The Tedalus Essence and Blackland Blackbird are exceptions to your "wide brush." They are just about the most 'artsy' looking of any razor out there, and yet they shave exceptionally well. That being said, the Essence went through 40+ prototypes, and the Blackbird went through 20+, and I doubt most manufacturers would be willing to constantly keep refining the design, or steadfastly refuse to use inferior manufacturing techniques, which is why (in my opinion), companies like Rockwell consistently miss the mark. Now as to straight razors, I agree. Most artisan makers are far more interested in putting their "stamp" on the razor design, to the detriment of the razor. Some don't. Joe Edson, Portland Razor Co., and Hart are 3 off the top of my head that all make fine traditional razors. Unfortunately, for every one Joe Edson, there are 100 Billy Bob's with a flat bar of damascus, a grinder, and a basic knowledge of knife making. (Which is not the same base of knowledge you need for razor making). Edit: I prefer vintage razors to modern ones, for the most part. The build quality, and quality of materials used is just higher grade than most modern razors until you get to the high end razors, which all seem to be mostly three piece razors, which to me seems like a technological step backwards. I mean, most people don't consider the Gillette Tech to be the pinnacle of razor technology, unless your user name is @brit that is.
I am going to have to disagree on the Tedalus. Shavettes are as utilatarian as they get. Pretty much anyone can make a shavette without knowing a thing about shaving. The maker doesn't even have to design the blade only that the holder keeps it secure. If the blade sucks it is not the shavette's fault and if the shave sucks and not because of the blade either the edge or it being secure it is your fault not the shavette since you have unimpeded access to the blade edge and shave angles.
It depends on what you value. Keeping in mind that Murphy's Law, rather than being a joke, is an actual engineering guideline, Simpler is Better. Easier to make, fewer possible points of failure. If @brit views theTech as the pinnacle of razor technology, I'm tentatively behind him. Other razors may be better executed, but as a class, 3-piece wins.
Fair enough, and a really good explanation of why there are a hundred identical (more or less) cheap, crappy shavettes out there. Most of which kind of suck with DE blades, since the holders don't do a great job of really holding the blades securely. (Or are designed to take pre-cut DE half blades, and don't work with snapped blades... or vice versa). The Tedalus mimics a straight razor better than any other shavette out there, and I feel it holds all the blades it takes more securely than any other shavette out there; on the flip side, I could super glue two popsicle sticks together with a blade sandwiched between, and probably wind up with just as good a shave. But just because I can do it, doesn't mean I want to. Aye, but the three piece razor was modern technology well over a hundred years ago. Why are we still screwing our razors together? Is adding a push button to release the head such a hard thing to do? Or a twist knob? It just seems like high end modern razors are in a deep rut, with little sign that true innovation is around the corner. The last "DE" razor I was really visually impressed by was the Leaf, and that is basically a Mach 3 that takes DE blades. I'd love to see someone do a stainless razor modeled on the Single Ring/Double Ring handle style, with a drop out tightening knob, and hollow handle. It will never happen of course, if for no other reason than any manufacturer is going to be deathly afraid of the razor being pooh-poohed because you can't swap handles with other razors. And I don't know as Brit considers the Tech the pinnacle of razor tech, but they are his favorite shavers, so it made him an easy target. That being said, Gillette has pretty much constantly kept the Tech design going with minimal changes for 80+ years now. And most modern 3 piece razors are rehashed Techs, from the Feather ASD2 to the Wolfman razors.
I have nothing against modern razors, get and use what you like. I have some modern razors, but I mostly use vintage razors. I do like my Rockwell 6C, but does it shave better than my vintage razors, nope, but it's a very nice razor and a keeper. I do like DE89 type razors, mild and efficient. For me, I have no reason to buy a modern razor, especially with some selling at high prices, unless it's at a very good price. Especially since the vintage razors I use will produce BBS shaves all week long.
To start with, I'm agnostic regarding Modern vs. Vintage, although most of my razors are vintage. Mostly because brass was IMO a better material than zamak. To me, the screw on the Leaf looked like a mechanical weak point. Of course, I've only seen pictures and haven't had it in my hand. I do like the Twig, but that's basically an injector that takes 1/2 DE blades, giving you a lot more blade choices. Being zamak, I'm afraid that when (inevitably) I drop it, it'll be the loser as it collides with my tile floor. You've almost described a stainless Progress. Now if Muhle can make an all-stainless R41, why can't Merkur make an all-stainless Progress? Call it a PROgreSS, maybe. Functionally, the better (read $30 and up) modern razors do quite well. I've been very impressed with the 6S, AL-13, Twig, and Winning razors.
I have both vintage & modern razors. Why? Practicality mostly. My first DE was a modern one, because it hadn't yet occurred to me that vintage was an option. I have a couple of vintage ones, because I wanted to try them or they had specific features I liked. I have on other modern DE I like a lot, having won it in a PIF. I have some new Shavettes (one purchased, 2 gifted to me). I am new to this so I don't know if vintage ones exist.
Gillette Star series- all 3 colors. It has a long handle, which I like, but it’s a bit too light & too mild for a close shave. So those, I kept as collectibles. Gillette Long Handle Black Beauty- this is my favorite vintage. It has a bit more weight & is adjustable, so I get just the closeness I need.
Personally, I define a shavette as a razor that folds up like a pocket knife and takes replaceable blades. Using that definition, the earliest shavette I'm aware of is the Durham Duplex. The last time I looked, blades were still being made by Accutec and were intermittently available from Tryablade.com. They look the same as the carpet cutter blades from Lowe's or Home Depot, but just like the Gem style blades, you don't want to use the DIY store blades. Your skin will not thank you.
