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TwinPlex Double Edge Razor Sharpener?

I've got an old Kriss Kross DE stopper that I got in a job lot.
I don't think I ever even looked at it.
Doesn't interest me at all.
 
I don't know what's inside of it but it stands to reason that if straight edge razors can be maintained with leather then DE blades should be able to similarly be maintained. Obviously you can only get so much use out of a blade as thin as a DE but it should do something to bring the edge back.

I believe there is a member here with a microscope who has viewed blades under it maybe if the individual who offered to give the OP one for shipping costs could send it to him. Obviously both parties would have to be in agreement but maybe it would tell us if these truly do anything.
 
I don't know what's inside of it but it stands to reason that if straight edge razors can be maintained with leather then DE blades should be able to similarly be maintained. Obviously you can only get so much use out of a blade as thin as a DE but it should do something to bring the edge back.

I believe there is a member here with a microscope who has viewed blades under it maybe if the individual who offered to give the OP one for shipping costs could send it to him. Obviously both parties would have to be in agreement but maybe it would tell us if these truly do anything.
I'd love to do this, but it needs before and after pictures, and of more than one blade type. Seems like I'd need to have one for a while and put some effort into it over time. But the biggest issue is the blade coatings don't get put back on, so what is it really comparing?

Thinking about it a bit more leads me to a terrifying thought. If I collected a bunch of used razors from different people, and organized, categorized, and alphabetized them... Not something I'm too keen on doing. :lol:
 
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I'd love to do this, but it needs before and after pictures, and of more than one blade type. Seems like I'd need to have one for a while and put some effort into it over time. But the biggest issue is the blade coatings don't get put back on, so what is it really comparing?

Thinking about it a bit more leads me to a terrifying thought. If I collected a bunch of used razors from different people, and organized, categorized, and alphabetized them... Not something I'm too keen on doing. :lol:

*goes and hides in the corner*

I may have started something here. :D
 
The TwinPlex stroppers were made over a period of decades; from before WWI into the late '40s. I think TwinPlex is still in business, but their blade stroppers are a part of history.

Keep in mind that they are not sharpeners, they strop only.

My grandfather had a TwinPlex blade stropper that he probably used for 40 years. The old browned carbon steel blades were good for 1 or 2 shaves, stretched maybe to 3 or 4. It seems that granddad would get two or three weeks of shaves per blade or more, stropping them with his little gizmo. The TwinPlex is built like an iron brick and it gave decades of service.

It wasn't that he was cheap, but during the depression years money was very tight; this was followed by wartime shortages and rationing --so it made sense to extend the life of the blades during those years.

Today's stainless blades with edge coatings probably wouldn't be appropriate for the stopping gizmo or razor blade hones, and likely the result would be unsatisfactory. Besides, today's blades are readily available in bulk for a very modest cost.

But if you have some old carbon steel blades, it may be worth giving them a go and using the stropper as a matter of curiosity.

Have fun.

-- John Gehman

BTW, Here's the TwinPlex web site
 
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Hi all i got a twinplex i have used it one time i use derby blades i get 5 good shaves after the 5th shave i tryed the twinplex now on shave 9 mabe i am crazy but it works for me.. blades are cheap but for me every penny counts
 
I have one and it does seem to make carbon steel blades smoother for longer, but at the price for blades I often forget to even use it. I haven't tried it on any stainless blades as I assumed the hardness of the steel would make it far less effective, but I suppose there is no harm in trying. It is indeed a very cool contraption!
 
My father picked up one back in the mid-'60s. I think he used it until he switched to catridge razors sometime around 1970, then gave it to me when I took up DE shaving a few years ago. I suppose I should try it, but I never have. Like others, I figure it would strip the coatings off modern blades.

It was fascinating to watch it work, especially when you're a kid. "It went zip when it moved and bop when it stopped and whirr ..." ����
 
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