Experience with Vintage Blades

This morning, being Sunday, I usually do my last shave on the blade for the week before cleaning the razor and putting in a new blade ready for Monday. My Shark was feeling a bit tired, so I thought I might try something different. I got some NOS blades with a razor I bought some months ago and I'd never tried any. The first was an English Permasharp blade- it came in a single printed wrapper which wasn't sealed- the blade looked new, but might not have been. I put it in my English Flare Tip Super Speed and lathered up with Palmolive stick and gave it a go- it pulled unbelievably. Obviously, not a go-er. It is possible it wasn't a new blade. My next attempt was a New Crescent blade, made in Fremont Ohio USA by the Crescent Mfg Co. This was definitely a new blade- double wrapped with a sealed paper outer wrapper and a sealed plain wax-like paper inner wrapper. It also pulled unbearably. I also have a pack of English made Minora blades as well as some WWII vintage Gillette Camouflage blades- also definitely new and in sealed wrappers.

I presume that these are carbon steel blades and have been exposed to moisture as some time and the blade edge has corroded slightly making them unusable. They look fine though.

This experience is similar to going to dinner on my birthday a few years ago with my partner and bringing a fantastic bottle of red wine from a very well known premium winery which I'd kept for 15 years, only to discover 4" of sludge at the bottom of the bottle and the liquid looking like tea and tasting like grape kool aid. What a let down.

Any tricks to resurrect vintage blades like these?

Personally, I've found many of the "old" brands either just didn't have a great edge to start with, or had deteriorated with time to the point of making them useless for anything other than collecting. Particularly the older carbon steel blades.

The blades from the 60's and early 70's in the heyday of DE blade manufacturing, that are not the carbon steel type and that have specialty coatings or platings are still some of the best in my opinion.

I won't mention names so that there isn't a run on the brands that I like!

Well, if these blades were like this when they were new I'm surprised DE shaving got off the ground at all! Whew, they pulled. I've still got an unopened packet of 7o'clocks that I will give a try. I'm going to leave the Gillette Camouflage as they are- is there a market out there for WWII vintage blades as collector items?

If it exists, there is a collectors market for it somewhere.

Razor Blade Collectors are fairly common actually.

I have quite a variety of old stock carbon blades and I've tried nearly all of them. Most are not very good but a there are a few with which I have had success. Pal, Personna Precision, Don Juan, and Marlin come to mind. They are not, to be sure, anywhere as smooth as a coated stainless blade. In fact, shaving with carbon blades is a much different experience than stainless blades give. You must adjust your expectations accordingly. Once you get used to them you can achieve very good and comfortable shaves.

Vintage carbons blades are indeed a different experience. The edges seem to be honed at sharper angles and you'll need to adjust your technique to use them successfully.

That's interesting- I'll persevere and see if I can find a techniqe that lets me use these without feeling like the blade was stropped on a gravel road. I'm really feeling sorry for my dear old Dad who spent most of his life shaving with Gillette Blue Blades- I think when I started shaving Stainless Steel blades had just been introduced, so they are my baseline.

do you collect this blades?

My favorite blades of all time for me are vintage, alas can't find them anymore, i had maybe 60 of them and now they are almost gone (sucks) Penny's thin blade.

I've got a 5 pack of 7 O'clock blades in a green carton- marked made in England. I wonder if they are carbon or stainless steel. Anyone know offhand?

dtom said:

I've got a 5 pack of 7 O'clock blades in a green carton- marked made in England. I wonder if they are carbon or stainless steel. Anyone know offhand?

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I believe carbon, but I'm not sure yet. I haven't opened my packet to check.

OK Wulfgar, which one of us will crack the pack? It's Tuesday in Australia and I'm on my second shave on a Personna Med Prep blade and will finish it on Sunday- if you don't check your Seven Oclocks by then, I'll open my pack and let you know. Cheers