Vintage Razors

[Mike Smart]

just a quick question guys i don't quite get it.
I get that modern materials dictate whether a product is better or worse than the last but what i can't really understand is the way modern razors are the exact same as the vintage stuff.
basically has there been any type of manufacturing progress since the 40‘ & 50's ?
The basic design is still the same,
i recently bought a Feather but what makes it better than most ?
what am i missing ?
what makes a £€$ 200 razor better than a budget razor ?
sure the materials i.e metals will be different but surely if the design is the same the end product will be the same
Ok i'm bored & my brains in meltdown lol

 

[TobyC]

I have always said, that the Gillette OLD type is the best razor ever made, everything since is either a copy or a misdirection.

 

[TobyC]

I get that modern materials dictate whether a product is better or worse than the last

You have been misinformed. Purpose designed beats bling every time, and Gillette nailed it right out of the gate. You can't improve it.

 

[Mike Smart]

You have been misinformed. Purpose designed beats bling every time, and Gillette nailed it right out of the gate. You can't improve it.

thanks for the reply Toby,
(that's) actually my thoughts i just thought i was missing something

 

[Sconehead]

Some designs just can't be much improved, and I think DE razors fall into that category. Many of the modern stainless steel and even titanium models look good and perform well, but I'm not convinced they're in a different league to razors made from brass 100 years ago.

 

[Woody72]

Exactly,the design of a razor is almost self defining. It's the manufacturing techniques that have come on in leaps and bounds - just look at the Rockwell 6S, metal injection moulded. You ram powdered stainless steel into a mould to create a product with incredible dimensional tolerances and the heat it to fuse it into a lump of high-precision metal - genius!

 

[HeadShoward_James]

Modern razors aren't the same though? not for me anyway. they are cartridge based with multi blades designed to speed up shaving and deliver smooth skin by hair tugging. expensive to buy, very profitable. The point of the traditional DE razor was to use a single blade, cut skin at the hair surface to avoid bumps etc. this was suppose to take time and a number of passes. to modernise that you can use new materials, make adjustments here and there and look more futuristic. Although the point still remains, thats the golden era, thats how it was done best, lets adopt that again not forget what makes it great

 

[HeadShoward_James]

Modern razors aren't the same though? not for me anyway. they are cartridge based with multi blades designed to speed up shaving and deliver smooth skin by hair tugging. expensive to buy, very profitable. The point of the traditional DE razor was to use a single blade, cut skin at the hair surface to avoid bumps etc. this was suppose to take time and a number of passes. to modernise that you can use new materials, make adjustments here and there and look more futuristic. Although the point still remains, thats the golden era, thats how it was done best, lets adopt that again not forget what makes it great

Hence not straying far from the path

 

[Mike Smart]

i just wonder if any other design on anything in the world was at its pinnacle at entry level and never beaten nearly 100 years on,

 

[HeadShoward_James]

i just wonder if any other design on anything in the world was at its pinnacle at entry level and never beaten nearly 100 years on,

Its an awesome question, for me the manufacturing and engineering standards acceptable 100 years ago, are no longer achievable on a budget now. what's built to last anymore?

 

[Bogeyman]

Many items in life reach an engineering "dead end". The internal combustion engine is one such invention. Sure, it has become more efficient as well as powerful, but it's the same principle as what was in a Ford Model T. The only two factors that are important in a safety razor are blade gap and exposure. All else is merely aesthetic or BS to sell it. Yes, modern CNC eqmpt. can hold tighter tolerances which may be of some small aid, but in the end it's only putting lipstick on a pig. The razor is merely a blade holder. If you don't think the modern stainless coated blade is important then just pop in an old bare carbon steel blade in your favorite razor for a spin. It will make a night in a Third World prison seem like Club Med.

However, just as in many endeavors vanity fuels the industry.

 

[TobyC]

i just wonder if any other design on anything in the world was at its pinnacle at entry level and never beaten nearly 100 years on,

The '98 Mauser comes to mind, perfect in every way, still the action everything gets compared to when evaluating, the most copied bolt action rifle ever.

 

[TobyC]

The best handsaws were manufactured in the 1870's~1880's, English backsaws earlier than that.

 

[Bogeyman]

The '98 Mauser comes to mind, perfect in every way, still the action everything gets compared to when evaluating, the most copied bolt action rifle ever.

Blaser.

 

[doughnut operator]

Many items in life reach an engineering "dead end". The internal combustion engine is one such invention. Sure, it has become more efficient as well as powerful, but it's the same principle as what was in a Ford Model T. The only two factors that are important in a safety razor are blade gap and exposure. All else is merely aesthetic or BS to sell it. Yes, modern CNC eqmpt. can hold tighter tolerances which may be of some small aid, but in the end it's only putting lipstick on a pig. The razor is merely a blade holder. If you don't think the modern stainless coated blade is important then just pop in an old bare carbon steel blade in your favorite razor for a spin. It will make a night in a Third World prison seem like Club Med.

However, just as in many endeavors vanity fuels the industry.

i once tried a sealed vintage pack of gillette thin blue blades... never again ,got changed before one pass . like shaving with a blunt breadknife