Some of you may remember me, Richard Mason, as the designer of the Tradere DE razors that are now being offered by Shane and crew at Blackland Razors. I tried to resurrect my old B&B account, Natchez, and have written the moderators to link this account to the old, but that hasn’t happened yet. Since I’m stuck at home waiting out the virus, like many of you, I decided to write up this review. This razor falls into the mid-price category, $100- $200 retail. I cannot find any good razors under $100 besides some Asian blades, like the Gold Dollar, and, of course, vintage blades. I am a big fan of vintage ST8s and/or Gold Dollars for beginners, but only if they are prepared by someone who truly knows what they’re doing. There are also many folks that like to buy their first straight razor new, so I suppose this review is mostly for them. Please remember that this review is only my take and YMMV. If you’re new to straight shaving, please buy your razor from a vendor with a very good reputation for delivering razors that are truly shave ready. When I started, I got a few quite nasty nicks from razors that were sold as shave ready, but really weren’t.
Today’s review is of the Ralf Aust Soligen 5/8 Spanish Point with plain black plastic scales. The link to the razor on the manufacturer’s site is currently: 5/8" Rasiermesser mit spanischem Kopf - https://rasiermesser-manufaktur.de/rasiermesser/kunststoffheft-schwarz/5/8-rasiermesser-mit-spanischem-kopf ; I have shaved with this razor for the last ten days, so I have a good feel for the blade.
Grind and Blade, 9.5 of 10- very, very nice for a mid-priced blade. I am quite impressed with the razor. The grind is symmetrical, 5/8 size, 3/4 + hollow. The blade is finished evenly and beautifully. The presentation side has a nice tasteful embellishment that translates to Handcrafted Soligen. The feel of the blade is very reminiscent of good quality vintage German razors. It feels an awful lot like an ERN Ski razor I have. Since the maker runs a small shop, I am confident that their blades will be consistently good. This razor is a Spanish point and has the corners cut on the toe end. For beginners, the shape is fine because there is no sharp point at the toe to catch on your face. This is something to be watchful about; IMHO- don’t start with a razor that has a sharp point at the end of blade.
Scales, 7 of 10- Plastic scales, plain black, nothing special, but they work. They’re not too stiff, but not floppy either. The pinning is good and the blade centers fine. The razor feels good in the hand and for me that’s what counts.
Overall- 8.5 of 10- This razor IMHO makes an excellent starter blade and is just as much fun for an experienced shaver. The 5/8 size is listed today at 114 Euros. The round point is 5 Euros less-109. Some may prefer a 6/8 size, but from this maker it seems you jump up about 20 Euros, for the small size increase. The razor was shave-able out of the box, but it was not quite as smooth as I like. So, I did touch it up on the stones after one shave and it has been great. In conclusion, this razor would make the fine base for a new kit in the $200 range all in- razor, leather strop, starter brush, and soap.
By your responses below, I’ll know whether to do any more of these reviews. Happy sheltering to those like me, and thanks to all our essential workers!!!
Today’s review is of the Ralf Aust Soligen 5/8 Spanish Point with plain black plastic scales. The link to the razor on the manufacturer’s site is currently: 5/8" Rasiermesser mit spanischem Kopf - https://rasiermesser-manufaktur.de/rasiermesser/kunststoffheft-schwarz/5/8-rasiermesser-mit-spanischem-kopf ; I have shaved with this razor for the last ten days, so I have a good feel for the blade.
Grind and Blade, 9.5 of 10- very, very nice for a mid-priced blade. I am quite impressed with the razor. The grind is symmetrical, 5/8 size, 3/4 + hollow. The blade is finished evenly and beautifully. The presentation side has a nice tasteful embellishment that translates to Handcrafted Soligen. The feel of the blade is very reminiscent of good quality vintage German razors. It feels an awful lot like an ERN Ski razor I have. Since the maker runs a small shop, I am confident that their blades will be consistently good. This razor is a Spanish point and has the corners cut on the toe end. For beginners, the shape is fine because there is no sharp point at the toe to catch on your face. This is something to be watchful about; IMHO- don’t start with a razor that has a sharp point at the end of blade.
Scales, 7 of 10- Plastic scales, plain black, nothing special, but they work. They’re not too stiff, but not floppy either. The pinning is good and the blade centers fine. The razor feels good in the hand and for me that’s what counts.
Overall- 8.5 of 10- This razor IMHO makes an excellent starter blade and is just as much fun for an experienced shaver. The 5/8 size is listed today at 114 Euros. The round point is 5 Euros less-109. Some may prefer a 6/8 size, but from this maker it seems you jump up about 20 Euros, for the small size increase. The razor was shave-able out of the box, but it was not quite as smooth as I like. So, I did touch it up on the stones after one shave and it has been great. In conclusion, this razor would make the fine base for a new kit in the $200 range all in- razor, leather strop, starter brush, and soap.
By your responses below, I’ll know whether to do any more of these reviews. Happy sheltering to those like me, and thanks to all our essential workers!!!
