Thread: First shave with a frameback and impressions/questions

Originally Posted by Bordee

edhewiitt,

You speak very highly of that frameback you use. What's the blade?

I have a J.A. Hellberg that I got from a member here. However I have no reference point to compare it to any other framebacks, and very few other types of razor to compare it too.

I thought I would update this thread with some additional thoughts as I recently acquired and cleaned up an Erik Anton Berg Frameback (5/8s?) in bone. The interesting part about the Berg was that it had a lead wedge. This was the first razor I've ever used with a lead wedge. The lead gave the scales some extra weight, which balanced the razor nicely. I shaved with this bad boy this morning, and I got an even better shave than with my Heljestrand frameback.

+1 above

Know what you mean, when I used my TI #69 frameback I picked up from the classifieds here, it was just to give it a try, was in a bit of a rush, splashed some cold water and used Proraso Red, and was blown away at what a superb shave the frameback gave. Here I thought it was more of an occasional blade to use, and after using it, it's definitely in my top 5, outstanding blade!!

Originally Posted by Bordee

I thought I would update this thread with some additional thoughts as I recently acquired and cleaned up an Erik Anton Berg Frameback (5/8s?) in bone. The interesting part about the Berg was that it had a lead wedge. This was the first razor I've ever used with a lead wedge. The lead gave the scales some extra weight, which balanced the razor nicely. I shaved with this bad boy this morning, and I got an even better shave than with my Heljestrand frameback.

I have two frameback razors, an A&W Arbenz which has the blade held in place with a screw, and a C.V.Heljestrand which has the blade fixed in place. The pic you've shown is a 'faux frameback', the blade is not a seperate bit of steel to the rest of the razor.

To me, it was the uncommonness and looks that got me hooked on using a frameback - steel quality wasn't important. It just so happens that my favourite is the Heljestrand, which is reputed to have excellent steel. It quickly became my "go to" straight razor.

Originally Posted by Deegee

I have two frameback razors, an A&W Arbenz which has the blade held in place with a screw, and a C.V.Heljestrand which has the blade fixed in place. The pic you've shown is a 'faux frameback', the blade is not a seperate bit of steel to the rest of the razor.

To me, it was the uncommonness and looks that got me hooked on using a frameback - steel quality wasn't important. It just so happens that my favourite is the Heljestrand, which is reputed to have excellent steel. It quickly became my "go to" straight razor.

Thanks for clarifying that its a faux frameback. On further thought, the E.A. Berg has probably a stiffer feel to it than my Heljestrand frameback (non-faux). The Berg did in fact take extra strokes to hone -- as it it were a larger full-wedge.

I agree with you and others that I find the "uncommonness" of the look of the frameback intriguing. With the Berg, I find the combo of faux-frameback, bone, and lead to be quite funky.