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What are good/decent "Solingen" brands

D

dick_dander

In my last antique store shopping for "honing practice" razors, there were a lot of razors that were stamped solingen on one side and a maker on the other. In that trip i did buy a W&B "special" for 45 dollars, with a slight smile, I did hone it up and it is very nice. The Sheffield steel was hard to hone all togethor i put about 10 hours into it and i am happy with the result, shaves nice. I ask about Solingens becuase i want to go back and buy some, my DE buddy wants to make the plunge to straight shaving. Any makers to esp look for, obviously Dovo sticks out, but what are other quality shavers that are made from solingen?
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
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ERN, Gotta are the first that come to mind.

I don't think that you would do a bad choice with any Solingen!
 
Crappy razors are an invention of Pakistan. Apparently there are some bad Indian and Chinese one's too. But you're safe with pretty much anything out of Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, England, USA, etc.
 
Two of the brands you're very likely to come across are Henckels and Boker. They're both excellent.

But I agree: any Solingen razor is a good bet. Pay more attention to the condition of the blade than the brand name.

Mike
 
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Right, you pretty much can't go wrong with anything (in reasonable condition) from Solingen (Germany), Eskilstuna (Sweden), Thiers (France), Sheffield (England), various places in the US (many of these were from the early 1800s were made in Solingen or Sheffield, but later on they were chiefly made in the US, particularly New York and Massachusetts), Japan, and various other places in Europe. Solingen, Eskilstuna, Thiers, and Sheffield are all renowned for being former cutlery capitals of the world. Sheffield and Swedish (Eskilstuna) steels are virtually synonymous with first-rate steel, and this is what was often used in Solingen (and in America to some extent).
 
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