Were there other British Razors?

onotoman · Mar 20, 2009

Hi Guys,

I was just thinking that as Sheffield (England) was world-famous for steel making for hundreds of years (until 1970s) there must surely have been other razor manufacturers than Ward and Sons - 'Wardonia'? Obviously many blades were made in Sheffield, but I've not heard of many safety razor manufacturers, although there were plenty of straight razor makers.

Does anyone know of any other UK safety razor manufacturers?

AsylumGuido · Mar 20, 2009

AutoStrop Safety Razor Co., Ltd. 61 New Oxford St. London

Rapid Steel Co., Ltd., Liverpool & Birmingham

Clemak Safety Razor Co., 17 Billiter St., London

B.C.M. Compax. Super-Razors Limited, 17 Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, London SW1

Darwins Ltd., Fitzwilliam Works, Sheffield

Ettinger & Cie., 18 Cross Street, Hatton Garden, London

Diana Razor Co., 3h Staple Inn, London, W.C. 1

Joseph Rogers & Sons Ltd., 6 Norfolk St., Sheffield

Durham Duplex Razor Co., Ltd., 72 Arundel Street, Sheffield

James Neill & Company, Ltd., Composite Steel Works, Napier Street, Sheffield

Thomas Turner & Co.

Ever Ready Razor Products Ltd., The Hide, London, N.W. 9 (PAL, also)

The Noel-Davies Research Group Ltd., Chirk, Nr. Wrexham, Wales

Aston Chain & Hook Co. Ltd., Gleaner Razor Works, Bromford Lane, Erdington, Birmingham

J. Kelly, Winchmore Hill, London N.,

J. QL ltd. Birmingham

F.C. Cartledge, Ltd., Sheffield. Made by Britons, made for Britons.

J. Redfern Ltd.

George H. Lawrence, Limited, Sheffield (Laurel)

The Maktor Safety Razor Co., Ltd, 87, Southwark Street, London, S.E. I

Mark Cross Ltd, 89 Regent Street, London

Marks & Spencer Ltd. (Marspen)

W. J. Myatt & Co., Ltd. Birmingham

Harrison Fisher & Company Ltd, Sheffield

Souplex Ltd., Morecambe

Modern Traders Ltd., 10 Oxford Circus Ave. and 231 Oxford St., London (Redox Oscillator)

Shavex Zee-Kol Co., Ltd., 40, Blenheim Road, Holloway, London N.

Robert Clark, Cutler and Optician, Surgical Instrument Maker, 14 Grainger Street, Newcastle

Rolls Razor Ltd. 255 Cricklewood Broadway, London

A. Mead, Dept. S. S., 4, Bentcliffe Lane, Leeds, 7 (Speedy Shave)

J. Stead & Co., Ltd., Manor Works, Sheffield 2

Norma Technical Products, Ltd., Balfour House, 119-25 Finsbury Pavement, London (Telerazor - vibrating)

Thomas Ward & Sons, Ltd., Wardonia Works, Sheffield (as you mentioned)

John Watts Mfg. Co., Sheffield

The Wilkinson Cutlery Co., Ltd., Acton, London

George Wostenholm, Sheffield

And finally ...

American Safety Razor Corp. of England

How's that?

:biggrin:

Didero · Mar 20, 2009

AsylumGuido, is there anything he can't do?

AsylumGuido · Mar 20, 2009

Didero said:
AsylumGuido, is there anything he can't do?

My wife says I really suck at cleaning house. :blush:

onotoman · Mar 20, 2009

You know AsylumGuido --- before your list came through I thought 'It may be worth trying to collect British makes other than UK made Gillettes, then I thought, there probably aren't enough models to get a decent collection' - well, your list blows that theory out of the water. Many thanks for the information.

Does anyone have any of these? (next you'll post pics of all of these razors from your collection :001_smile

AsylumGuido said:
AutoStrop Safety Razor Co., Ltd. 61 New Oxford St. London

Rapid Steel Co., Ltd., Liverpool & Birmingham

Clemak Safety Razor Co., 17 Billiter St., London

B.C.M. Compax. Super-Razors Limited, 17 Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, London SW1

Darwins Ltd., Fitzwilliam Works, Sheffield

Ettinger & Cie., 18 Cross Street, Hatton Garden, London

Diana Razor Co., 3h Staple Inn, London, W.C. 1

Joseph Rogers & Sons Ltd., 6 Norfolk St., Sheffield

Durham Duplex Razor Co., Ltd., 72 Arundel Street, Sheffield

James Neill & Company, Ltd., Composite Steel Works, Napier Street, Sheffield

Thomas Turner & Co.

Ever Ready Razor Products Ltd., The Hide, London, N.W. 9 (PAL, also)

The Noel-Davies Research Group Ltd., Chirk, Nr. Wrexham, Wales

Aston Chain & Hook Co. Ltd., Gleaner Razor Works, Bromford Lane, Erdington, Birmingham

J. Kelly, Winchmore Hill, London N.,

J. QL ltd. Birmingham

F.C. Cartledge, Ltd., Sheffield. Made by Britons, made for Britons.

J. Redfern Ltd.

George H. Lawrence, Limited, Sheffield (Laurel)

The Maktor Safety Razor Co., Ltd, 87, Southwark Street, London, S.E. I

Mark Cross Ltd, 89 Regent Street, London

Marks & Spencer Ltd. (Marspen)

W. J. Myatt & Co., Ltd. Birmingham

Harrison Fisher & Company Ltd, Sheffield

Souplex Ltd., Morecambe

Modern Traders Ltd., 10 Oxford Circus Ave. and 231 Oxford St., London (Redox Oscillator)

Shavex Zee-Kol Co., Ltd., 40, Blenheim Road, Holloway, London N.

Robert Clark, Cutler and Optician, Surgical Instrument Maker, 14 Grainger Street, Newcastle

Rolls Razor Ltd. 255 Cricklewood Broadway, London

A. Mead, Dept. S. S., 4, Bentcliffe Lane, Leeds, 7 (Speedy Shave)

J. Stead & Co., Ltd., Manor Works, Sheffield 2

Norma Technical Products, Ltd., Balfour House, 119-25 Finsbury Pavement, London (Telerazor - vibrating)

Thomas Ward & Sons, Ltd., Wardonia Works, Sheffield (as you mentioned)

John Watts Mfg. Co., Sheffield

The Wilkinson Cutlery Co., Ltd., Acton, London

George Wostenholm, Sheffield

And finally ...

American Safety Razor Corp. of England

How's that?

AsylumGuido · Mar 20, 2009

onotoman said:
You know AsylumGuido --- before your list came through I thought 'It may be worth trying to collect British makes other than UK made Gillettes, then I thought, there probably aren't enough models to get a decent collection' - well, your list blows that theory out of the water. Many thanks for the information.

Does anyone have any of these? (next you'll post pics of all of these razors from your collection

Nope, not in my collection, but there are pictures of hundreds of these razors at the site below:

Collector's Encyclopedia

Just do a search under Safety Razors using country of origin = England

onotoman · Mar 20, 2009

I'd forgot about Rolls and Laurel too - I have one of each - both are unused.

The Laurel I have is a tiny 'Ladies Boudoir Razor' in a tin with tiny blades - looks like something from a dollls house.

I also have a Durham razor that looks more like a garden rake - presumably these used a specific blade?

Well here's to scouring bric-a-brac shops and the web for obscure British Make Razors. I'll post some pics if I every find any.

AsylumGuido · Mar 20, 2009

onotoman said:
I'd forgot about Rolls and Laurel too - I have one of each - both are unused.

The Laurel I have is a tiny 'Ladies Boudoir Razor' in a tin with tiny blades - looks like something from a dollls house.

I also have a Durham razor that looks more like a garden rake - presumably these used a specific blade?

Well here's to scouring bric-a-brac shops and the web for obscure British Make Razors. I'll post some pics if I every find any.

Wilkinson made many very beautiful sets including their "Seven Day" sets which had a different labeled wedge blade for every day of the week.

AsylumGuido · Mar 20, 2009

And I actually can lay my hands on this beauty - A Compact Self Stropping Wilkinson. These are my pictures.

onotoman · Mar 20, 2009

Very nice piece! The blades look similar to those used in a Rolls Razor.

AsylumGuido said:
And I actually can lay my hands on this beauty - A Compact Self Stropping Wilkinson. These are my pictures.

merwtje · Mar 20, 2009

The Eclipse Red Ring is a very nice DE, although mine has lost it's red ring :redface:

and made in Sheffield.

akhorosh · Mar 20, 2009

AsylumGuido said:
Nope, not in my collection, but there are pictures of hundreds of these razors at the site below:

Collector's Encyclopedia

Just do a search under Safety Razors using country of origin = England

AsylumGuido, I believe you should write book about shaving and I am going to the first person in line to buy this book.

onotoman · Mar 20, 2009

I'll be the second..

akhorosh said:
AsylumGuido, I believe you should write book about shaving and I am going to the first person in line to buy this book.

nrek619 · Mar 21, 2009

wow..... you be knowing your razors AsylumGuido......... :biggrin:

LondonCalling · Mar 21, 2009

AsylumGuido, you do realise many people are trying to escape the affliction of RAD?

AsylumGuido · Mar 21, 2009

LondonCalling said:
AsylumGuido, you do realise many people are trying to escape the affliction of RAD?

And what is the fun in doing that?

american lockpicker · Mar 21, 2009

Are there any razors that are still made in the UK?

onotoman · Mar 24, 2009

Not until I start making them :001_smile

Seriously though, there aren't any makers that I know.

OK - If someone were to start making a few models of razor what should they make?

Fatboy variants?
Superspeed?
Three-piece?
Slants?
Ultra modern - something along the lines of a Vision?

american lockpicker said:
Are there any razors that are still made in the UK?

LondonCalling · Mar 25, 2009

onotoman said:
OK - If someone were to start making a few models of razor what should they make?

In general it would have to be something very innovative, or risk being squeezed between the entrenched skills in Solingen and the cheap manufacturing in China

I think there's quite a lot of people would like to see a new Schick Injector--shouldn't be too difficult to make and could be pushed as a "green" product. Maybe with a super duper carbon fibre handle or something...I bet one of the Formula 1 teams could knock you up a prototype overnight.

benjy85 · Apr 4, 2009

There are a lot of Wardonias knocking around, but you can't easily use DE blades. You have to snap a couple of the wings off !

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Were there other British Razors?

onotoman

AsylumGuido

Didero

AsylumGuido

onotoman

AsylumGuido

onotoman

AsylumGuido

AsylumGuido

onotoman

merwtje

akhorosh

onotoman

nrek619

LondonCalling

AsylumGuido

american lockpicker

onotoman

LondonCalling

benjy85

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