Mehaz Razor, yes I do...

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by PLANofMAN, Sep 7, 2012.

  1. DonMac

    DonMac Active Member

    A few years ago I did some research on Mehaz DE Razors. I was never able to definitively determine that the razors were actually made in Solingen, Germany. To begin with, few products of this type from Germany are not labeled on the product itself, which is unusual. Germany has strict product labeling laws. I have two other razors that were advertised as Solingen products that after a little research, learned they were made in Japan & India. They were very high quality and performed well but were not made in Germany. One was Moreville which was manufactured by Misaki in Japan, and I can't recall the other name which was manufactured in India. The Moreville actually had Solingen marked on the razor, and the other had in on the box. Both were advertised as Solingen Germany razors. There was another company a number of years ago that was selling camera lenses advertised as being manufactured in Germany. Ultimately they were exposed that the lenses were from China, but the box they came in was manufactured in Germany and was marked "Made in Germany."

    I actually suspect that the razors are manufactured by Weishi, who makes razors for many other companies in varying qualities based upon the specifications of that particular company. Weishi is huge and maintains very high security at their manufacturing facility, is ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and holds the equivalent Chinese certifications. They have the ability to manufacture to virtually any specification. The fact that they maintain high security at their plant is probably because of the confidentiality involved in manufacturing razors for other companies. Simply because the handle, head or other parts are slightly different than a Weishi branded razor does not mean Weishi didn't manufacture them, as Weishi would manufacture a razor to the customer specs. which may be significantly different than Weishi's own branded razor.

    In any case, if the razor is high quality and shaves well, ultimately it makes little difference where it was made, other than it's just nice to know.
     
  2. Thumper4524

    Thumper4524 Member

    It looks almost identical to Mto weishi aside from the knurling pattern. The bars on the lift mechanism that attach to the doors even have the same bowtie design to them.
     
  3. Thumper4524

    Thumper4524 Member

  4. Marverel

    Marverel Well-Known Member

    Well - as a German I can tell you that Mehaz is not a German brand and does not have a manufacturing plant in Germany. Checked the listings on the official City of Solingen website. As far as I know it's just a brand/distribution label of Spilo Los Angeles, mostly for pedicure tools like Nailclippers and such.

    If I wanted to buy a Mehaz Razor I would have to import one from the US. Otherwise - not available here (well - you can buy some of their nailclippers in bulk at aliexpress). Not sure where that Solingen claim stems from ... it's either just bogus or maybe they buy some materials from a solingen manufacturer.

    The term Solingen is still a big selling point for metal tools, I guess...
     
  5. DonMac

    DonMac Active Member

    Thank you Marverel.

    That's pretty much my take on it also. May be a good razor, but I think the Solingen is more of a marketing tool, than it is a reality. Maybe the box is made in Germany allowing a slight misconception that the contents are also. Somewhat like a few American products where the instruction sheet or box says made or printed in China; only the instruction sheet or box is from China, but the product is made in the US. Just the reverse. There is no limit to the ingenuity of marketing.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2015
  6. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Solingen maker marks under German law means the item was very substantially made in the region. It's like D'OC on wine and cheese.
     
  7. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    He nailed it way before me.
     
  8. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    So, just to recap, the Mehaz Professional is most likely a product of Weishi, made to Spilo Worldwide's specifications.

    The box is marked "Handmade in Solingen Germany," so either the box is made in Germany, or the razor is assembled and/or plated in Germany.

    Either way, the Mehaz razor features a more precise fit and finish than the general run of the mill Weishi razor.
     
  9. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Or the Solingen mark is just marketing fiction...

    Sight unseen, I would agree that this razor would be a decent entry for a new shaver. Your posts advocating for it had me considering buying one just for kicks, but I backburnered it somehow. The Weishi performs well for me, and every SS or Flare I've tried has been pretty good, so it seemed logical.
     
  10. DonMac

    DonMac Active Member

    Ryan, looks like that may be the case, but no one really knows for sure. Weishi maintains too much security and confidentiality regarding who they make razors for. Again, the important issue is that the razor is high quality and performs well. Who knows, maybe the razor is a Weishi contracted product and the end cap on the handle is made in Germany.

    Historically, Gillette marketing and manufacturing were continually bickering over what they could legally get away with saying in marketing their razors. I suspect that marketing probably usually won. Few know that Gillette did a substantial amount of manufacturing for other companies during their heyday. This was not something that was common knowledge and Gillette pretty much kept it under wraps, but did in fact manufacture razors for others. Occasionally I see a razor on Ebay that is a duplicate of a Gillette with just some very slight modifications. The Gillette Tech is one of the more prolific ones manufactured for others under other labels that was actually a basic Gillette Tech, and Gillette did make some razors for other companies that were better and higher quality than the standard factory Gillette razors.

    It is interesting that the same razors are sold under so many different brand names. I recently bought 10 brand new razors off Ebay for $60.00 BIN that were advertised as unbranded razors made in India. They are all Parkers and identical in every respect. When I saw the ad I immediately identified them as Parkers and snatched them up. Only one is slightly different as it has a black shiny finish like the new Weishi, but in every other respect is identical to the other parker TTO's.
    What a fascinating hobby!
     
  11. Marverel

    Marverel Well-Known Member

    Never tried neither a Weishi nor a Mehaz - you guys made me curious ;) Not that it would take much ...
     
  12. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

    The Mehaz was pretty good. Not '53 superspeed good but really close. It had a heavier handle and lighter head then M superspeed. I had a chance to shave with Ryan's when the Tour Box stopped by my place.
     
  13. Nisse

    Nisse New Member

    Reminds me of a Pfeilring Golddachs branded safety razor also sold as Made in Germany Solingen but more likely Made by Weishi in China.
     
  14. fishcrow

    fishcrow Birdman of TSD

    I did not snag it when it was in the box.
     
    PLANofMAN likes this.

Share This Page