Modern SS DEs.

Blademonkey said:
I have no idea how many Razors Hone have sold but still continue to do so, who were Timeless Razors a couple of years ago along with Mongoose and Supply to name a few, these were all unestablished companys who have broken in to the "mass producer" bracket such as it is being as you recognise a "niche" market.
As far as the Cobra is concerned, yes the head is " injector" shaped but has more in common imo with all the other AC bladed razors by the manner by which the blade is inserted, ie by hand and not with an injector cartridge so the format must be AC type razor and not injector, but let's not split hairs, life's too short! :) P.
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I think I may have read somewhere, that the people behind the Cobra, got the idea for it because people where cutting AC blades to fit injector razors. Don't quote me on that though.
What sort of turnout denotes mass produced nowadays?
 
Boru62 said:
I think I may have read somewhere, that the people behind the Cobra, got the idea for it because people where cutting AC blades to fit injector razors. Don't quote me on that though.
What sort of turnout denotes mass produced nowadays?
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I have no idea, but for a niche market such as it is I don't think the words mass producer are perhaps relevant, to produce enough to meet demand for a niche market is probably all that is needed no matter who the producer is.
 
Boru62 said:
I like my vintage razors and think the pinnacle in safety razors may have been reached many decades ago.
The modern mass produced DEs I've tried have offered nothing better than my vintage razors.
In fact, my five favourite DEs are all vintage.
I haven't tried a modern stainless DE. Do they merit the high price tag?
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The quick answer is they aren't worth the money. Sure, they're machined to exact tolerances using CNC machines & someone has to pay for that but the manufactures know they're dealing with a very niche market & they price accordingly. Huge profits are being made here! I mean 180 - 200 quid for a bit of stainless steel! The ATT razors I have are great shavers but anyone who knows what they're doing will probably have just as good a shave with a cheaper razor that isn't SS. I get a great shave with a cheap Merkur.
 
Shave to the grave said:
The quick answer is they aren't worth the money. Sure, they're machined to exact tolerances using CNC machines & someone has to pay for that but the manufactures know they're dealing with a very niche market & they price accordingly. Huge profits are being made here! I mean 180 - 200 quid for a bit of stainless steel! The ATT razors I have are great shavers but anyone who knows what they're doing will probably have just as good a shave with a cheaper razor that isn't SS. I get a great shave with a cheap Merkur.
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Mmmhhh...but a CNC machine, a wire cutter, CAD licences, polishing time etc... are huge costs. The price is not over the top IMHO.
 
carbold said:
Mmmhhh...but a CNC machine, a wire cutter, CAD licences, polishing time etc... are huge costs. The price is not over the top IMHO.
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To put it into perspective the Single Ring was made of brass (more expensive than SS) and silver plated.
They were sold cheaply to promote the blades and also given free to U.S servicemen.
 
Shave to the grave said:
If a modern SS razor doesn't shave any better than say a vintage, it's not worth the high cost. Surely.
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It depends on why you are buying. If you are buying purely for the quality of the shave then yes you are correct but if you are buying for the pleasure of owning something you personally find pleasing then it's up to the individual to say if it is worth the higher cost.
 
Boru62 said:
A Punto doesn't have the same engine under the bonnet as a Ferrari, whereas a SS razor uses the same blade under the top cap
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A Skoda Superb does have the same engine as a Volkswagen Passat, and I can tell you that (IMO) the Passat is better.

I only have one modern stainless steel razor, but it is my favourite razor. Probably due to the balance and the weight, but also because of the pleasure of holding a luxury instrument.

If that didn't count, nobody would buy a Pelikan M800 or Montblanc 149 fountain pen.

--
Pitralon forever - Real pens have a nib - If it doesn't tick, it's not a watch.
 
So the jury is still out. Though it would appear that the majority seems to be, that unlike SEs, there has been no real advancement in DE razors.
I've seen durability offered as a reason for buying top end SS DEs, this is good reason but I'm sure a Fatip will last more than at least one shaving lifetime. Again concerning durability, vintage razors are vintage because they are durable.
Aesthetics has also been put forward, again another great reason, but purely a subjective one. I find many vintage razors to be things of beauty.
I'm not ruling out buying a SS razor in the future, I was just trying to find out if they offered anything different.
If anyone wants to loan me a smooth yet efficient one, I'll loan them an Eclipse Red Ring and we may both have our eyes opened.
 
I am one of the folk that knew my experienced razors were better than the new razors. I even tested it by buying a Feather AS-D2 and doing a week long comparison against one of my Techs and while the Feather was very nice it was not BETTER than my Tech. I tested one of my Super Speeds against a Weishi 9306 and a Viking Chieftain (Baili?) and a Feather Popular and while the new razors were as nice as my Super Speed they certainly we not better.

But for last month I decided to do a series on one on one comparisons, first of five Gillette OC razors against five new OC razors. The results surprised me. In three out of five contests it was the new razor that came out as better.

Next I took the five winners and one more OC razor and paired each of them with another OC razor, some new, some old.

The final result was only one of the Gillettes remained as a winner while the four of the five finalists were new razors.

And cost did not seem to factor in; a Fatip Grande as well as a RazoRock Old Type came out on the better side and a Fatip Piccolo only lost points because the guilloche work on the handle showed stop and start marks and so lost points on aesthetics. Two other new lower cost razors from Merkur were also every bit as nice as anything else in the comparison.
 
Well thanks to Rob (@Blackmass) I've now tried two ATT DE razors. The R2 and S2, and they are both very well made and very attractive razors.
In fact, I liked the R2 so much, I bought the Company :p. Not quite but the razor is now mine.
Do they offer anything a good vintage doesn't? No.
Are they worth the large price tag? That's up to the individual.
A vintage is definitely better value for money and they often come with decent cases.
Which is my only real gripe, the lack of case for such a high retail price. The ATT box is nice and the Blackland Sabre tin is nice but they're not a case you can stick in an overnight bag.
 
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Remember the blade makes a big difference if you take a crappy blade and put it in a modern razor it's not going to shave like a vintage Gillette with a good blade and vice versa
 
I think the comparison between old brass Gillette razors that were punch pressed from a mould and a modern CNC razor is not a fair one as the old Gillettes were made to exacting standards even by today's benchmark. Even if I could have a modern clone of a Tech razor made of stainless it would not really be more durable all things considered. After all, my pre-war has survived just fine for approx. 75 yrs. and I doubt I'll live another 75. :oops: ;)

There is nothing wrong in pride of ownership as that makes the World go 'round. I do however think there comes a point where, to paraphrase Churchill's famous remark on nuclear overkill, one is merely "bouncing the rubble." I would however like to see more modern polymers utilized as they are more durable than steel, cheaper to make and they feel great against the skin, e.g., guard bars on the Feather Popular. Maybe a biomimetic, ceramic nacre like material.
 
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