Shave for Saturday January 7, 2017
Henckels Roller Comb razor
Henckels Solingen wedge blade
Plisson synthetic brush
Stirling Electric Sheep soap
Pinaud Lilac Vegetal aftershave
(I had to deal with some network issues today so I'm late getting this up.)
Today's shave featured my latest acquisition, a rather unusual Henckels razor. It is similar to a Rapide, but there are enough differences that I'm hesitant to call it that.
Of course the most striking feature is the roller comb, similar to a Wilkinson. In fact this razor resembles an early Wilkinson as much as it resembles a Rapide.
In addition to the roller comb, the slender handle is knurled rather than lined. There are spring loaded side blade holders and blade stops. A modern blade could be loaded, but why?
The markings aren't much help - in fact they are somewhat cryptic. "Max."
Nonetheless it is most definitely a Henckels.
Here we see (l to r) the Henckels, a Henckels Rapide, Ernst Scharff Rapide (early), and a later model Ernst Scharff Rapide.
Here they are all together in their respective cases.
Almost forgot - the shave! As expected the roller comb provides for a smooth shaving experience, but this razor is still plenty aggressive. The blade is positioned almost directly over the comb, about like a Wilkinson Empire at its most aggressive setting. The Solingen steel blade easily took a wicked edge, and with a little effort (and a great deal of caution) I was rewarded with an irritation free (and bloodless) BBS shave. The shave was easily as good as those from the modern Feather AC bladed tools I've been using lately, although perhaps not quite as smooth and definitely requiring a higher level of concentration on my part.
If anyone knows anything more about this fascinating razor, I'd love to hear about it.
--Bob
Click to expand...