Musings on an Unsung Hero: Schick Krona

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by dustmite, Mar 25, 2017.

  1. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    Thanks to @americanshamrock, who hosted a very fun PIF, and @PickledNorthern for passing up the prize, I am now the proud owner of this wonderful shaving device! I had a Krona years ago that I got in a lot of four razors from eBay. These were my very first vintage safety razors, so I had no experience when I first got them. I decided early on that I liked the Red Tip that also came in the lot, and basically ignored the others. When my brother-in-law expressed interest in wet shaving, I tested the Krona to make sure that it worked properly and passed it on to him. I now wish I would have kept it! Had my first shave with the new Krona today, and what a great performer! Loaded up a Gillette Silver Blue, smeared on some yogurty goodness ala Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber, and proceeded to enjoy a great, effortless shave. The Krona seemed to automatically fall right to the perfect angle, and the long handle and great balance left a lot of options for grip. While I'd never put this razor anywhere above moderate aggression, it's extraordinarily efficient. My first pass WTG left a visibly passable shave. I could have stopped there, but went ahead with a full 3 pass shave. The final ATG pass was very comfortable, and a bit of touch up in my trouble spots yielded a no-irritation BBS face! Where this razor really stood out to me was under my nose. Usually, TTO's seem a bit bulky to me in this area. The Krona head geometry made shaving this area as effortless as a three piece, or even an injector! Alum proved the comfort of the shave, no sting whatsoever. While a single shave can't really declare a favorite razor, the Krona is definitely on a fast track to the top of my list!
     
  2. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    It's a wonderful razor. There is indeed something about it's geometry (or something) that makes it a better shave for me than the Gillette TTOs.

    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
     
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  3. John Beeman

    John Beeman Little chicken in hot water

    Excellent razors and in my top 10.
    In fact, I used one of mine this morning with a Derby Premium and had a wonderfully satisfying shave.

    I will say that I like the versions with the chrome knob and plain doors. They feel a bit more substantial to me than the black knob version with "Schick Krona" stamped on the doors.
     
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  4. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    @John Beeman, the one I have now has the plain doors. I think the one I gave away had the stamped doors, and this one does have a nice heft to it, where I remember my original being a little light.
     
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  5. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    It is a fine razor. Now I am planning my April shaves, and I think it will be in the rotation for April.
     
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  6. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Part of my mission in life is to persuade folks new to wet shaving to ignore rampant Fatboyism, start with a Krona, and pocket the $40 savings.

    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
     
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  7. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    Great write up. I have never tried one of these. Might add it to the list.

    You plan a month of shaves?
     
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  8. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    I gave my fatboy set away a long long time ago. Still don't miss the thing.
     
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  9. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    Glad it is the real deal for you. They are great razors.
     
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  10. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    I'd recommend it. They practically give these away on ebay...
     
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  11. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    Yes. I have so many razors I want to share the love. I do themes. This month was March SE Maddness. I used 15 SE and injectors throughout the month. February was Fatboy February. In January, I used a variety of razors, but I was doing a "how long will it go" with a Personna Super Blue. I got 44 shaves from it. December was DE DEcember. April is going to be a mix of DE razors that are not Gillettes I think. We shall see. I also have set aside Saturdays for straights. I'm retired. It's what I do. HA!
     
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  12. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    I have a hard time buying razors that use two sided blades though. I have to kind of work my way around and sneak up among um.
     
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  13. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    They have doctors you can talk to about these kind of things. :signs136: Organized peoples scare me some. Always worried I might catch something around them.
     
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  14. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    I admire the dedication it takes to have a variety of tools, and the discipline to only use some. Every time I try this, it lasts a week or so, then my ADHD kicks in and I grab something at random!
     
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  15. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    Yup that. You see a lonley little razor sitting lost there in the rack. Dejected and crestfallen. Why must he be like that? You must make the lonley little razor feel loved and useful. I sometimes change my mind after making the lather.

    On a side note it seems I started your thread heading kind of side ways. Sorry about that. To get back on track...... Nice write up there on this apparent outstanding razor. Seems it's as nice as its SE cousins.
     
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  16. Eeyore

    Eeyore Well-Known Member

    Given the price increases in the past few years, they are not that "unsung" anymore. You easily pay $20 for a Krona nowadays, I believe.
     
  17. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    Frankly, the Schick Krona at $20 on eBay is still a bargain given the way it shaves. It's a deceptive razor in that its appearance belies its performance. When I look at my largely plastic Krona in the rack with my all-metal Gillette adjustables, Gillette Techs and TTOs, Fatip Grande and stainless steel modern razors, the word that springs to mind is "cheap" or even "chintzy". Then I shave with it and realize that if performance dictated appearance it would be solid gold and studded with rubies...
     
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  18. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    I was searching for a Pal InjectoMatic a few months back, and Krona's kept popping up with my search. I saw quite a few with starting bids and shipping that put the price right around $10, which ended with no bids... I consider these unsung compared to some of the Gillette models that people go nuts for.
     
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  19. Glasstream15

    Glasstream15 Member

    I got a Krona in a PIF 5 or 6 years ago. It's a GREAT shaver. Needs a really good blade for sure. It seems to cry for Feathers or something equivalent. But I can get 7 or 8 good (great) shaves per blade on a 75 year old face. Toss up with my Slim Adjustable.
     
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  20. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    People in the UK are always looking for them and they are rarer. Like we are always looking for Injectomatics.

    Mammoth barter potential there if a guy had the time or inclination.
     
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