If you've been outside the straight razor section, you've seen personally I am a DE and injector fella. So I know much of nothing about straight razors other than what scales and tangs are. My grandfather immigrated to the United States from Italy and eventually ended up settling in Greenville, Mississippi where he would own and operate his own barbershop until his passing in the late 1960s when his son, my uncle, took over - their last being the barbershop inside the old Greenville Hotel. These were passed on to me by that uncle. He said they were grandfather's straights in the shop. I thought it would be interesting just to have some information about them. Things like age, quality, rareness, uniqueness... Same things we are interested in, in DE injector razors. Pictures below as well as a picture featuring all of his other gear he used in his Barber shop, including his leather strop, barber brushes, shears, scissors, nose hair pluckers that will bring tears to your eyes, capes and a picture of him and my uncle in their shop... First up is marked Edmond Roffler with original box. Also marked Made in France. Second up marked Hess and Hess Hair Milk Laboratories St. Paul, Minn. Solingen, Made in Germany. Also a stamped 1 on it. Leather strop and miscellaneous.
That is awesome! My uncle regretfully told me he wished he had known that I collected straight razors or he wouldn't have sold the ones he'd had from my great-grandfather. Ah well... to have a razor from an ancestor is a unique gift from an earlier generation. To have a whole kit is almost unheard-of. I don't know anything about those razor brands, but I'll make a couple observations... One, a barber who makes a lifetime of it would not be likely to have used rare or collectible razors in his shop, but would instead have solid, well made, well cared for razors that would be proper tools of the trade. They look like that. And two, any razor from Solingen that isn't broken or worn out is at least as good as a top quality razor from pretty much anywhere else. If you want to use them, have someone like Glen hone them for you so you know it's done right. I think if I were you, I would make a nice display of them, maybe along with a picture of your grandpa at his shop or something (like it looks like you've already done). Just my 2 cents... Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk
2 cents worth a dollar! Thank you. Didn't consider tools for the shop versus personal use and that definitely makes sense. To this day, I just haven't been brave enough to give it a go with a straight razor. The closest I've come is with a Gillette DE shavette (never knew Gillette made shavettes until about 10 years ago when I came across some for sale on eBay), and even that was a little overwhelming. I like the idea of the whole process - honing, stropping, using - but I'm not as steady as I once was after having a stroke. My uncle who owned and ran the shop after grandfather passed away, told me next time I was his way, he would show me how to do it all. Unfortunately, he's since passed away before I could make it back to Greenville.
I'm sorry to hear that. If you want to learn, there are plenty of us around to give advice, but as you say, unsteadiness resulting from a stroke is a big obstacle. If you're content with the razors you already use, that's all the more reason to display your grandpa's. Personally, I learned the straight technique initially on one of those DE holder shavettes. It teaches the basic principle, but the overall experience is significantly different. Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk
It looks like you have a Hess #1 there is good shape, they are one of the smoothest edges you will drag across your face Hess is well known and highly sought after by people that know SR's their #44 SS might be the best shaving SS razor every produced.. Really a top line shaver The Roffler is a Facial Hair Trimmer, imagine you wanted a "Pencil Thin Mustache" like the song says The roffler and razors like it were designed to help you get there
Great to know grandfather practiced his craft with a quality razor in the Hess. I think it's a beautiful razor and if I ever did decide to tackle a straight, that would definitely be in my rotation. There's just something about owning and actually being able to use a family heirloom razor. I use my dad's Gillette Slim adjustable a good bit. Being able to use my grandfather's Hess straight would be an experience. He passed before I was born so there's legend and stories behind that one.
Welcome to straights! It’s great to have heirlooms like that. Get Glen to give them some TLC and a good honing, and use them. Your grandfather would smile.
It was my Grandpa’s straight that got me started down this path. It’s a wonderful razor and I think of him and him using it whenever I break it out. I highly recommend tackling the learning curve and investment - especially when you have an heirloom like that My Granda Val’s straight:
Definitely send it out to someone like Glen - @gssixgun. I could be his agent with all of the razors he’s done for me and my satisfaction - including my heirloom which shaved way better after it passed through his hands
Yeah, expect to mess up your first couple strops before you totally get the hang of it. Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk
To add to @gssixgun 's post, if I recall correctly, Hess was primarily a barber supply razor, much like dublduck and a couple other companies. The Roffler would have also been used for edging, and was probably the razor your grandfather used to clean up the back of his customer's necks, in addition to detail work.
Yes, Tony Miller makes strops for new folks that are just as good as his most expensive ones, they just aren’t finished as well.
