Guys: I haven't heard, nor seen much use, regarding the modern made Thiers Issard razors. I've been contemplating the acquisition of a new straight, and the TI has caught my attention. This is based totally on the "eye candy" factor. But I would really be interested in the quality of the steel, build, and shave. They seem to be somewhat higher priced than their German counterparts. And along with that; where is the best (lowest price) where one can be sourced? So if you have any feedback/reviews on the new TI's, please let me know.
I read somewhere, on another site, that the modern TI razors are sub par, and very much a hit or miss on quality. For the money, I would try for a NOS TI, if you can find one. Try the French EBay site, they tend to have a lot of Thiers Issard razors.
I hone quite a few of the new ones for AoS Like most any Factory razors the claim of "Shave Ready is pretty much BS About 5 years back TI was having some serious issues with scales, but that seems to have been solved now Their Heat Treat and Tempering might actually be the best available. The Carbon Song razors are hard to set up they just are, they are rated at 66 RHC and that is some damn hard steel to hone but once dialed they are serious shavers The rest of the line up is top quality, they tend to be slightly larger then say a Solingen 5/8 or 6/8 have a bit more heft too All in all I would put them as a Top Line production razor JMHO
I cannot recall the name of the member, but I have a tickle in my brain that tells me there is a thread from a while a go that starts something like "There is a God, and His name is Thiers." It could have been Danny, maybe... I don't remember his screen name... He is a physician. EDIT! @Dslazar9
I have one that I bought new several years ago. Part of what motivated me to buy it was that I wanted a half hollow razor and I was still researching vintage razors and was not prepared to buy used yet. I have to say it was right in the heart of when they were having scales issues and the Canadian vendor I bought from was likely doing a little quality control along with hand honing them. Excellent razor and I am very happy with it.
Thanks, all, especially you that have experience with actually honing, and using them. Glen, I appreciate your evaluation, which makes me comfortable purchasing a new TI.
I have a new 5/8 TI Spartacus .It shaves well and honed very easy .IMHO it is a nice razor.Nothing extremely special but the quality seems good .I like the weight of the steel and its balance.
ENGELS is a sleeper when it comes to a Vintage brand.The quality of the Argo steel and how consistent they were ground is amazing.
I had a modern 7/8 TI full hollow. It was a beautiful razor, it was easy to hone and took a wonderful edge. I sold it because there was a little flex with my tough stubble. I found this flexing phenomenon with some other big full hollow blades. I sold it to a member here, maybe he will post about it.
They are the only razor manufacturer in Europe still allowed to temper their razors in molten lead. I also understand that they have one of the largest thurigen hones in the world, several hundred years old, that they use on their razors to make them "shave ready." (Of course, that assumes the honer actually does his/her job, and the number of theirs issard razors that need to be made shave ready would indicate that the person doing it, sucks).
The Current So Called Carbon Song Thiers as Mentioned Above Can be a Bugger to Dial in & the Scales Can be Very Plasticey & Cheap Made..I Don't Know about the USA but in the UK there are Plenty of these Still Being Sold from Older Stock..The Ones I have Honed were No Where Near Shave Ready..In the UK at Least their Bottom of the Range Black Scaled Carbon Song Blades are Very Cheap to Buy Mind.. Me Personally I Much Prefer the Vintage Thiers SRs..A Different Animal..But..Hey..That's Me Talkin..NOS Vintage Thiers SRs Come Up on French EBay Quite Regular.. Billy..
Aye..Keep an Eye on French EBay..Now..They Don't Go for a Handful of Dollars but they Generally Do Go Far Cheaper than Some of those Current Thiers & Maybe Even Comparable Sometimes to Some of the Basic Current Ones..They Take a Distinctive Shaving Edge.. Billy..
