Do different vintage SR's shave differently and hold their edge longer? Sometimes. The steel has changed over the years. So has the processing methods. Thiers Issard, for example, is the only company that still quenches their razors in molten lead. Most modern razors are hollow ground, and the further back in time you go, the more wedge blades you'll find. That difference alone is huge.
Is this due to rarity of the razors or do they actually shave more smoothly and hold their edge longer? Chalk this one up to social notoriety. Wade & Butcher, dubl duck, etc. are good razors, but no better than any others. Dubl duck in particular is a good example of a decent razor that is far more desirable than it ought to be. It was sold mostly as a barber's razor, not a high end razor for personal use.
In general, if a vintage razor is made in Solingin, Sheffield, France, Russia, or the U.S.A., it will be made from good steel. The European nations had the benefit of excellent swiss steel, and the Americans either imported from Sheffield or Solingin, or used American steel, which used the newest and most advanced forging techniques. Older razors are often made from cast steel, and newer ones are hammer forged, etc.
Japan...special case. Long tradition of handmade swords, techniques leaned there transferred to razor making, with the same mindset of individuality and perfection. In other words, a crude chunk of steel that's sharp on one end.
"Seems like a well-honed vintage straight would shave the same as another brand..." Yep. But a NOS vintage razor will take much less work to get it shave ready than a modern Dovo, or other mass produced straight razor. The skill of properly sharpening straight razors has been lost in the wider commercial production world. It has only been preserved in communities like these forums.
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