What senior users here have a favorite razor brand?

[visualco2]

I was given a W. Grieves ,Germany, from my uncle, and out of a dozen of so top razors this one is my favorite. I love my Double Duck (GoldenEdge), but feel guilty using it as a regular shaver.

[joel]

My hands down favorite is Chronik.

[Joe Lerch]

My favorite brand is the TI premium razors. They call them "silversteel."

As afr as razors no longer in production, I love Dorkos, Filarmonicas, Henckels Frioudor and premium Pumas.

[jscott]

i love my Case razor.. it takes the most velvety smooth edge of all my razors. no idea why but i ain't complaining. its nothing fancy, just pure shaving ectasy. oh and it 6/8th which happens to be my personal favorite.


i have 2 bengall's on the way, can't wait to give those a shot.


~J

[LX_Emergency]

So far: Worldmaster (or Weltmeister depending on what period they're from and what market they were intended for.

They're sheffield steel and take a great edge.

[AFDavis11]

No preference.

[visualco2]

A while ago I was reading and E-Bay guide, saying his favorite razor was a bengal, price and quality was his main point. Are these still being manufactured?

[The Invisible Edge]

Bengalls are a bit of a puzzle. The 'Bengall' brand name was used extensively by T.R. Cadman & Sons, Sheffield, but I have also seen them on razors just called 'Bengall'. I don't know if these were brand copies or what they were, but the originals are made by Cadman - now alas long defunct. I get them coming through my hands now and again and they are always popular and seem very good steel - but then they're from Sheffield 'nuff said!:wink:

[kozulich]

My revisor is my daily shaver, but my favorite is actually a special gold wash jubilee razor from Mainz, Germany. Its about 100 years old, carbon steel, and the hollow grind is so finely done, that the blade sings in use, kind of like the sound you get with a new blade in a vision. I don't use it too often though, because its just too irreplaceable.

[netsurfr]

I don't have a huge collection like some of the members so don't have a tremendous amount of experience with all of the brands. But, TI's have become favorites so far.
I have a dubl duck but may not have gotten it quite tuned up yet; just doesn't quite compare to the smooth shave with my TI's, Henkels Frioudor, or Wacker razors.

Steve

[jnich67]

I'm relatively new to straight shaving, but it would seem that in the past, there were perhaps hundreds of different manufacturers making quality razors. While some brands are more popular than others, I think if you are looking at vintage blades, the condition of the razor is more important than the brand. Usually, you are safe with those made in the US, Sweden, the UK, Germany, and France. The name and place of manufacture should be stamped on the tang. Just my 2 cents.

Jordan

[visualco2]

Paid good money for it too, I've spent more time honing the Boker, than any of my other razors. Maybe I've got a defective one , but hopefully one day I'll be able to get a shave out of it. :cursing:

[Joe Lerch]

Paid good money for it too, I've spent more time honing the Boker, than any of my other razors. Maybe I've got a defective one , but hopefully one day I'll be able to get a shave out of it. :cursing:That's an excellent razor. Check it with a straight edge to see if it's warped. If not, you should be able to make it shaving sharp.

I bet the edge is oxidized. It happens often with old razors. If you looked at the edge under magnification (60x), you would probably see a lot of oxidation and chips. If you don't have a microscope, try honing it with a a coarse grit (1K or 2K sandpaper on a glass sheet) until the edge looks straight and even and clean (with a magnifying glass- put tape on the spine to protect it).

Then, remove the tape and go to the 4K until you pass the thumbnail test (see classicshaving.com "how to ... and why", the section on honing). Then go to the 8K (no more thumbnails) until the razor passes your sharpness test (HHT, whatever).

[Steelforge]

Maestro Livi or Dubl Duck for me.

Though the higher end 'silver steel' TI razors are superb also. :)

[Taz]

What are TI's :confused:

[Steelforge]

Sorry TI = Thiers Issard. For example...

http://www.classicshaving.com/page/page/846013.htm

The ones called 'silver steel' are the better ones. :smile:

[Joe Lerch]

Maestro Livi or Dubl Duck for me.

Though the higher end 'silver steel' TI razors are superb also. :)That's quite a jump with a lot of great razors in between.

[Joe Chandler]

C-Mon, Torrey, Henckels, or Waterville. Haven't run across a bad one yet.

[Steelforge]

That's quite a jump with a lot of great razors in between.

Oh sure, lots of other great brands I agree. I was just going on my own limited experience with the 15 or so razors I've owned so far at various times. I've had 3 high-end TI's which were all superb shavers, but had a few quality issues like loose scales on one, slightly uneven bevel on another etc.

I had several nice old/restored razors of different brands, but out of all my favourites were my two Maestro Livi's (once I got them honed right) and my DD Satinedge which I restored and then had Lynn hone, and Gary make new scales for. Those were my absolute favourites to date.

Obviously you have a lot more experience than me in this field Joe, I'm still just a newbie really.

:smile:

[Joe Chandler]

I had several nice old/restored razors of different brands, but out of all my favourites were my two Maestro Livi's (once I got them honed right) and my DD Satinedge which I restored and then had Lynn hone, and Gary make new scales for. Those were my absolute favourites to date.

Aw, man...what about that Weyersberg?:crying: :biggrin:

[Steelforge]

Aw, man...what about that Weyersberg?:crying: :biggrin:

That was probably my best shaver, but wasn't my favourite. You're making me feel guilty about selling it now Joe, but it went to a good home! :)

[Joe Chandler]

That was probably my best shaver, but wasn't my favourite. You're making me feel guilty about selling it now Joe, but it went to a good home! :)

Never, ever feel guilty. I was only joking. If weren't saving for a new grinder to make my own, I'd have bought that Livi you were selling.

[netsurfr]

Well hey, I am willing to try putting an edge on that for you for a small price of allowing me to use it for a while... :shaving:


Paid good money for it too, I've spent more time honing the Boker, than any of my other razors. Maybe I've got a defective one , but hopefully one day I'll be able to get a shave out of it. :cursing:

[Joe Lerch]

Oh sure, lots of other great brands I agree. I was just going on my own limited experience with the 15 or so razors I've owned so far at various times. I've had 3 high-end TI's which were all superb shavers, but had a few quality issues like loose scales on one, slightly uneven bevel on another etc.

I had several nice old/restored razors of different brands, but out of all my favourites were my two Maestro Livi's (once I got them honed right) and my DD Satinedge which I restored and then had Lynn hone, and Gary make new scales for. Those were my absolute favourites to date.You have god taste. Have you tried any Dorkos, Pumas, Filarmonicas or Friordurs?

[zomax]

OK guys.... for this question I make myself visible and go into ex-Lurker mode.

Hands down....my all time favorite shaver is my 6/8
DORKO!!!!
I fact, I'll put any of my Dorko's up against TI, DD, Philly, ...any of them.

However, there is one razor that I just recently got that
puts a new dimension in to the shaving experience and this is
a custom from my good buddy R.W.

[visualco2]

Well hey, I am willing to try putting an edge on that for you for a small price of allowing me to use it for a while...
Checked the Boker with a straight and low and behold a very slight bend in it...Ugh!... I can't believe it, also I was reading a thread on Bokers and someone said the Scales should always have a tree. Not on this one, looked at the pin, doesn't look like its been replaced. I just got it off Ebay about a month ago. Now what? I'm sure I could straighten it? dunno.
Any ideas out there? Btw I paid close to $30.00, which I thought was a fairly decent price for a GOOD Boker. not this one.

[Joe Chandler]

Checked the Boker with a straight and low and behold a very slight bend in it...Ugh!... I can't believe it, also I was reading a thread on Bokers and someone said the Scales should always have a tree. Not on this one, looked at the pin, doesn't look like its been replaced. I just got it off Ebay about a month ago. Now what? I'm sure I could straighten it? dunno.
Any ideas out there? Btw I paid close to $30.00, which I thought was a fairly decent price for a GOOD Boker. not this one.

There's a lot of crappy information out there, apparently, then. Not all Bokers (I daresay not even most) have the tree on the scales. The tree logo will be somewhere on the blade itself (most likely on the shank) but not necessarily on the scales. As far as the bend...depending on the severity, you can probably hone around it. You might have a slightly uneven bevel, but you can probably still get it to shave.

[Joe Lerch]

Checked the Boker with a straight and low and behold a very slight bend in it...Ugh!... I can't believe it, also I was reading a thread on Bokers and someone said the Scales should always have a tree. Not on this one, looked at the pin, doesn't look like its been replaced. I just got it off Ebay about a month ago. Now what? I'm sure I could straighten it? dunno.
Any ideas out there? Btw I paid close to $30.00, which I thought was a fairly decent price for a GOOD Boker. not this one.A very slight warp may not be a problem. What it does is cause more material removal in the center on the outwardly bowed side and more material removal at the ends on the inwardly bowed side. A slight bow may only result in an uneven edge (uneven with along the blade), but it could still shave fine.

Joe Chandler is a superb honesman and can set this thing straight. He may even be able to remove the warp if it's very small. I notice he's participating in this thread. You might try PMing him.

[netsurfr]

I have a new favorite shaver: it is a recently acquired Wade & Butcher. It is really wonderful and provides a fantastic shave. Seller said that the scales were redone by garythepenman in NZ. They look wonderful and they really balance the razor well.

[KingSlug]

Sure they are fairly cheap and not anything special. But for easy of honing and staying sharp I like 'em. They are a good everyman razor. I wish I could find a 7 day set.

[Scorpio]

I find myself partial to Shumates. I currently have 3 of them and I really enjoy the shaves I get from them...smooth and close every time. All of mine are from the St. Louis plant. I am looking for blades from the Austin plant but no luck yet.

Raf

[The Invisible Edge]

Kropp or George Wostenholm or William Rodgers. My good old 5/8 Kropp is as plain as they come yet what a superb shave!

[vincebell]

Hard to say, but I guess I have two favorites. Bengall and TI

[Lynn]

So many great shavers......If only my beard would grow in full every 3-4 hours......hahahahahahaha.

Don, stop by the house and I'll show you the 15 or so TI's I have.

Lynn

[JohnP]

No particular favorites here, whatever I've honed the best lately. Generally I've reached for Henckels, Dovo's, DD's, TI's, etc. but this past week it's actually been a cheapie, an SFK Wapienica razor made for surgeons in the cold war Polish army. Less than 10 bucks, mirror finished blade, NOS-and I am tickled to death at how well it shaves, even if the scales ARE plain slabs of metal....

as far as which ones of my collection have received the most work, probably Henckels friodurs, as (of my collection) they travel well, fairly easy to hone, and aren't as sensitive to humidity and salt air as some razors are.
But right now, I'm loving that 10 dollar Polish razor. Shaves like it cost a LOT more.
John P.