Alpha Futura

[rusty1]

Hopefully someday then. It looked like a cool design. Shave-wise - how does the Futura feel/differ from the original Outlaw and Evolution - Smoother, more/less blade feel, etc? Thanks again for your efforts & passion in razor making.

 

[AlphaShaving]

This made me chuckle out loud. It is almost as if no one ever had an original idea and we are ALL copying - right? I stole this from another forum.

 

[luvmysuper]

There are only so many ways that one can envision and create a razor handle or a brush handle. I personally think that similarities are going to happen.
Folks shouldn't get worked up about it unless it's an exact copy, and it's obvious that wasn't the case with the Futura.
There are folks out there that simply outright reverse engineer or copy the work of someone else, and either don't mention the copying or try to excuse it by saying it's an "homage" tribute to someone's work, but generally it's simply a matter of coincidentally making a reminiscent design.
Look on alley express, there's not a razor or brush or anything of any value that hasn't been exactly copied and put up for sale by IP thieves.
Want to make an issue of it? Write in to those folks about the exact copies they are selling and see how far you get.

 

[AlphaShaving]

There are only so many ways that one can envision and create a razor handle or a brush handle. I personally think that similarities are going to happen.
Folks shouldn't get worked up about it unless it's an exact copy, and it's obvious that wasn't the case with the Futura.
There are folks out there that simply outright reverse engineer or copy the work of someone else, and either don't mention the copying or try to excuse it by saying it's an "homage" tribute to someone's work, but generally it's simply a matter of coincidentally making a reminiscent design.
Look on alley express, there's not a razor or brush or anything of any value that hasn't been exactly copied and put up for sale by IP thieves.
Want to make an issue of it? Write in to those folks about the exact copies they are selling and see how far you get.

Amen to that. It was a crazed fanbois pile-on... just got to me. Should have stuck to my guns...

Facts: A torpedo/urn shaped handle has been DONE. By loads of people. That shape "belongs" to no one.

There are still TWO left up for grabs.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

There are always dramas in every hobby and this seems to be a rather small one. I hope in any case it is all resolved now and we can move on with the revised handle design, which I think is the right decision. I like the Alpha Shaving razors that I have - especially the Claymore Evolution - and Steve clearly has an excellent machine shop over there given what they produce for the price. His razors have always been original designs and I’d say they all have a distinctive Alpha Shaving feel from the head designs. It would be unfair if anyone thought Steve’s business is anything else, as a result of this incident.

@AlphaShaving: “Now then”? Are you a Yorkshireman by any chance, Steve?

 

[AlphaShaving]

There are always dramas in every hobby and this seems to be a rather small one. I hope in any case it is all resolved now and we can move on with the revised handle design, which I think is the right decision. I like the Alpha Shaving razors that I have - especially the Claymore Evolution - and Steve clearly has an excellent machine shop over there given what they produce for the price. His razors have always been original designs and I’d say they all have a distinctive Alpha Shaving feel from the head designs. It would be unfair if anyone thought Steve’s business is anything else, as a result of this incident.

@AlphaShaving: “Now then”? Are you a Yorkshireman by any chance, Steve?

No mate - I am a Geordie.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

No mate - I am a Geordie.

Got it. Had to be somewhere from the north. Geordie is a lovely accent to hear but I imagine not everybody can understand it in Hong Kong.

 

[AlphaShaving]

Got it. Had to be somewhere from the north. Geordie is a lovely accent to hear but I imagine not everybody can understand it in Hong Kong.

I have been domesticated...

 

[AlphaShaving]

Actually I am a fan of your company also, especially the brushes.

Sweet.

 

[Stikeyoda]

I wrote directly to Theo.

Its always easy to snipe from the cheap seats. Howeve, I prefer confronting issues head on. So please read if you have the inclination to do so. There are literally a handful left with that handle than that’s it. I have curtailed my machine shop as much as I can. So - if anyone DOES want this Bastard child of a razor HANDLE - go and get one ordered now. There are only 3 left. The rest of the run is cancelled despite what I said to Theo.

This is my last and ONLY word on this.

Now then guys. I wrote to the owner of lambda. The text of my message to him is below. He has responded and I have agreed to discontinue the Futura HANDLE after the current orders are done. There’s only a handful so lucky you lot who get one. I WILL not be discontinuing the shape of my handle - it’s a classic torpedo design that many others have used. I will no longer offer it in bronze and I will no longer offer it fluted in that way. Many thanks to Theo from Lambda for being an adult about it all. Here is my email to him. His response is his own and will remain private unless he desires to share it.

“Dear Theo,

My name is Steve Tinter, Co-owner and Director of Alpha Shaving Works. We have been designing and making shaving gear since early 2017. Initially starting with shaving brushes, we made our first venture into safety razors in 2018. Recently I released a razor design called “Futura”. It is a torpedo shaped handle with a newly designed razor head. I released it to market and started to get a lot of negative feedback from some people online saying I had “ripped off” your Athena design. I made my razor in the same metal as yours, aluminium-bronze, same as Timeless, Charcoal and others - its the right metal to use. I described it as inspired by a Grecian urn shape with fluted columns. I want to reassure you that I had no intention of making anything that plagiarised your designs. I see how, why some people might think this but it was 100% not my intention. I DO own both your Ares and Athena designs and they are BOTH excellent razors and superbly made. I can only think that somewhere in the depths of my brain that having your excellent razors in my hands influenced me to use a similar description and some design hints. It was not intentional.

I am attaching a photograph of my design and even the design drawings of the handle, not the head, as this is where people seem to think I had an intention to plagiarise your work. As you can see the handle is similar in shape but not the same - not the same dimensions and not the same detailed design like your textured parts and the top part where is attached to the razor head. Looking at it now, I can see how my Futura handle design look like an amalgamation of the flutes on your Ares handle and the overall aesthetic of the Athena handle. I assure you this was not my intent - not at all. I am horrified by this as it is not in my nature to copy the work of others, certainly without asking. I HAD been designing the overall shape for some time along with a wet shaving friend of mine, Martin. He has been urging me to make a torpedo shaped handle for the last 2 years… The addition of the flutes is what I think sealed this as a copied design in the eyes of some Facebook and forum users. This and my stupid use of the description as shaped like a “Grecian urn”.

So, what would you like me to do? If you are so pissed off by this then I will withdraw this handle from sale as soon as I have fulfilled my current orders of 25 pieces. I would still keep the torpedo shaped design as it is a classic in my view - been done many times by many makers and I would add some other adornments to make it unique. I can include a reference to your work in my descriptions if it makes sense to do so?

By the way - the lather ports on Athena. Were these inspired by a razor you saw in the past? I have been working on something with lather channels that go through the whole of the head and not into channels like yours do. This is based on an old Hungarian razor that I have in my collection. Made from Bakelite, it has some rather massive lather channels that go right through the razor head from side to side. A render is attached of my current design on this. I do not want to step further on your toes and get another bashing if this is the case. I had intended to release this sometime next year IF I can get it machined.

Yours sincerely

Steven Tinter
Co-Owner and Director of Alpha Shaving works”.

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Well done, Steve! It never occurred to me that it intruded on Theo's work. I have the Athena (and love it), but the Futura looked even more like a torpedo than the Athena. I think you nailed it, the issue was the use of "greek urn". I hope mine made the cutoff, as I really love the look of the Futura.

I love every razor and brush I have gotten from you and have no hesitation in recommending your products. I can now also say I have no hesitation in recommending you as a person or business person.

Again, well done.

 

[AlphaShaving]

Well done, Steve! It never occurred to me that it intruded on Theo's work. I have the Athena (and love it), but the Futura looked even more like a torpedo than the Athena. I think you nailed it, the issue was the use of "greek urn". I hope mine made the cutoff, as I really love the look of the Futura.

I love every razor and brush I have gotten from you and have no hesitation in recommending your products. I can now also say I have no hesitation in recommending you as a person or business person.

Again, well done.

Thank you SIR!!