A few weeks ago there was a thread about Segal razors, and how to modify a standard DE blade to fit them. I was curious, as the razor itself looks very well made and I was interested in how they shave.
I bid on http://www.ebay.com/itm/170724171398?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 and became the lucky new owner! The razor itself looks like new, and had four unopened blades left in the box. Makes one wonder if it was tried out once and then put away to rattle around in a dresser drawer forever!
I opened one blade and used it as a template to mark a modern blade. Cutting the blade with scissors was a little scary . . . but if one is careful (and wears safety glasses) it can be done with very little effort.
Let me tell you, the Segal is one of the finest razors ever made! On a two-pass shave it shaved closer than any Gillette that I ever tried. The feedback, both audible and tactile, is superb! I could not believe how good it was!
I was leaving the next day for our family Thanksgiving vacation (down in ackvil's part of the world) and decided at the last minute to bring it along. I used it all week (on the same blade) and got better and better shaves each time I used it. On the blade's 8th shave I started feeling a little tug . . . so I loaded a fresh blade into my Sheraton (that I originally packed for travel) and finished my shave. While the Sheraton has never disappointed me, I have to admit that its performance was not quite up to the Segal's . . .
Yes, modifying blades is a bit of a pain. But, it is a pain well taken when the end result is so smooth!
I notice the Wiki doesn't have a page for the Segal . . . I will try to get some good pictures taken and get an entry posted there sometime soon.
I bid on http://www.ebay.com/itm/170724171398?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 and became the lucky new owner! The razor itself looks like new, and had four unopened blades left in the box. Makes one wonder if it was tried out once and then put away to rattle around in a dresser drawer forever!
I opened one blade and used it as a template to mark a modern blade. Cutting the blade with scissors was a little scary . . . but if one is careful (and wears safety glasses) it can be done with very little effort.
Let me tell you, the Segal is one of the finest razors ever made! On a two-pass shave it shaved closer than any Gillette that I ever tried. The feedback, both audible and tactile, is superb! I could not believe how good it was!
I was leaving the next day for our family Thanksgiving vacation (down in ackvil's part of the world) and decided at the last minute to bring it along. I used it all week (on the same blade) and got better and better shaves each time I used it. On the blade's 8th shave I started feeling a little tug . . . so I loaded a fresh blade into my Sheraton (that I originally packed for travel) and finished my shave. While the Sheraton has never disappointed me, I have to admit that its performance was not quite up to the Segal's . . .
Yes, modifying blades is a bit of a pain. But, it is a pain well taken when the end result is so smooth!
I notice the Wiki doesn't have a page for the Segal . . . I will try to get some good pictures taken and get an entry posted there sometime soon.