Hi there . I have 2 intresting questions: Im starting to think load about buying a SR after almost 16 years of wet shaving . There is a large scale of prices and i have noticed that some of you have & using old Sr's. Im wondering if there is any differnce between the qualities of the old to the new razors - and im not the type of guy that put much attention to the "history" of the item im shaving with - i just want a winning horse to run with, that will do the job . Do you recommand a razor that is known to be good quality & reliable The second question is about SR or DE shaving - what is better im talking about prices, quality of shaving , and fun So - what do you say? Thanks alot
SR are a tradition and much of the appeal is in that tradition, however I honestly believe they are also the most skin friendly way of shaving... As to removing hair most of all the Wetshaving ways do a fine job of that .. The biggest aspect about using a SR is "Time" everything about them takes time, they are not the most efficient way of shaving... Vintage- vs - Current This is opinion nothing more, I doubt most people could tell the differences if they were being shaved while blindfolded, unless maybe there were polar extremes in the grind of the razor... My personal taste in SR's run toward the 11/16 spike point "Extreme Hollow" grinds so as expected I lean toward the Vintage Solingen and NY steel and if the have "Blinged out" cracked ice scales they are just 'mo better'
I would just say, in general, stay away from Chinese and Pakistani "steel" no matter which route you take. I have both old and new, Paki/Chinese/German/American/English and hands down the quality of the German/English/American steel is out of this world in comparison, generally. I did have a Chinese str8 that was turned into a thing of comfortable elegance by Glen (above poster) but I think that is an exception. Of course, YMMV.
I lean towards the vintage SRs. Boker, Wade & Butcher I highly recommend; also vintage Henckels manufactured before 1940 are great shavers. I do not belittle the new SRs, I do own three Wackers that are out of this world. HOG
+1. I have a Wapi in Green scales by Glen that is a very fine shaver! Old Torrey's are great shavers too.
Getting down to a molecular level, "old steel" is high in carbon and therefore easier to sharpen. Modern steel is a different alloy and varies greatly in ease of sharpening. An old Sheffield razor would fall into the high carbon category. A new Dovo would fall into the other category. The best shave I've had with a new razor came from a Japanese-made western styled razor. Any razor marked "Solingen" is a good bet. In order to mark a razor as being made in Solingen, the steel had to meet certain standards. Good luck and keep asking questions.
I think that any reputable brand will do a great job, provided the razor is honed and stropped properly. The rest is personal preference. Should I get a 5/8 or bigger? German or French? Spanish Point or French point? Hollow grind or wedge? This is what I ended up doing: I picked a French point, full hollow grind 13/16" horn scaled Heribert Wacker for a lot of money because it looks oh so beautiful and I just had to have it. Pick one you like. They all shave.
I do like the newer TI razors (the one from Lehmans that is not advertised as a TI), the price can't be beat and it's a good piece of steel. I think the new Dovo's are good also. But for me dollar for dollar, the best straights are old Sheffield steel. I love a wedge. The history and allure of shaving with a razor 100-200 years old does it for me. The honing, stropping, and fine tuning my technique brings me joy. I regret that I do not have the time management skills required to use my straights more frequently.
