Expensive razor vs cheaper

That is true, brass is much more corrosion resistant than SS and is an argument in favour of it being the best material. With that said, uncoated SS is more than corrosion resistant enough to face your average bathroom without worrying and it'll still look good doing it. As long as you're not storing it in sea water it'll be fine. While it is purely aesthetic brass looks grungy pretty quickly if you don't keep it polished.

I'm not a fan of coated steel razors, if I'm buying steel I want to see it.

If you keep brass clean, but not polished, it looks great and feels clean, and doesn't stink. I'm not really anti-stainless, I just don't think it's a good choice for razors. Machine marks used to be a sign of cheap manufacture, or wartime production, now it's seen as a badge of honor worthy of higher prices. Stainless is tough on tooling and more difficult to polish, and doesn't hold a polish well. I'm fine with you fellas having stainless razors, you just can't convince me that it's somehow better. Oh, and brass is heavier than stainless steel, doesn't feel as cold to the touch, and even when bare and polished it isn't slippery.

I'm not wanting to argue with anyone, this is just my opinion.

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Actually, I was thinking that Gillette probably used the more expensive bronze or even "gun metal", i.e., a bronze alloy of 88% copper, 10% tin, and 2% zinc which is very water resistant and won't corrode easily. However, that is just an educated guess as it was quite commonly used in New England, especially in early Winchester firearms. But...….I dunno. :confused:

As far as I can tell, most of the brass used by Gillette was the common "Yellow" brass. They used "red" brass for detailed items formed under pressure such as the caps on New and Tech razors, as well as the "fat"Tech and bar handles. I've put yellow brass on OLD type baseplates to repair missing teeth, and there is no color difference after it's polished,... and tarnish reforms uniformly on new and old metal.
 
If you keep brass clean, but not polished, it looks great and feels clean, and doesn't stink. I'm not really anti-stainless, I just don't think it's a good choice for razors. Machine marks used to be a sign of cheap manufacture, or wartime production, now it's seen as a badge of honor worthy of higher prices. Stainless is tough on tooling and more difficult to polish, and doesn't hold a polish well. I'm fine with you fellas having stainless razors, you just can't convince me that it's somehow better. Oh, and brass is heavier than stainless steel, doesn't feel as cold to the touch, and even when bare and polished it isn't slippery.

I'm not wanting to argue with anyone, this is just my opinion.

ringo%2520loves%2520peace.jpg

I don't think that SS is better than brass, I just like it more. :) As I said earlier from a pure suitability of material standpoint it's hard to argue against brass being the best choice.

I've never had a problem with steel feeling cold or slippery, and tough on tooling isn't my problem. ;) I do like the look of the Karve when it's new but several people have complained about the smell and as I seem to be sensitive to smells that would totally put me off. If I bought one I'd end up sending it off somewhere for a nice nickel coat.

I didn't take it as an argument, more a friendly debate. :)
 
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