I'm new here still so if this has been brought up before I apologize. With the plethora of old vintage straights out there and points of origin , what makes one brand better than the other , what makes one country of origin better. I look around and see all these beautiful pieces of handmade gold everything from Germany dubl duck, dovo, boker , puma. To all the brands coming out of Sheffield . Wade and butcher being the most prominent. Spain philarmonica France thiers issard And the usa , cattaraugus , case , jh Torrey , Robeson, these all attract me from the Americana stand point. Is it all personal preference or are some brands just flat out better than others in quality.
Each has their own way of doing things. The ones you have listed are usually very well made. You will pay more for the prettier gilded razors. The American ones you have listed are right up there with the best metals. But, a Filarmonica, in good shape will bring a premium price, because they are simply fantastic razors. If you are starting out, my suggestion is to start with American made, in very good condition.
Quality of the steel, quality of the grinding, and the quality of the tempering process. While there may seem to be a lot of vintage razors on eBay, these are but the drips and dregs of what time has left us. In 1900, Mr. Turner, president of J.R. Torrey, testified before Congress that his company produced 40 dozen (480) razors per day, and that he thought there were three other American razor manufacturers, who each produced about 20 dozen (240) razors per day. He was asking that tariffs be imposed on German and British razors. If that sounds like a lot of razors, bear in mind that the catalog of the Butcher Bros. in 1899 listed 1,200 different styles of Wade & Butcher razors. Ref: https://sharprazorpalace.com/razors...j-r-torrey-requests-tariffs-wade-butcher.html Mr. Turner himself was a Wade & Butcher trained razor grinder, and they imported Sheffield steel to make their razors. So the difference between an old Sheffield razor and an early Torrey razor is negligible, though some say the Torrey's had a better grind. At a glance, an old Torrey could easily be mistaken for a Sheffield made razor. A forum member on another forum once talked with two old razor makers, who had made the weapons used on the set of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," and they said that the quality of Sheffield razors had gone downhill when they stopped using whale oil to quench razors. In short, there are no good ways to say how one manufacturer is better than another, and even within a single manufacturer, there are better razors and worse razors. IIRC, the 4th generation Filarmonica razors are generally regarded as a low point for the brand. I don't think it's a stretch to say that vintage razors from a brand are better than modern razors from a brand, at least in finish, quality and grinding. But access to modern metallurgy certainly has it's perks when it comes to modern razors. I don't think anyone can objectively say that Sheffield forged razors are better than Hamburg Ring/Solingen razors, or Spanish razors, or American razors, or Swedish razors, or French razors. I will say that generally speaking, razors from a certain tradition of razor making are all very similar to each other. Old Sheffield's tend to have similar steels, similar heat treats, etc., Same with old German made razors, and so on and so forth. Old German razors tend to be meticulous in fit, finish, and grind. Sheffield steel tends to be just a tad softer than other razor steels, Swedish razors tend to be a tad harder than other razor steels. You've just got to pick a good brand and try it. That's what I've been doing. This is an old list, but it will give you some starting points. https://sharprazorpalace.com/razors/74107-how-many-razors-do-you-have-brand.html Edit: there is a bigger difference between the feel of different straight razor grinds than there is between the various brands, imo.
Try everything you can afford If it doesn't feel good, sell it and continue in narrowing it down to what is "Your Razor" On the other side of the coin Some embrace the different feel from various styles, and own many different ones.. One thing to realize and I can't emphasize it enough,,, "Price does NOT denote shave quality for YOUR face' ...
I still have and use a Torrey that Glen aka @gssixgun gave to me for the price of honing it. I had sent Glen a random razor to restore that had "the rattler" stamped on it. This was very early in dipping my toes into straights. Glen told me that he could work on the rattler, but it was most likely not salvageable. The Torrey quickly became my favorite straight. It is sharp and smooth as cutting through room temperature butter. I would not hesitate acquiring another Torrey.
Good advice so far, and yes, individual razors vary a lot. Branding is not maybe the most reliable way to buy vintage razors for several reasons: - Large manufacturers made a range of razors at different quality/price points, just like many manufacturers do today; - Many vintage manufacturers were in business for decades, some close to a century (or more). Over time, business models changed, owners changed, etc; - Technology changed a lot too, cast steel, Bessemer process, hollow grinding, and so on. - If scales matter to you, all modern scales are ‘popsicle stick’ design with spacers, not wedges. Properly made scales with a wedge reduces weight and makes a more elegant razor. As far as steel goes, I’m partial to vintage French, vintage Swedish, Spanish, Japanese-made steel (Yasuki, tamehagane), and American steel. The current TI C135 is excellent, but the current razors are not as well made as the vintage ones. Vintage cast steel can be very, very, good, but kind of hit or miss in the very old razors, and the grinds will be heavier. American razors - excellent quality steel, but nothing fancy. They’re getting more difficult to find in good condition over 5/8 width. German razors - everything under the sun from junk to jewels. They made what the customer wanted. English razors - they made some true classics, many beautiful and elegant, but like the Germans, also some junk. French razors - early ones were generally crude unless made for royalty, but the steel was good. Later on, Le Grelot, Le Jaguar, Thiers-Issard and many smaller makers are some of my favorite razors. Japanese razors - can’t go wrong, the artisan ethic of Japanese craftsmen did not allow making poor quality ‘stuff’ though they defined quality a bit differently in some cases. I think a lot of their post-war razor steel was German blanks, but they knew how to grind, temper, and harden steel correctly for many centuries. Their domestic ‘boutique’ steels, Yasuki and tamehagane, are some of the best steel in the world. Spanish razors - some very, very, well ground blades like the Filarmonica, Iberia, Palmera, etc. I’ve never seen a badly ground Filly 14. The qualities of a Filarmonica are what you look for in every razor, very consistent, well ground, easy to hone (because they’re well ground), properly hardened and tempered, and with proper scales, even though the colors are off putting to some folks.
SWEDEN SWEDEN ! YOU LEFT OUT SWEDEN !!! I am a big fan of C V Heljestrand. When a razor from one nation claims its steel to be from another nation, that other nation is usually Sweden. Sometimes they claim Sheffield steel, but more often Swedish.
Ha ha, yes in the list though I mentioned Swedish razors above. Swedish razors - excellent steel in all that I’ve owned, early ones tended to be cruder than layer ones. Later C.V. Heljestrand were very beautifully finished. Swedish razors wider than 5/8, like the Americans, are not common and can be very expensive.
Apologies. You did make mention, and you're not the only one who did. But when I think of razor steel in terms of nationality, Sweden really stands out for me. I have a Jaguar made of Swedish steel, a Royal Canada made of Swedish steel, and I've seen pictures of Japanese razors made of Swedish steel.
