My latest, interesting acquisition.

I'm gonna start by apologizing for not posting pictures. I have been having a heck of a time with that, but I still wanted to discuss this razor.

About 3 weeks ago I picked up a cased Probak razor in near-pristine condition. As some of you know, this is an open-comb razor head that looks kind of like the head of a Goodwill razor. The top plate has 4 tiny pins at the corners to hold the blade in place, and it has indentations in its undersurface. The bottom plate has "plus-sign" shaped protrusions that fit into the indentations.

Using this scheme, the razor holds a blade dead nuts, even though before the blade is loaded it looks like there is a ton of play. The hold on the bottom plate for the handle is HUGE. But, again, it very ingeniously holds the blade perfectly every time.

There is virtually no blade gap at all, and the razor shaves quite mildly. It makes a very tinny sound when shaving that makes it sound cheap, and the feel while shaving is not very good (perhaps related to the sound?). There is a very narrow window of angles within which the blade will cut. The angle is steeper than I normally use with my other razors.

Strange thing is that it gives the most wonderful, smooth, comfortable shaves and leaves the face looking amazing. It's seriously starting to win me over. The more I use it the more I realize what a wonder it is.

Anybody else own/use a Probak? Any thoughts about this razor? (By the way, I don't use it with its original handle; I've paired it with a custom UFO Kaiser. It's a match made in heaven.)

So, nobody knows anything about Probak razors? Or is it just that "this thread is worthless without pics"?

I'd like to hear others' experiences with these razors. I have none myself, so can't comment.

I've not seen much about these, Randall. Sounds like a decent shaver though...

Here's one thread with some info...

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/264427-Probak-materials-and-manufacturing-dates

The answer is: "This thread is worthless without pics."

Here is one of my two Probaks. I was able to pick this up for a good price perhaps because no one else is looking for Probak razors. I do not know why. As you mentioned, it provides a fantastic shave. This one is not NOS or mint, but it is in very good condition.
I guess there is a reason why Valet Auto Strop (the maker of the Probak) basically took over Gillette in 1930

kingfisher said:

So, nobody knows anything about Probak razors? Or is it just that "this thread is worthless without pics"?

Click to expand...

We love you man and the razor sounds interesting, but we are addicted to eye candy.

Maybe somebody can teach me how to post pictures?

kingfisher said:

Maybe somebody can teach me how to post pictures?

Click to expand...

You wish is my command. For PC instructions, click here.

I have a Probak, mine has the Goldfish shaped posts to hold the blade. The head is made out of aluminum I believe, or another lightweight metal, not brass like Gillette. That likely accounts for the sound and feel. I haven't had the chance to shave with mine yet, but now I'm curious. It's great you had a good shave with it, but without pics I'm not sure how much more I can help.

[FONT=&quot]I love my Probak. Here's a little history and a quick review.

Most everyone here probably knows the story about the blade format patent wars between Probak and Gillette back in the late 1920s. The upshot was that in settling the patent infringement litigation, the companies merged and Henry J. Gaisman, the CEO of Auto Strop/Probak, eventually took over the newly formed company and became Chairman of Gillette. The Probak OC is Gaisman’s original double edge design, the razor (along with the ingenious backward compatible blade) that started the whole brouhaha. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
If you think the Probak, first patented in 1927, looks a lot like a Gillette Old Type, minus the round blade alignment studs, you’d be right. I find the shave, however, quite different from the Old Type, in a good way. The Probak is definitely less aggressive, probably more similar to a short comb NEW in that regard, and I find it equally superior in the smoothness department. For me, the correct angle seems almost automatic. Though this razor feels to me somewhat less solid than the Gillettes of the same era, either Old Types or NEWS, it does weigh in at 46 grams, which is only slightly less than the Gillettes. The plating on the Probak on the other hand seems to be of superior quality, and many of the examples I’ve seen looked especially shiny and nice for their age. Another big plus for the Probak is that the handle isn’t (at least in my limited experience) prone to cracking like the early three piece Gillettes, so if you run across one, it’s much more likely to be in sound condition. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Though these are a lot less common, of course, than comparable era Gillettes, they are around. You’ll see them with several different shapes of blade alignment studs on the underside of the cap, and with at least a couple of different handles; I’m told that the basic head geometry and shave quality on all of these variants are the same. In addition to being a very cool and interesting piece of shaving history, I’ve found the Probak to be a well made, excellent shaving razor.

A good score. Consider it a very worthwhile addition to your stable.
[/FONT]

Excellent write up and information Spang, thank you

Terrific review (and history lesson). I think you may have just caused a spike of interest on the 'Bay for these wonderful razors! I'm glad I have mine already ...

Love my Probak! There are a multitude of razors that float through my rotation, SE, straights and DEs, but my Probak and a Gillette New are always in the rotation.