Which Razor Would You Never Sell, Give Away Etc?

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by huck1680, May 3, 2023.

  1. huck1680

    huck1680 Great Northern CanUkrainian

    Folks
    Is there a razor you have which you will always keep, possibly pass down, which is so special or that you're so in tune with that you cant imagine not having it in your rotation? It could be your "grail" razor or one you've had for years that always gives you a great, comfortable shave...your "go to" shaver.
    I currently have 8 razors that give me great shaves...it took me a long time to get here and all of them will be staying for the next considerable while.
    But, the one that I will never get rid of is my Smart-Helix Apollo. Beautifully made, great balance, excellent handle...just a great razor. It means more to me because I'm also Ukrainian. Both sides of my family going way back in history have also been Ukrainian. Because of the current situation it underscores how fragile our existence can be.
    So lets see what your most "precious" (to quote Gollum) is/are.
    Cheers
    IMG_2525.jpeg
     
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  2. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    This razor comes with a bit of a backstory. Well, not THIS razor, but one just like it. As a child, and the oldest son of my grandfather's oldest son, I inherited some of my grandfather's things. Nothing particularly valuable, just kicknacks and other things. A whistle, a pocketknife, a pocket watch, and two items that were leftovers from his stint as a barber, his strop and straight razor, both in immaculate condition.

    One ought not give a straight razor to a child. I needed a screwdriver and for whatever reason, my child's intellect thought the straight razor would make a great impromptu screwdriver. Predictively, the blade shattered like glass. I quickly hid all evidence of my indiscretion at the bottom of the trashcan, and my parents never knew or asked about the razor.

    ...but I never forgot.

    Many decades later, as a long seasoned wetshaver, I spotted a NOS razor identical to my grandfather's broken razor on eBay. I didn't have the money for it at the time, and it quickly sold. About ten years after that, I spotted another near NOS razor, and managed to snag it.
    IMG_1683129816976.JPEG
    This razor.

    I'd shaved off and on with straight razors before this one, but it was the shave ready edge on this one that really sparked a newfound interest in straight razors and a desire to achieve similar edges on my other straight razors.

    This has now become my grandfather's razor 2.0, and I'll never sell it. I'll eventually gift it to a wet shaving member of the next generation of my family, but I don't ever see myself selling this razor.
     
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  3. ischiapp

    ischiapp New Product Bloodhound

    My champion is a Franken Razor.
    Edwin Jagger DE89 head, on Maggard MR14 handle.
    I'm so happy of this, than I named it PP1489.
    [​IMG]

    Weight, balance, performance, look, price.
    I've never tried something that works better for me.
     
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  4. huck1680

    huck1680 Great Northern CanUkrainian

    Ya know. That's a great story all the way from when we were very young and not that bright to finally re-storing a situation that was always in the back of our minds.
     
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  5. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Reality is every razor I own is potentially for sale, even the N.F.S. razors at the right I don't want to sell it price. My only 3 razors that are in the N.F.S. category are 2 Famex razors and one Bohin.
     
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  6. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    I've been thinking about this some more, and if someone offered a million dollars for my collection of razors (excluding straights) and told me I could keep 3, I would keep the Blackbird (Kickstarter edition w/ wood case and both handles), No. 58, and Shake Sharp. All three are exceptional shavers and I would have difficulty replacing them. And in all honesty, I wouldn't need any other razors.

    The reason the Rolls Razor didn't make this list is because I wouldn't have any problems replacing it fairly cheaply, even if I had to buy 3 or 4 to make one good set with extra blades. If that situation ever changed, it would be on the list of keepers.

    I used to be super attached to some razors, but the longer I shave, the less I care about individual ones.

    I would also have a tough time letting go of my Tedalus Essence.
     
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  7. brit

    brit in a box

    if i were in the same boat the 3 would be brit tech hybrid,#21 2nd gen asristocrat and #58.exceptional shavers in my mind,smooth with a touch of blade feel.:):eatdrink047:
     
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  8. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Thanks for reminding me of the cased British silver plated first gen aristocrat I have. I guess I probably would ditch the shake sharp in favor of that razor.
     
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  9. brit

    brit in a box

    i know what you mean,in reality i need to keep 5;).my first gen and an rfb also.the second gen 'crat is like the red tip of the 1940s..
     
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  10. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    A razor I could never let go is my 1958 Gillette Toggle. It is my holy grail Gillette I own as well as it was a lovely Father’s Day gift from my mother back in 2020. IMG_0771.jpeg
     
  11. brit

    brit in a box

    the average wage for a factory worker in 1940 england was 248 pounds per year.your cased 1st gen was just under a pound (20 shillings a pound)not many folks could afford them ..only the rich in theory..;)
     
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  12. brit

    brit in a box

    is it your favorite razor shave wise?
     
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  13. Angelo85

    Angelo85 Well-Known Member

    Shave wise my favorite razor is the Gillette British Aristocrat model no. 66. The Toggle shaves very nicely, but it’s not the best shaver of them all.
     
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  14. brit

    brit in a box

    I second the 66 as well.fine shaver.:):eatdrink047:
     
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  15. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    I've paired down my modest razor "collection" to keepers...all for different reasons in addition to each of them working well for me. I really don't see much difference in the shaves I get from any of them. Same goes for blades. I tend to use the same razor for long periods of time, though, and I think that helps with my technique.

    None are for sale. Under the right circumstances, though, I may give any of 'em away.

    I'm not under the illusion that traditional wet shaving can make or save me any money, and so far I have been correct. :happy102:
     
  16. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    IMG_1684269951907.JPEG
    I liked it enough to pick up the earliest advertisement I could find for it, with the intention of someday framing it. Besides, it's got a "man sized handle." Which kinda makes me feel bad for anyone using a razor with a child's size handle. :p

    I did the math, an average factory worker could afford 304 of them if they spent all their money on nothing but that razor for a year. I paid $150 for mine, and was making approximately 45k at that time, so I could afford 300 of them. The average laborer then, could afford it better than I could when I bought it. Lol.

    Edit: just checked eBay for current value. The rhodium plated versions (post 1937) are going for about $200. The 1936 silver plate versions are MIA. It's a bit of a toss-up as to which would be more desirable, the first year edition or the more common rhodium plated version. For me, I'd prefer the very first model of British TTO razor, as it has more historical value to me. I'm actually surprised they are going so low, as I seem to remember them going for $400-500 a few years ago. Modern razors taking their cut of the market, I assume.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2023
  17. stingraysrock

    stingraysrock PIF'd away his custom title

    2011 R41.
     
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  18. brit

    brit in a box

    :)
    What was the average UK salary in 1945?

    Average weekly earnings of industrial wage earners shown by Ministry of Labour inquiries were £4 16s. ld. in July, 1945, £6 16s.

    What was the average wage in 1936 in UK?

    In 1936, annual wages for many in the cities were around £130, with the national average across all sectors at £153 source: Measuring Worth. Agricultural workers were paid much less – more like £80.
     
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  19. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    That's a pretty big difference.
     
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  20. brit

    brit in a box

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