The Shake Sharp Razor

I remember reading of one person who thought it was uber aggressive, and did not care for it for that reason. That, however, was a mistake on his part (in my opinion), and was a case of improper technique. The only other complaint I have read about was the handful of people who did not care for the short handle. If Bob was still with us, I'd send one of mine off to him and see about putting a longer handle on it, just to see what it would do to the (admittedly, nearly perfect) balance of the razor.

I think my dream razor would be a slightly heavier version of this razor, with a slightly longer handle. Kind of like a SE fatboy. (Razor manufacturers, can you hear me? If you make it, they will buy it!) I would think that with a stiffer spring and a ceramic hone, it would even sharpen stainless blades.

 

Welcome to the Den, Stan. We're all glad to see you. You might want to visit the New Members section of the forum and formally introduce yourself. I'm glad you're enjoying your new razor.

 

I sniped a new Shake Sharp on the 'bay. I'm almost starting to regret my decision to create this thread and do a pass around. The prices on these things have gone through the roof...
But I guess that just means my initial investments are worth a bit more now doesn't it? For those who have been trying to acquire a Shake Sharp razor, you can rest easy. I will no longer be bidding on or purchasing these razors. I finally acquired the last remaining hole in my collection, the Bakelite handled Shake Sharp. I will take better pictures when I get it. The most interesting thing about the Bakelite handled Shake Sharp is that it was based off an earlier patent, and one of the features of this razor is that the head cap is not hinged, but removable on this model. I'm looking forward to giving this a comparison run.

 

I wish it was that simple. It wasn't so much a "find" as it was "clawing and fighting my way to the front of the pack." I will keep you guys updated on how it shaves. I'll be (hopefully) getting it next week. For those who have been following this thread, I will shortly be updating the original post with links to Shake Sharp reviews and comparisons that have been posted since I started this thread.

 

There was 5 other people bidding on it. I guess because it had the case. I just used Gixen and put a top price of $56.50 and crossed my fingers. I didn't think it would go any higher than $40, because it's the rarest and least desirable of the Shake Sharps. I didn't expect the last bid to go within $5 of my snipe. My set is now complete. I have a cased gold, cased chrome, and a cased bakelite. I also have a loose chrome one that I'm thinking about having replated in Rhodium.

From what I've seen on ebay, the Bakelite's turn up about two or three times a year, as opposed to the gold and chrome ones, which show up about once every month or two. These razors aren't quite Darwin rare, but they will rapidly become that way if people keep snatching them up. I'd kind of like to see Shake Sharps start selling for their actual value, which ought to be in the $70-100 range. Unfortunately, I think their appearance will keep the prices low. They just don't look like a high end razor, even though they out shave every razor I've ever used, with the exception of the Cooper Monobilt, which is rarer than the aforementioned Darwins.

Once I get this razor, I will finally be able to answer the question of whether the first generation Shake Sharps had a bevel in the hone like the later model did. I didn't exactly lose sleep over it, but if I ever died before owning one, it was a question I planned to ask Peter at the pearly gates.

I guess if one can't own a BRW's modified razor, the best you can hope for is to get a razor that Cooncat Bob enjoyed shaving with, and he owned a Bakelite Shake Sharp.

 

I want a cool meter that does that. Mine just says [electronic voice] you..are..not..cool [end electronic voice] when I look at it. I think it's mocking me.

 

As a point of interest, some of you may have noticed the "$3.95 3/22/46" written on the inside of the lid in the first picture. When I ran the numbers through http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm , the asking price for this razor if it was made and sold today would have been $48.98 (or more likely, $49.99). One of the advertisements in my original post, dated February 1946 confirms the price at $3.95.

The later gold plated Shake Sharp was in an ad in November 1952, selling for $4.95, originally $9.95. If we use $4.95 as the base price, this razor would have sold new in 2012 for $42.15. If we use $9.95 as the base price, it would have sold new today for a whopping $84.73!

 

nope.

If there is enough interest, I would be willing to do another pass around. I'll just have to make sure you are the last person on the list, pay shipping charges, and pay a refundable $40 deposit.

 

You have access to the same photos I do. If there are any chips or cracks, they didn't show up in the pictures. I would think that the split handle design, held together with pins and rivets, would alleviate most of the stress points that could cause cracks. I didn't know that Bakelite could be polished. If the gold plating is in good shape, that will be one fine looking razor.