Fun with terrible eBay pictures...identify that razor!

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by PLANofMAN, Oct 12, 2020.

  1. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
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    You've got to love the challenge, the mystery, that step into the unknown...

    These are cropped and enlarged pictures from a recent eBay auction I won. (Trust me, there's very little detail lost from the original eBay pics). I have not received the razor yet. It took me about an hour and a half to tentatively identify this razor.

    The only information I had was the kit is NOS, and made in West Germany. The razor is obviously German, and was made between the end of WWII and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was probably made between 1950 and 1970. Who do you think made it?

    DON'T CLICK THE SPOILER BEFORE YOU GUESS!!!
    Show Spoiler
    My best guess is that the razor was sold by Dorko, and manufactured by Karl Engels. (Engels, known for their Emir DE razors, and for selling razors to other companies to re-brand, was acquired by Dorko in the 1950's). The handle shape, the white/cream colored plastic handle, (or possibly metal, coated with the same stuff that gives vintage Hoffritz and Coles razor handles a distinct bi-colored whitish hue). The handle end cap, and what can be seen of the head all point towards this being a Dorko razor. On the other hand, it also bears a similarity to a West German no name, low quality Tech clone. Time to toss the dice!

    Feel free to add your own blurry flip phone style eBay mystery razor pictures to the guessing game.
     
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  2. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Pretty clear (pun intended) Merkur Progress.
     
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  3. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Oooops...just clicked the spoiler. :scared003:
     
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  4. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    I always find it amusing and sad at the same time when I see a handful of blurry pictures and little to no description of the item for sale on eBay.
     
  5. Paul Turner

    Paul Turner outside the quote(s) now

    I always click @Sara-s ' spoilers. She's just that good.
     
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  6. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    Why, thank you @Paul Turner !
     
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  7. Paul Turner

    Paul Turner outside the quote(s) now

    You're welcome. And I just did it again to your Ghost/Rain one.
     
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  8. twhite

    twhite Peeping Tom

    We know these razors. Wow do these pictures suck big time. EBay
    [​IMG]
    Or it could be my Rose colored glasses
     
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  9. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    DORKO-SOLINGEN-Vintage-Full-Metal-Rasierer-UnbenDE-Safety.jpg s-l400 (19).jpg
    It's been long enough.

    It's pretty close to one of these two razors, and for $2.99 + shipping, I thought it was worth a punt. I know which style of razor I would rather have.

    The bottom razor is a no name "West German" tech style razor. Probably put out by a company like EAGLE BRAND or similar.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Oct 12, 2020
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  10. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    I wish. Not really a razor I'm interested in, but for $13, I'd buy the Progress all day long. The visible centering studs in the blurry pics rule out the Progress. They also unfortunately rule out the Ben Hur and Apollo Mikron adjustables, too.
     
  11. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Here's some better pictures of the same type of razor.
    images (1).jpeg
    images (2).jpeg
    It's not exactly a rare razor, just not mentioned on the forums much, if at all. Probably because there's no brand associated with the razor.
     
  12. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
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    And now we know why we never see these. It appears to be loosely based on a flat bottom tech, top cap is copper or brass, baseplate is cast aluminum, and the handle is entirely plastic. Chromed plastic with a white plastic end cap. A small debossed diamond is on the bottom of the handle's end cap. There are no other markings.

    With luck, a person might get fifty shaves out of it before the plastic threads in the handle fails.
     
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  13. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    It takes standard Gillette threading, so I threw a tech handle on it and gave it a spin. It shaves like a mild razor, but feels more aggressive than a red tip. Not my cup of tea. Riding the cap tones it down some, but it's very aggressive at its natural angle. Way more blade feel than I'm comfortable with.
     
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  14. brit

    brit in a box

    there is a reason it's not a popular razor..;)
     
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  15. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    There's a host of reasons.
    1. Plastic handle
    2. Poor fit and finish
    3. No brand name
    4. aggressive without being terribly effective.

    For a really, really cheap razor, it's quite good looking.
     
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  16. brit

    brit in a box

    absolutely..perfect historical example..:)
     
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