Thread: Something feels wrong

here is an explanation!
http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...your-area.html

Is it stamped Solingen not Solingham?

Bob

yeah Bob, there's a photo on the first page, it is just a typo

The English translation, 2nd line, does not seem like it was done in Solingen, Germany. I hope I'm wrong.

Originally Posted by WW243

The English translation, 2nd line, does not seem like it was done in Solingen, Germany. I hope I'm wrong.

"A good cutting capacity is guaranteed" makes you believe the razor is not made in Solingen (a.k.a. Solingham) even though it says "Solingen" with the characteristic swirl on the box?

Can you explain?


B

I recall reading somewhere that there are razors made elsewhere than Germany and sent to Germany for scales to be attached. Doing that then it can be claimed "made in Germany" and any other terms they want to use. The scuttlebutt is the razor is made in Packistan from questionable steel.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

I recall reading somewhere that there are razors made elsewhere than Germany and sent to Germany for scales to be attached. Doing that then it can be claimed "made in Germany" and any other terms they want to use. The scuttlebutt is the razor is made in Packistan from questionable steel.

Not sure about "Made in Germany" but as far as "Made in Solingen" is concerned, the legal requirements for can be found here: http://www.solingenmade.com/marke/so-engl.pdf, which makes no legal provisions for the scenario that you described.

But then again, some manufacturers in far away countries don't give a fig about "legal requirements", do they?

My point is though, what in the English translation, 2nd line ("A good cutting capacity is guaranteed") suggests the razor is not made in Solingen, as some member suggested?
(Germans are not exempted from occasionally coming up with clumsy translations...)


B.

Originally Posted by beluga

Not sure about "Made in Germany" but as far as "Made in Solingen" is concerned, the legal requirements for can be found here: http://www.solingenmade.com/marke/so-engl.pdf, which makes no legal provisions for the scenario that you described.

But then again, some manufacturers in far away countries don't give a fig about "legal requirements", do they?

My point is though, what in the English translation, 2nd line ("A good cutting capacity is guaranteed") suggests the razor is not made in Solingen, as some member suggested?
(Germans are not exempted from occasionally coming up with clumsy translations...)


B.

Your link is absolutely correct and importing razors, then "adding scales" in Germany to then say the razor is made in Solingen is illegal and heavily fined, not to mention that if any artisan/company is discovered to be doing this, they are kicked out of the razor/knife-makers guild and are no longer allowed to stamp Solingen on their product at all... ever again. Solingen has established its fame in the blade-making market through hundreds of years of fine craftsmanship through very strong guilds that heavily regulate who may or may not stamp Solingen on their product and go as far as saying what steels may be used, etc. Even if you hand-forge and make your own blade/razor in Solingen, you may not stamp the name on the blade unless you belong to one of the Guilds, and if you do, face heavy fines and never being able to join the Guilds in the future.

Of course this doesn't mean the complete razor wasn't made somewhere else (a counterfeit) to then be sold to the market at large (although, to sneak it into Germany itself is pretty gutsy... I would expect this kind of counterfeit, made in China/Vietnam/Pakistan or wherever and stamped with a fake origin to sell in other countries perhaps going unnoticed for a while, but sneaking it into Germany proper would certainly catch attention and probably start an investigation related to its actual source and what can be done to stop it internationally (which sadly, may be "not much").

So it does surprise me that sadly, your pictures indeed make me suspect that this may be a forgery. The misspellings (raedy=ready and guaranted=guaranteed) and clumsy wording of the English could certainly be the result of a real, custom German razor-maker who isn't fluent in English. Since the OP is in Berlin, I'm hoping he is a native German or at least fluent enough that he can tell us if the German phrasing (part of which is obscured in the picture by the glare) is also awkward or has misspellings? From my limited research/knowledge I believe that possibly the term Schnittfähigkeit is awkward in this context and should actually be Schneidfähigkeit? As I said, I don't know and hope the OP can clarify if he is fluent, and if not, maybe some other fluent German speaker in the forum can chime in?

Secondly, the printing on the box seems of poor quality in parts... but perhaps this is from the plastic film on top, and again... who's to say a custom razor maker in Germany wouldn't simply print out something from a "low quality" home inkjet printer or whatever and slap it on the box?

What really makes me feel this razor is possibly/probably a counterfeit is the limited pictures we have of the actual razor: It appears scratched without proper buffing and with a very poor finish and what seems like pitting on the edge. If this is really a brand new, "custom-made" razor from an artisan in Solingen who is a member of a Guild... well... I can tell you with little doubt it's not. I've attached crops of the picture as you provided, along with an enhancement and then a compilation of the sections that make me particularly doubt the claims. It is not easy to become an official member of these guilds and is a source of pride - which I understand Germans, and particularly the blade-makers of Solingen, hold in high, high regard. I don't want to insult your razor, so I'm purposely not trying to be offensive or mean... but I don't believe it is the custom work of a real Solingen artisan. However, maybe I'm being too harsh on the one, admittedly poor quality due to glare, etc, picture we have. Perhaps you can post some more pictures, particularly of the blade & edge itself? Maybe what looks like pitting is actually some debris you had on the blade? I'm pretty sure the scratches can't be anything else though...

Why does the translation suggest that it's not made in solingem?
There is also a Australian Web site selling these Hans kniebes razors. I think they are full fat milk made in solingam razors
http://germanmanicuresets.com.au/han...ck-handle.html

Originally Posted by beluga

"A good cutting capacity is guaranteed" makes you believe the razor is not made in Solingen (a.k.a. Solingham) even though it says "Solingen" with the characteristic swirl on the box?

Can you explain?


B

Awkward translations of English are not the way Germans seem to do things. The format (on box) can be copied. Translations are something else again. The phrase 'a good cutting capacity' sounds like a Chinese offering to me.