Any info on this Valet Auto Strop

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Angelo85, Aug 16, 2022.

  1. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    The other night I won a vintage Valet Auto Strop razor for ten bucks on an online auction. I was wondering if anyone has any info on this razor based on these pictures the seller provided. I also bought some Feather FHS10 blades to use in this razor as well as a vintage strop for this razor. Advice on how you shave with this razor would be greatly appreciated. 7B84266C-891D-4489-A3E6-508FAA352CC6.jpeg 60FBEA92-461A-4549-A414-2141F16E6764.jpeg
     
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  2. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Depending on which autostrop model it is, standard Gem blades work.

    ...and it shaves like any other SE razor.

    Did it come with the strop?
     
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  3. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    I’m not sure this razor comes with a strop; that’s why I bought a vintage one separately.
     
  4. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Hard to tell without seeing the side of the razor but it is either a VB1 or VC1 if it says valet auto strop razor on the razor head. If it just says Auto Strop Razor then it is what is called a B2 . Either way any of those models will work with a standard despined Gem blade. They also work with the Feather FHS-10 and FAS-10 blades.
     
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  5. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the info.
     
  6. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    The only real difference between a B1, B2 or VB1 besides when they were made is what is printed on the razor holder. B1 will say Auto Strop, B2 will say Auto Strop Razor and a VB1 will say Valet Auto Strop Razor. VC1 the razor head was redesigned and in turn shaves differently.
     
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  7. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    remove spine and clip blade at the lines. easy to do
    From @Jayaruh.............
    autostrop16.jpg
     
  8. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Only shave advice I can give with these is the lift lever for the blades tends to be all over the place as far as tightness goes. If that one is loose then you'll want to keep pressure on the lever with your thumb or find a way to stiffen it up so the guard doesn't want to drop while shaving.
     
  9. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    I just got my Valet Auto Strop razor; it says Valet Auto Strop razor on the head. The back tab of the razor is not loose at all. Strangely enough on top of the case it says “Daily Kentucky New Era”. Anyone have any info on that? 39DCD1F6-10EE-4E5E-87CC-DEC6A73DE645.jpeg 5D571C68-3AC1-4D0E-9DCD-EA22732892FF.jpeg
     
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  10. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    Most likely a promo item from them and given out to people. Just a little history on them...... "The circulation of this newspaper is 9,121 per day. The Kentucky New Era is the main source of news for Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the major daily newspaper in Hopkinsville and the surrounding area. It was first published in 1869. It has a daily circulation of 7,809."
     
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  11. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    Thanks.
     
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  12. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    @Angelo85 , you got a good one there. Modifying modern Gem blades is easy, and they work great. You can use the Feathers, but I believe them to be over priced and short lived. Here is a video I made with one of my VB1 razors. I used a modified Treet blade for this shave.

     
  13. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    Thank you very much.
     
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  14. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    I agree about the Feather blades. A little rough and two good shaves, maybe.
     
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  15. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    Got my Feather stainless steel SE blades in the mail today and I easily loaded the blade in my Valet Auto Strop razor. I’ll let everyone know how my shave went with this baby tomorrow. BA15FBBC-985A-4342-AE3C-DD730CC61DA2.jpeg
     
  16. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Angelo it looks like a C1 model Valet auto strop. It looks like my Canadian Valet auto-strop variant and it gives a reasonable good shave. I use modified Gem blades in mine and they are superior to the Feather FHS for longevity IMO. I will say the Feather FHS blade on first use does a fine job but it drops off quickly after that. (old archived photo)
    Valet Auto-stop C 1, MFG 1920's- .011 original gap clearance to a .007 blade gap Henry,Gaisman.jpg
    Have some great shaves!
     
  17. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    Just had my first shave with the Valet Auto Strop; I used a Feather DHS10 blade, Proraso red soap and aftershave as I’m familiar with that as well as the Razorock Beehive brush (28mm synthetic). I did 2 passes, WTG & XTG and got a DFS shave with only a very tiny nick under my chin. I really thought this razor would be super aggressive with the amount of blade exposure; I found it to be rather mild instead. I did hold the razor almost flat against my face and used no pressure to shave with it. 8B12EB65-4658-4E6F-93A4-DCB9BD29BED9.jpeg
     
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  18. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    I like that brush holder, very nice.........
     
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  19. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    Thanks.
     
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