I was digging through my storage boxes and ran across my homemade handle to replace an injector handle that crumbled. As I recall, though a little lightweight, I really liked the overall feel. I also remembered a fleeting idea of making razor handles from wood. In this daydream, I could see odd shaped DE handles that beguiled the eye and magically felt great in the hand. I haven't made any yet, but it got me wondering. What do you guys really look for in a handle? I know iKon and Weber have their fans (I'm one!), but how far from the norm would you go? I found some really funky handles, but these are direct from China and I pause before playing China-direct roulette (again! I've been pretty lucky so far, though!). But, man, these are some funky-fresh handles! Here is another more traditional set of China-direct handles. Note that the head looks identical on all! My main obstacle to making a really cool wood DE handle is the threads. I figure I can add weight, but the 10-32 threaded inserts I can find require a 1/2" hole. That means the "neck" that holds the threads would have to be 3/4"! I just don't envision that making a good looking handle! So there's a new AD for you...HAD! Can anyone feel the jonesing coming on? EDIT: I used "funky fresh" above in an ironic sense. It is not part of my normal vocabulary. I thought it obvious, but wanted to make very sure no one mistook its use. Thank you for understanding the shotcomings of our medium.
I'd like to see a custom wind-up handle with a nice grip on it and a button to flip it to the other side of the DE head so I don't have to manually turn it over. I'd call it a Turbo Super Speed.... yeah.... that's the ticket!
Oh... that was evil... FUNNY!... but evil. Actually, I may have found a way to put 10-32 threads inside a wood handle and still keep the neck slim!
I saw the Beluga. I'm not sold on it. It isn't very pretty, that's for sure. Maybe that's why it's called Beluga.
YOWZA! Some serious handle eye candy >here<! Did you guys know about Elite Razors? Yeah... don't tell me... everybody knew but me. <sigh> So after seeing these, my little daydream dims just a bit. Those are some gorgeous handles alright. I could rally the fantasy just a little by focusing on organic, ergonomic, non-lathe handles... but Elite sets the bar pretty high for looks. No matter. I may still make one just for giggles. Just don't hold me to a date! I have more ideas and _AD than I have time and money!
I look for balance from a handle. Enough weight to balance the head of the razor the way I want it balanced. I have found that some razors, like my techs, shave better if they are slightly head heavy, and others, like my NEW, I like a more neutral balance. But that might change from shave to shave, because I like to play around with stuff like that. I think wooden handles, unless you use dense woods like ebony, maple, rosewood, etc., might be a bit too light for most folks preference. But you never know till you try 'em.
Yep. Thought about adding weight. Lead would be easy, but prefer to avoid the hazmat risk! Tungsten makes a good weight but is expensive (and I don't have any scraps). BB's maybe? Finding the unanimously liked weight and balance is probably like establishing world peace. Lovely idea. Ain't never gonna happen.
This is one my Dad made for his Schick E. This is one I made with a file handle. This one I carved from a piece of wood.
One thing I also look for in a handle is a bit of tackiness. In the stainless steel handles, the knurling makes them easy to grip, and some vintage Gillette's also do a good job of making the razor grippy. I always worry with wood that the razor will be too slippery when it gets wet or if some of the lather is on the handle. Very Nice
