Sign of things changing...

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by PLANofMAN, Jan 2, 2013.

  1. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    The stainless steel razors should have a lifetime measured in centuries or millenia.

    The pot metal razors are nickel or chrome plated, just like their brass counterparts. Why would the Zamak razors not last as long as the brass razors? The zinc alloy might be more prone to corrosion than brass once the plating wears away, but that will take a very long time.
     
    PLANofMAN likes this.
  2. alpla444

    alpla444 That's sweet!

    I think its partly down to not knowing its safe to clean and use vintage razors and also the fact how good then can be, and as you mentioned the price of a sparkley new EJ89L can be similar to a half decent vintage razor, and is really easy to buy all your kit from one vendor which is also another reason (only one postal charge or free shipping if your lucky;))
     
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  3. Suisse

    Suisse Active Member

    It seems like things are changing for good but I would hold my breadth, there has been more vendors and options to choose from but I doubt we can conclude it without proper data, maybe the sales number from manufacturers could give a good idea?

    We are fighting against Gillette with its own old masterpiece ( Reminds me of Terminator movie..lol ) and Gillette has many tricks under its sleeve to lure users into cartridge for various markets (Gillette Guard in Asian market), I hope we all do realize that most of our blade is made in the developing nations and few in developed and as time goes it would be fair to assume the cost of DE blades would increase and good blades (Feathers anyone?) would probably end up costing same as a single/twin blade cartridge, I can quote the example of Gillette Guard, the replacement cartridge costs same as a single blade of 7'o clock platinum black where it sells locally in stores (I could make peace with my mind saying the DE is cheaper as it has two usable edges. :p).

    It may not happen now or in near future but this is a probable path which would limit the new users from using DE as it may not longer be a cheaper option than cartridge and we would actually see purists using DE Razor. Gillette may also end up reducing the sharpness or existing blades( they had done it many times in past, twin blade cartridge anyone) to lure people to cartridge but hopefully this wont affect other brands.

    So coming back to topic of this thread given a opportunity I would love to stick with vintage razors for their good build quality and knowing I could pass it down my generation but I feel its important to support the new vendor ecosystem as well. Razor is not something bought like an consumable commodity and there are some very good manufactures producing excellent razor today. I don't think on an average an individual would end up keeping more than 2-3 razors for his lifetime unless he has an hobby/passion with these, an everyday Joe would be probably happy with only one( Gillette Slim anyone?). Once an individual finds his right blade and razor he would probably stick with it for his lifetime unless he is bored and wants to try something new :) This could be another reason as why some manufacturers like Mule/EJ produce so many razors with same head as there is nothing major to innovate in DE Razor design to keep the consumers from buying new razor every year.


    I hope I didn't go off topic too much :) Anyway given right price for old vintage or new breed of stainless steel I would love to see this market grow and more users enjoy their daily shave.
     
  4. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Vintage razors in antique stores from here up to Maine have become almost non-existent in the past several years.
    That, and I'm sure many just like having something shiny and new.
     
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  5. Erik Redd

    Erik Redd Lizabeth, baby, I'm comin' to join ya.

    You can find a new razor with a lot of good reviews fairly easily, and can be confident you'll have a good razor to start with. Getting a vintage razor is more of a crapshoot until you've done the research and manage to find a good one. I think few new shavers have access to any vintage family DE's, and don't learn about them from their fathers.
     
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  6. 178-bplatoon

    178-bplatoon Well-Known Member

    Just F.Y.I. KLF there is no such thing as an adjustable Gillette Super Speed. So if it's a Gillette and it's adjustable it's either a FatBoy,Slim or Super Adjustable. All of which are Great razors, with the FatBoy's getting kind pricey.......:)
     
  7. 178-bplatoon

    178-bplatoon Well-Known Member

    :signs011: Your funnyyyy :happy097:
     
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  8. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    In my case, I tried seemingly all the Gillette vintage DEs and what I use is the modern Merkur DE. Why? The vintage ones just don't "fit" my face. But, I do use vintage SEs and injectors from time-to-time for variety's sake.
     
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  9. jeraldgordon

    jeraldgordon TSD's Mascot

    That is better than almost every marriage in America! And at such a low price! Buy, buy, buy! with abandon!
     
  10. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Unlike brass, Zamak is brittle. It may survive a few drops without harm, but it is fairly well known that if you drop one just right, the head will break off the handle. Again, due to the brittleness, it is fairly easy to damage the plating (compared to brass).

    With all of that said, with care, a modern zinc razor should last at least one lifetime of use, unlike the stainless razors, which as you pointed out, "should have a lifetime measured in centuries or millenia."
     
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  11. Ryan B

    Ryan B Knight of the Soapocracy

    The only modern DE I tried was a Parker 99r. That ended in disaster and I gave it away after staring at it with scorn for 8 months. Even though my shaves aren't perfect, they're better than when I was using a cartridge razor.
     
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  12. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    And if the razor doesn't work out, you can sell it on Buy/Sell/Trade on one of the forums and recoup at least part of your money.
     
  13. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    Ok, that makes sense. I was thinking that a brass razor would be more likely to bend out of shape if dropped, as the brass is softer. Either way, it pays not to drop one's razor. Now the stainless razors make a lot more sense, even given their much higher cost.
     
  14. 178-bplatoon

    178-bplatoon Well-Known Member

    :happy096: VERY interesting topic!
    Heres my take. My journey into "traditional" shaving started with a conversation about the low quality of modern razor handles and high cost of carts. After some research, my first "real" DE razor was a Feather Popular because it was fairly well made according to reviews,inexpensive and a TTO(which I was enamored with at the time). While waiting for delivery I dove into research about vintage razors, found it VERY interesting and discovered many facts. My first vintage Gillette TTO from ebay was on the way before the Popular was even delivered..:) 100 razors later my daily shaver is either an EJ89 or Weber SS 3 piece head (I use a Sabi T2 or Weber BullDog handle with both)" I'm NOT addicted I SWEAR :happy108:!!! At any rate thats how it started for me about two years ago now.

    What I've discovered in those 2 years is:
    1)Mulitibladed cart razors are rising in price without rising in quality or functionality.
    2)Vintage razors in antique shops at any price are getting harder to find, at least in my area.
    3)Prices on ebay at least for some vintage razors keep climbing, making a modern razor such as EdwinJagger,Muhle,Merkur,Feather(Popular), a very attractive alternative to vintage especially for economically minded "shavers"(non-collectors).
    4)Modern razors such as Edwin Jagger,Merkur or Muhle are also well made, if not vintage Gillette level pretty damn close I.M.O., but must compromise on material ie. "Zamak" heads instead of brass to keep costs down.
    5)Indian razors with cheaper labor costs can still be had in brass and the product quality is getting better every year, although the costs(as to be expected) are creeping up.
    6)Even Chinese razors aren't that bad,they are at the least an affordable introduction to "traditional wet shaving" and an alternative to overpriced multi bladed cart razors!!
    7)The new "Gillette" quality razor heads and sometimes just handles, if you will, are the SS razors (Weber,Tradere,iKon,Above the Tie,UFO,Pill's,Feather,Greist shaving)these are the brands I can think of off the top of my head, they are to a large part American made and of exceptional quality. Even the prices aren't that bad when workmanship, material quality and inflation is taken into consideration. $70 today was worth $7.80 in 1949. I believe a Gillette Aristocrat TTO in 1949 cost $5.00.

    So it would appear that a niche market comprised of a relatively few hobbiest and vendors not that many years ago, is now becoming if not mainstream at least a strong and growing contender in todays shaving market...:) GILLETTE BEWARE :sick013:
     
  15. Ryan B

    Ryan B Knight of the Soapocracy

    And if you get tired of one razor, you can use another one and not have charges brought against you. ;)
     
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  16. Star

    Star Active Member

    I went with the DE89L because (at least from what I could tell at the time) it had really good reviews that talked about it being somewhere in the middle as far as aggressiveness goes. I also loved the look...it really does have nice chrome :cool:

    I will defiantly get the itch to try and old one sooner or later, but so far I couldn't be more satisfied with what I've got.
     
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  17. Star

    Star Active Member

    Also, my father grew up shaving on old DE's, but had already switch to cartridge razors by the time I was growing up. I never had the chance to gain an imagine of DE's be it good or bad.
     
  18. 5Savages

    5Savages Well-Known Member

    I started DE shaving just over a year ago with a Merkur 38M because that's what my wife bought me for Christmas. In the year following, I've acquired 27 vintage razors (DE, SE, and Rolls), 3 cheap modern DEs (Weishi, Lord, SABI), and only 1 more modern, quality DE (Merkur 42C) which my dad gave me. By my tally, that's 27 vintage to 5 modern. My top 4 razors include those two modern and two vintage.

    I can think of a couple of modern razors I'd still like to get sometime, but I know I'll buy any vintage razor that I don't already have, if the price is right and if found in the wild. I've found one honey-hole where I've bought 7 or 8 vintage razors.

    I have no desire to buy vintage razors off of Ebay though. It just takes the fun out of it.

    So yeah, I started with modern, and I continue to use modern, but it's the vintage razors that get me excited.
     
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  19. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    Hmmm, I started with modern, moved to vintage and have moved into a mix now will be winding down to 1 modern SS razor and 1 vintage. Maybe a 2nd SS model depending on how much longer I stare at Above the Tie's pages.
     
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  20. Sunflake

    Sunflake Well-Known Member

    Not too long ago I did find a President in a '40 SS box.
     
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