That being said, it still works great with modern stainless blades. The hone acts more as a stubble and lather ejector than a sharpener when used with stainless blades. So it still serves a useful purpose.

I'm going to do another Shake Sharp pass around next month. Perhaps you can test your theories out for yourself.

The hone itself should be relatively cheap. The mechanism would almost certainly have to be included, whether or not the hone was, because part of what makes this a superior design is the spring loaded partial bottom plate. I believe that this, combined with the precise curve of the top cap are what make this razor so effective. I would be interested in seeing how replacing the diamond impregnated hone with a modern ceramic one would affect the feasibility of sharpening stainless blades. I would want to see a longer handle and all stainless construction. If those three criteria were met (hone, longer handle, stainless construction) I think customers would be willing to pay $150-200 for such a razor. If Above The Tie can sell the Atlas razor (w/ three base plates) for $299, I don't see why someone couldn't sell a reinvented Shake Sharp design for half that price.

I think that by the end of this year, there would be enough interest in such a razor, if the supply of Shake Sharp razors appearing on the market dried up. Last year these sold for $20-30. This year the prices are starting to go higher, indicating that there is growing interest and awareness of this razor brand. I would say that there are perhaps 50 people that would be willing to buy a reinvented Shake Sharp modern razor. The reviews made by those people would drive or crush further sales. As best I can tell, the Shake Sharp razors were on the market for only 6 or 7 years, though it could have been as long as 10. The ownership of the company changed at least once, so it is likely that they were publicly traded, and were likely bought out by Schick or Gillette.

This would be difficult at best and a disaster at worst, due to the fact that there are variations in blade width and thickness from manufacturer to manufacturer. The differences are slight and not noticeable unless you are looking for them, but this might be enough to throw off the proper honing angle.

That being said, the hone helps balance the weight of the razor and from what I can tell, does not adversely affect the life of a stainless blade. It also provides little if any benefit either. Any perception that a stainless blade lasts longer in these razors is due to the fact that only one edge at a time is used. (in my opinion)

I feel that I have often thrown away blades that were probably still good on one edge, but were perceived as "done" because one of the edges was dull. This is a downside to using a DE razor, but that is offset by the low cost of the blades. It is certainly not a problem that has ever concerned me. I tend to use stainless blades in my shake sharp more often than carbon, but that is due to the fact that I have quite a few blades I still want to try, and I get 5-10 shaves from each blade. Carbon blades last nearly forever in these razors, and I can easily get a month's worth of shaves from a carbon blade.

It might be worth making a modern varient of the Shake Sharp that is designed to use the Treet carbons, but it would be hard to justify making a razor that was really only designed for one blade, after all, the biggest selling point of the Shake Sharp is the fact that it can shave like a single edge razor, but is not limited to the limited selection of SE blades. Rather it can use the hundreds, if not thousands of DE blade brands that are available on the market today.

Like gorgo said, a modern shake sharp razor would probably lose the honing feature. Different handle lengths and the ability to swap out handles would be a better major selling point for a modern iteration of this razor. An end cap and removable barrel sections would solve that problem nicely.

A carbon blade can last for months in a shake sharp.
This is just guesswork here, but I'll take a shot in the dark. Carbon blades were also only ground on one bevel, with a few exceptions, whereas stainless blades are ground on two, and in the case of Feather DE blades, even 3 bevels. In theory, the shake sharp can grind them down to one bevel, but you would either have to spend a very long time shaking, or suffer through a week or two of drastically reduced blade performance.
I really haven't tried to sharpen stainless blades in the Shake Sharp, but one of these days I will give it a fair shake. If I have tried, I really don't remember trying more than once, or with different types of stainless blades.

Okay. On to the important stuff. I got a package in the mail today.:mail: I am the proud owner of the Shake Sharp Trifecta! Now that I own the Bakelite Original Shake Sharp. It's been cleaned, but I haven't shaved with it yet. I'll post pictures tomorrow, along with a full review; and yes it will need a review. I erroneously figured that with a few cosmetic exceptions, the 1st and 2nd generation Shake Sharps were identical. I was wrong. The gold and chrome Shake Sharps were a complete redesign from the ground up. The original Shake Sharp razor has a different balance, due to the handle and part of the head being made from Bakelite, an early plastic. (Which was expected). The hone and blade tray is more of a spring assisted friction fit, rather than the powerful spring assembly found in the later model. The hone is ridged and has a steel color, rather than the brass colored hones of later models. The hone has the subtle iridescence of the diamond hones of later models and the instructions claim that it is also diamond impregnated. It has more blade exposure and a shallower head curvature than later models. I'm going to guess that this razor is potentially much more aggressive than the chrome and gold versions.

What I can't figure out is why it would have a slightly rusty Gillette Thin Blade in it. Gillette Thins were in production until 1947 (IIRC), but that would mean that the razor had seen very little use (1 or 2 years) or it had seen a lot of use, but only with that blade (or pack of blades). Judging by the amount of wear on the blade's coating and the distinctive shine of a well honed blade, I would guess that this particular blade had been in use for at least a year or more. (I used a Gillette Thin for a month in the Shake Sharp, and it still looked new when I got bored with it and tossed it).

BBS Time...It's a vicious little creature. No nicks, no weepers, but definitely on par with the most aggressive of the SE razors. Even with the head pressed to my face, the buzzing snarl of hairs being mowed down was quite audible. The lightness of the razor was disconcerting to one who is used to shaving daily with a solid brass razor. The short handles of the 2nd generation Shake Sharps were something I was able to become used to almost immediately. The short handle on this razor felt like a liability. Someone who loves aggressive razors would probably swoon for the chance to try one of these, but it's not something I would care to use on a regular basis. I'll try it again tomorrow night with a Super Blue carbon blade which is what I probably should have used in the first place. Tonight's shave was with a new Sputnik, a blade that (to me) falls into the gap between Astra SP's and Feathers. I should note that for the first shave or two, Sputniks seem to be a bit on the harsh side, no matter what razor I use them in. I will update this review as I try other blades in the Bakelite Shake Sharp.

Stay tuned for pictures and comparison shots tomorrow.