Well, not exactly a poem and certainly not meant to be sung but I have a compulsion to share my experience shaving this morning with one of many vintage carbon blades I use from time to time. Today it was one that many who are more of an expert about these things than I am say was the pinnacle of the carbon era, the Schick Deluxe with Krona Edge, often referred to as Black Beauties. The original Black Beauties. I try to source my carbon blades from areas that are relatively dry such as the west, southwest in particular and completely sealed. I stropp them before the first use on a pair of old jeans about ten times for each side of each edge. Now I don't know if that really does anything but I do it anyway. Back to today, I used the above blade in my Fat Boy set at 7. Ralph Lauren soap, M&F 3/1 brush with Finest Badger knot, Now one change I make in my routine is I always go with three passes, with, across then against. With carbons I put in an extra across pass the other way before I go to the against. My results were and always are as good as I always get no matter what I use, BBS. Here's a shot of the blades discussed or at least the dispenser. For those who are into wet shaving for the nostalgia factor among other things, who have the time to hunt the internet for the right ones in the right condition for the right price (I'm in forced retirement and have enough vintage blades now, both carbon and stainless to last me as long as I'll be shaving myself ) the rewards are well worth it. It's a subtly different experience,
I haven't had luck with vintage carbon blades, but I love vintage stainless ones. It good to hear they are working out for you.
Spot on Mouser! I was lucky enough to get my hands on a dispenser of those Schick Deluxe blades about a year ago, and I loved the blade! I have been hoarding the remainder of them, but I think I might use one soon. Thanks for sharing!
I too haven't had any luck at all with anything carbon. I've tried stropping too and still get so much tugging that I stop. I have 20 or so of the original oval ended Gillettes that I have yet to us. Been sitting on them for years waiting on either a chance to PIF or sell if the opportunities arose and they haven't yet.
They are the originals, the hone-able ones. If I can find a cure to my inherent laziness I'll post a pic or so of them. I think you were intended to send them back to Gillette for honing on an exchange basis...think I read it somewhere.
I have here with me the Schick "Thin" Kronas and for me they're just not very nice. Merely okay; I've got much better but lesser name carbons. I assume must be a different blade from the Deluxe.
Great find and I loved reading about them. The carbons I usually use when the mood strikes are Treet Double Edge, also referred to as "black beauties" by some. While they aren't vintage they perform extremely well and really take you back to the good old carbon days. However, having the actual vintage ones adds a cool factor of about a thousand.
Reviving an old thread and just want to say that for me old stock carbon blades are the rule of the day. I like them so much that I rarely use stainless steel. With a stock of literally thousands that includes the Kronas shown above as well as Don Juan, Marlin, Fan, Durex, Gillette Blue, Gillette Thin, Club, Pal, and many others, I will be using and enjoying them for many years to come. I like them best in any one of my adjustable razors using a low setting. A two pass shave with the grain and across the grain finished with some blade buffing results in close comfortable irritation free and blood free shaves. Depending on the blade I usually get three to five shaves per unit. They are fun to collect, the wrappers are great to look at, and the old timey factor is incalculable.
Still have these lying around? I think one of those is what I'd need to make a blade to fit the Ronson Razor I have coming.
