knockoffs' were made to be useful tools. The corner cutting would've mostly been in the quality of the scales, level of polish, and/or complexity of the grind.

Originally Posted by HNSB

I remember reading an old barber manual which indicated Frederick Reynolds razors were considered low quality.
We should be so lucky to have such good low quality products today.

Also Frameback's were considered cheaply made razors.

Originally Posted by HNSB

I remember reading an old barber manual which indicated Frederick Reynolds razors were considered low quality.
We should be so lucky to have such good low quality products today.

Darn! My favorite razor is a Fredrick Reynolds.

Not that I'm an expert on vintage anything, but nowadays, a guarantee means next to nothing. Back in the heyday, it did. To be sure, there are still a few companies today that stand behind their products (Dillon reloading presses come to mind), but in days-gone-by people took you at your word and if you didn't hold to it, you found yourself out of business.

My personal favorite slogan from the razor manufacturers was Genco's: "Genco razors must make good, or we will."

Something tells me that the few times people took them up on that promise, they weren't disappointed. If they would have been, I don't think Genco would have grown to be the largest US razor manufacturer.