Well, ok, they're familiar, but the devil is in the details....

First up is a common Wester Bros. in great shape....but the back has a local detail that made it a 'must have' in the collection. I imagine that it was the local barber supply company who had Wester stamp their name on the back of the razors. It's only speculation, but based on the probable size of Fresno at the time, they probably only ordered 100 or less of these razors and this may very well be the only example in existence....








Next up is a Henckels 23....we've seen Henckels before right? Ever seen one with the 'Mon Bijou' etch on the blade, a full 1/8" ivory scales (as opposed to the super-thin stuff you normally see) and the worked spine and scalloped jimps....





The frown you see in the first image is an optical illusion. It actually came with a double frown; one near the toe and another toward the heel. This made the middle of the blade stick out too far. After some consideration, I figured that I would leave the frowns in place for the most part and actually bring the high middle along with the toe and heel in order to make a nice smile on the blade. Less than a year ago, I would have walked away from this honing nightmare, but these days, I'm alot more confident in my honing to tackle this guy.