Ronson self sharpening razor

I should have pushed the BIN button on this Ronson safety razor. Instead I put it on my watch list. Idiot. If nothing else, it was unique.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_922

Just another maker who didn't read the Gillette business model and tried to come up with a solution to a nonexistent problem.
Selling blades = $$$, self sharpening razor = less money.
Out of all the self sharpening/honing razor the only one that is practical is the "ShakeSharpRazor" It take regular DE dlades and shave like a Gem or Injector.
BTW. $25 is a good price, I paid $45 for mine, they're quite pretty razors, well made.
Mine resides in my "Odd Ball" Razor display.

Like I said......idiot. Oh well, next time.

Man thats a killer price I sold mine recently on B&B for $40.00 + free shipping based on other prices I saw on B&B. Some one didn't know what they sold.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2824111

I just found one at an antique store just outside San Antonio for $30. Near mint condition, and the box is Fair on the outside, and pristine on the inside. I came to B&B to see if I got a good deal. I had never heard or seen anything like it.

Sounds like you did fine on the deal. Post some pics and let us know how it shaves.

Out of all the self sharpening/honing razor the only one that is practical is the "ShakeSharpRazor" It take regular DE dlades and shave like a Gem or Injector.

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You are one of the few people who realize how good the Shake Sharp Razor is. Maybe it's a good thing that only a few do because when they do appear on Ebay the prices are reasonable. The Shake Sharp is the second one from the top left in CoonCatBob's picture.

As for the Ronson, their implementation of a stropper within a razor is too cumbersome. Valet AutoStrop is one off the few that did it well. If you do get your hands on a Ronson with the intent to shave with it, you should also look for an Allegro Strop/Hone device that sharpens DE blades (I believe a Model L is what you need). It will work on Ronson blades and is the easiest way to revive them. Also, you should make sure ithe Ronson razor comes with Ronson DE blades of course.

drews50 said:

Sounds like you did fine on the deal. Post some pics and let us know how it shaves.

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Here ya go

May be a bit for the shave, though. I need to clean it, and I would like to work on the blade before I use it. I may have to seriously try and find that DE hone mentioned above.

It sure looks good. Another proprietary blade? Nuts.

If anyone is interested, I found what appears to be a NOS one at my local antique shop. Everything is there and it almost definitely (99.9% sure) hasn't ever been used. The price was $35, but they would take $28. Neat razor, but changing the blade looked a bit daunting. Very cool spring mechanism for pushing the blade head up and rotating it in order to change which side you were shaving with or stropping. Sorry for the poor pic. I only had my iPhone with me.

I love gears, gadgets and gizmos. I like shaving with the weird razors. Too bad this sucker doesn't take a modern blade AFAIK. Nuts

Back when I owned a Ronson, I had great luck using an Allegro Model L strop/hone for DE blades on some of the NOS Ronson blades. The Ronson blades fit into these Allegros just fine and can then be sharpened. Great device those Allegros.

I have a few of these, but have yet to shave with any of them. I'm dying to see some impressions of the thing.
-- Chet

themba said:

Back when I owned a Ronson, I had great luck using an Allegro Model L strop/hone for DE blades on some of the NOS Ronson blades. The Ronson blades fit into these Allegros just fine and can then be sharpened. Great device those Allegros.

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I'd like to buy one for the Ronson blades and maybe even to use on some Valets, but they average about $50 bucks.... may be a little bit before I get one.

I'd like to buy one for the Ronson blades and maybe even to use on some Valets, but they average about $50 bucks.... may be a little bit before I get one.

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It is tough to find one for Valet blades. You need a Model E with the K12 attachment for Valet blades, Gem disposable blades, Christie, Enders, etc. They do not appear to often.

As for pricing, I have noticed that Allegros are mostly priced way to high. However, every once in a while one pops up for a decent price. You just have to keep your eyes open.

Run Down on a few Allegro models:
Model L: Regular DE blades, Ronson DE blades, Darwin, Probak and Clark DE blades. Gem Double Edge blades with blade holder DG

Model DD (Ultra Rare): Durham Duplex blades, or Hair Shaper blades with the right attachent. I forgot the attachment type.

Model E with K12 attachment (Rare): Auto Strop, Christie, Keen Kutter, Enders, Gem, Ever Ready, etc.

Model E with K11 attachment: most wedge blades like Kampfe/Star, Henckels, Wester Bros, C.V. Heljestrand, Mulcuto, etc.

Unfortunately, some razors no longer have sources for replacement blades, so devices like Allegros and a few others are the only way to "revive" a blade.

Zeno said:

If anyone is interested, I found what appears to be a NOS one at my local antique shop. Everything is there and it almost definitely (99.9% sure) hasn't ever been used. The price was $35, but they would take $28. Neat razor, but changing the blade looked a bit daunting. Very cool spring mechanism for pushing the blade head up and rotating it in order to change which side you were shaving with or stropping. Sorry for the poor pic. I only had my iPhone with me.

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heh 5th ave antiques! im there right now looking at it! thats what brought me to this page. i was trying to figure out if it was worth buying. guess there are other antique shaving enthusiats in town i have to compete witha heheh

Does anyone know the length of the handle on the Ronson? A weight would be great too but i'm more interested in the handle length.

dannymayo said:

Does anyone know the length of the handle on the Ronson? A weight would be great too but i'm more interested in the handle length.

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The handle is 2 5/8s, the head is really tall about 3/4 of an inch.

What an awesome razor! Really enjoyed these pictures. Anyone else have info about other vintage "self-sharpening razors" that could have been manufactured around the same time?

You're posting on a two-year old thread.