Merkurologist
LeJog 2022 Finisher
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I've seen a few posts on different forums offering vintage razors, like it's time to sell.
Has the interest for vintage razors peaked?
- Thread starter Merkurologist
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There will always be a good market for quality vintage razors, the better the condition the better the price. Imo.
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Greetings
An interesting question and I think that in part it has. What does seem apparent to me looking at the shave of the day photos now compared with just five years ago is the substantial swing away from vintage DE razors towards modern ones especially stainless razors. When I joined the forum just five years ago everybody seemed to be after vintage Gillette DE's and these seemed to dominate the SOTD posts, perhaps it is the case that people still collect old DE's but shave more often with modern razors. Of course just a few years ago there were no stainless razors, DE or SE so this has to be considered.
Whatever the cause what is certain is that vintage DE prices have not dropped to any degree that I have noticed.
Regards
Dick.
An interesting question and I think that in part it has. What does seem apparent to me looking at the shave of the day photos now compared with just five years ago is the substantial swing away from vintage DE razors towards modern ones especially stainless razors. When I joined the forum just five years ago everybody seemed to be after vintage Gillette DE's and these seemed to dominate the SOTD posts, perhaps it is the case that people still collect old DE's but shave more often with modern razors. Of course just a few years ago there were no stainless razors, DE or SE so this has to be considered.
Whatever the cause what is certain is that vintage DE prices have not dropped to any degree that I have noticed.
Regards
Dick.
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Aye Dick..I have Noticed a Marked Decline in Vintage SEs an All in Forums..The Recent Spate of Current SEs has Taken Over Somewhat in Forums Everywhere..Also..The Price of Vintage SEs has Plummeted on EBay in General..Some Rare Lather Catchers are Goin for Coppers..They Demanded a Wee Fortune Not so Long Ago..
Billy
I haven't noticed this but I hope you're right and I'll keep lookingThe Price of Vintage SEs has Plummeted on EBay in General..Some Rare Lather Catchers are Goin for Coppers..They Demanded a Wee Fortune Not so Long Ago..
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Hopefully I will be able to pick up mint condition Streamlines for £25.00 sometime soon, although I think razor's of that quality will always command a premium price, one can live in hope though!
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While not exactly mint (merely in superb condition) ... I've had three Streamlines off Fleabay for exactly £25 a pop each over the last couple of years
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Very well done, please don't tell me they were boxed too!While not exactly mint (merely in superb condition) ... I've had three Streamlines off Fleabay for exactly £25 a pop each over the last couple of years
price's of good boxed Streamlines have been a fair bit higher in the last six months.
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Okay, mate ...... I absolutely will not tell you that they were boxed ...... all three of them weren't ...... no silver snap cases to be seen for miles .......
To be fair, I seem to have a knack for falling upon BIN bargains.
To be fair, I seem to have a knack for falling upon BIN bargains.
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If I give you a wedge of cash you can be my buyer, for a percentage of course!Okay, mate ...... I absolutely will not tell you that they were boxed ...... all three of them weren't ...... no silver snap cases to be seen for miles .......
To be fair, I seem to have a knack for falling upon BIN bargains.
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Okay, mate ...... I absolutely will not tell you that they were boxed ...... all three of them weren't ...... no silver snap cases to be seen for miles .......
To be fair, I seem to have a knack for falling upon BIN bargains.
Really, Simon...?
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What I have found is that only very recently have there been new razors that might even be better than the older ones.
I was always attracted to new and shiny and so from the time I started buying my own shaving gear (around the time Prince Andrew was born) until about the time Diana met Charles I would buy the newest, shiniest Gillette du jour and add it to a growing accumulation. Before I began buying my own I also got some hand-me-down razors that had been my Dad's, also Gillettes.
But around the time Charles was courting Diana the new safety razors seem to disappear. For about a quarter century, maybe more, there were simply no interesting new razors to be found. I tried the multi-blade cartridge things and many electric razors but after a week or two they got tossed or given away or simply packed away. The electric razors never did a good job, were uncomfortable and seemed to last about a year before dying. I'd give some newest razor a try most every year in the hope it would be perfect only to return to my old Gillette safety razors once the new wore off.
Every once in awhile I'd find what looked like a new unused Gillette at a garage (think boot) sale and for a half dollar or so it would join the pile.
Then in I guess about the last half decade or so interest in safety razors seemed to pick up and several new safety razors appeared. "Oh shiny!" struck again and so I began buying the newest and latest and greatest once more. Family that knew I used safety razors returned to gifting things they knew I would enjoy and so an accumulation of new razors joined the old.
The new razors ran from inexpensive to what I considered absolutely crazy prices (I don't think I had ever bought a safety razor that sold for more than a couple dollars when new) so even the Weishi 9306 seemed expensive. There was the Weishi and one called Viking Chieftain and a Feather Popular and an AS-D2 and a Merkur 1904 and HD and 23C and a 25C and an Edwin Jagger (is that Mick's brother? ) 89lbl and an Ikon El Jefe and a Colonial General and a RazoRock Hawk and a version 2 Hawk and a Rockwell 2c and a Blackland Sabre and all of them were ok but not one was better than the equivalent Gillette or GEM. The new AC blade format showed promise but failed to impress when compared to the century old GEMs.
But it was fun and certainly less expensive than golf and harmed no one so I enjoyed testing the waters.
Then I found one new razor that really was significantly better than it's ancient predecessor; the ATT G1 version 2 head GEM format razor. The shave was even better, close and more comfortable than with my 1919 GEM Damaskeene that had been the standard to judge all single edge razors for me. It was better, easier and more pleasant than my MMOC or ClogPruf.
But wait... there's more. I found the inexpensive OneBlade Core razor gave me better, closer and more comfortable shaves than my Valet AutoStrops and that was whether I was using new Feather FHS blades or the half century+ old Valet blades.
Then I tried the ATT S2 slant head DE razor. And it too was great, close, effortless, comfortable near perfect shaves. Since this is OCtober I have scheduled a head to head test against another old Gillette; a Sheraton from around the time of George VI's coronation. That should be interesting.
And towards the end of the month I will test the ATT SE2 (the open comb AC format) against the other Open Comb razors that did well during this months trials.
So "Yes Virginia" the new razors really are nice, and some even seem to be better than those in the past.
I was always attracted to new and shiny and so from the time I started buying my own shaving gear (around the time Prince Andrew was born) until about the time Diana met Charles I would buy the newest, shiniest Gillette du jour and add it to a growing accumulation. Before I began buying my own I also got some hand-me-down razors that had been my Dad's, also Gillettes.
But around the time Charles was courting Diana the new safety razors seem to disappear. For about a quarter century, maybe more, there were simply no interesting new razors to be found. I tried the multi-blade cartridge things and many electric razors but after a week or two they got tossed or given away or simply packed away. The electric razors never did a good job, were uncomfortable and seemed to last about a year before dying. I'd give some newest razor a try most every year in the hope it would be perfect only to return to my old Gillette safety razors once the new wore off.
Every once in awhile I'd find what looked like a new unused Gillette at a garage (think boot) sale and for a half dollar or so it would join the pile.
Then in I guess about the last half decade or so interest in safety razors seemed to pick up and several new safety razors appeared. "Oh shiny!" struck again and so I began buying the newest and latest and greatest once more. Family that knew I used safety razors returned to gifting things they knew I would enjoy and so an accumulation of new razors joined the old.
The new razors ran from inexpensive to what I considered absolutely crazy prices (I don't think I had ever bought a safety razor that sold for more than a couple dollars when new) so even the Weishi 9306 seemed expensive. There was the Weishi and one called Viking Chieftain and a Feather Popular and an AS-D2 and a Merkur 1904 and HD and 23C and a 25C and an Edwin Jagger (is that Mick's brother? ) 89lbl and an Ikon El Jefe and a Colonial General and a RazoRock Hawk and a version 2 Hawk and a Rockwell 2c and a Blackland Sabre and all of them were ok but not one was better than the equivalent Gillette or GEM. The new AC blade format showed promise but failed to impress when compared to the century old GEMs.
But it was fun and certainly less expensive than golf and harmed no one so I enjoyed testing the waters.
Then I found one new razor that really was significantly better than it's ancient predecessor; the ATT G1 version 2 head GEM format razor. The shave was even better, close and more comfortable than with my 1919 GEM Damaskeene that had been the standard to judge all single edge razors for me. It was better, easier and more pleasant than my MMOC or ClogPruf.
But wait... there's more. I found the inexpensive OneBlade Core razor gave me better, closer and more comfortable shaves than my Valet AutoStrops and that was whether I was using new Feather FHS blades or the half century+ old Valet blades.
Then I tried the ATT S2 slant head DE razor. And it too was great, close, effortless, comfortable near perfect shaves. Since this is OCtober I have scheduled a head to head test against another old Gillette; a Sheraton from around the time of George VI's coronation. That should be interesting.
And towards the end of the month I will test the ATT SE2 (the open comb AC format) against the other Open Comb razors that did well during this months trials.
So "Yes Virginia" the new razors really are nice, and some even seem to be better than those in the past.
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I think a lot of of opinions on how the newest & latest waves of "boutique" razors are rife with confirmation bias to a large degree. After all, anything made on new CNC eqpmt. surely must be better!! Surely the old engineers at Gillette, Schick, etc., were knuckledraggers as far as designing a razor with talents little beyond those of a Neanderthal!!
The REAL progress has been in blade technology as far as DE/SE shaving is concerned. Since these wafer thin pieces of steel lack the mass of a cutthroat razor they depend on other means to give a great shave and coatings/sputtering have given us that. Take that away and we're back to 1903, plain & simple. You can't run a Ferrari on coal.
The REAL progress has been in blade technology as far as DE/SE shaving is concerned. Since these wafer thin pieces of steel lack the mass of a cutthroat razor they depend on other means to give a great shave and coatings/sputtering have given us that. Take that away and we're back to 1903, plain & simple. You can't run a Ferrari on coal.
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You are quite correct, you can't run a Ferrari on coal, not without a lot of modification at any rate. (Coal gas) the blades of today have come on a long way!I think a lot of of opinions on how the newest & latest waves of "boutique" razors are rife with confirmation bias to a large degree. After all, anything made on new CNC eqpmt. surely must be better!! Surely the old engineers at Gillette, Schick, etc., were knuckledraggers as far as designing a razor with talents little beyond those of a Neanderthal!!
The REAL progress has been in blade technology as far as DE/SE shaving is concerned. Since these wafer thin pieces of steel lack the mass of a cutthroat razor they depend on other means to give a great shave and coatings/sputtering have given us that. Take that away and we're back to 1903, plain & simple. You can't run a Ferrari on coal.
I agree with everything you say but a well honed vintage SE blade by a craftsman like @Fergiebilly is hard to beat.I think a lot of of opinions on how the newest & latest waves of "boutique" razors are rife with confirmation bias to a large degree. After all, anything made on new CNC eqpmt. surely must be better!! Surely the old engineers at Gillette, Schick, etc., were knuckledraggers as far as designing a razor with talents little beyond those of a Neanderthal!!
The REAL progress has been in blade technology as far as DE/SE shaving is concerned. Since these wafer thin pieces of steel lack the mass of a cutthroat razor they depend on other means to give a great shave and coatings/sputtering have given us that. Take that away and we're back to 1903, plain & simple. You can't run a Ferrari on coal.
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