Best Vintage / Modern Straight Razors 2020

[GaryH]

Just throwing this out there as a point of discussion and reference for comment.

In your opinion, which Vintage / Modern straight razor by manufacturer and model would you put in your top 3 list for 2020?

 

[RussellR5555]

For me Gary

Vintage

Tanifuji 935
Le Grelot 14

Modern

Koraat 6/8 Near Wedge

 

[pjgh]

Vintage

Bengall from Sweden (Borlange) are nice [NB there's a Bengall from Sheffield, too] ...

Being a wedge, this razor was not at all vocal (full hollow has a real "sing" to it) and felt so smooth like a butter knife.

Bengall (Borlange, Maskinaffar) 9/16 [Wedge/Square Point/Smile?] Borlange, Sweden

... although I think my favourite was the Klas Tornblom, again Sweden (Eskilstuna):

This one had a real rasp to it, kinda like a 1912 - I said some razors sing, this one is a 60 a day smoker!

Törnblom, Klas 9/16 [Concave/Barber Notch/Shoulderless] Eskilstuna, Sweden

It depends what you're after. For a starter razor, a 6/8 hollow ground with rounded nose is a good choice. Not exactly that specification, but the Heljestrand MK24 is well regarded at 9/16 quarter hollow with French Oblique nose.

But, once you're into it, these American Spike razors are fun!

Spike points are nice for detailed work, neatening up sideburns, getting into the nostrils and so on.

Shumate 018 5/8 [Full Hollow/Spike Point] USA

Any of those should be easy enough to source ...

The only one I kept was this Sheffield Martin & Co which I had reshaped on the nose to feel kinda like the forhead to nose transition on my cat at the time. It returned to me the day he got knocked down outside out house. That was Mike Waterhouse (Knifemaker based in Ilkley, Yorkshire) who did that work for me:

Martin & Co. 6/8 [Wedge/Spanish Point/Light Smile] Sheffield, England

 

[Tony'schin]

For me,

New,
Koraat Razors
Thiers Issard

Vintage
Osborne, Garrett & Co - the Kopp
Carl Schlieper " Eye Brand".

FWIW - I think as long as you get a well looked after or NOS vintage that is honed that will be all you need.

 

[Nisse]

I suspect the Borlänge Bengall is the Sheffield Bengall imported to Sweden

 

[pjgh]

I suspect the Borlänge Bengall is the Sheffield Bengall imported to Sweden

I recall doing some reading at the time that I got that razor and came to similar thinking execpt that the Sheffield Bengalls were most often hollow ground. Doing some reading now, I happened upon this: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/bengall-whats-in-a-name.436716/post-6949505

Bengall is simply the name of a process to make steel out of iron. The process was first used in the Indian state of Bengal, hence the name. The process was described and used in Europe in the early 1800's, mainly in Sheffield, UK first.​

​

I have used straights made with this method in Sweden and in the UK. The method was promptly replaced with the more sophisticated methods developed in Sweden (Eskilstuna) and the UK (Sheffield) in the early 1900's.​

​

One of the plants in Sweden (Borlänge Maskinfabrik) even used the label 'Bengall' in their marketing. Many plants did the same, all over the world. The name was associated with quality at that time.​

 

[Nisse]

Borlänge Maskinaffär, affär = shop not factory, I really doubt they made razors, also Eskilstuna was the home of razors here in Sweden and Borlänge is situated in another part of the country. Pictured is my TS Cadman Sheffield Bengall, near wedge, looking suspiciously similar to a model from Borlänge Maskinaffär.

 

[Nisse]

Borlänge maskinaffär

Digitaliserat vardagstryck från Kungl. bibliotekets samlingar.

weburn.kb.se

A pricelist from Borlänge Maskinaffär 1917, distributor of Bengall razors in Scandinavia, sold bicycles as well.

 

[pjgh]

Case solved! Good find @Nisse

 

[SammieM]

New:

Koraat
Thiers Issard

Vintage:

Le Grelot
Heljestrand MK series
Japanese ( Tanifuji, Fuji, Atlas and many more)

 

[Nisse]

I have Heljestrand models, same numbering but some with and others without MK, like No 4 and MK No4, same razors I feel but without MK might be cheaper on the Bay and similar places.

 

[SammieM]

I have Heljestrand models, same numbering but some with and others without MK, like No 4 and MK No4, same razors I feel but without MK might be cheaper on the Bay and similar places.

I have both version two, but the MK ones are with a perfect grind and have better scales. Those were made for export. The other ones were made for the internal market in Sweden and can be a crap shoot in terms of grinding. Perhaps I got lucky with the MKs I have... I only have two...

 

[Nisse]

So in Sweden we had to settle for less That is true I believe if we are talking blade width because wider blades were mainly sold to America, north and south. Also scales in ivory and tortoise probably more common on export markets. Doubt that quality of grinds differed. Anyway Heljestrand was the biggest brand in Sweden with and without MK and therefore also the most common vintage up for grabs.

 

[SammieM]

So in Sweden we had to settle for less That is true I believe if we are talking blade width because wider blades were mainly sold to America, north and south. Also scales in ivory and tortoise probably more common on export markets. Doubt that quality of grinds differed. Anyway Heljestrand was the biggest brand in Sweden with and without MK and therefore also the most common vintage up for grabs.

I have a No7 that has an uneven grind. Perhaps I was unlucky with that one...

 

[GaryH]

So far I have the impression that Koraat & TI are the top choices in new and the vintage choices seem to vary between Sheffield, Swedish & Japanese razors.

My collection currently consists of a TI Le Great Medaille D'or 6/8, a vintage Wilkinson 5/8, a ERN Krone & Schwerin 5/8, a Hugo Herbertz Bockla 5/8 and a Gold dollar 66. I am not 100 % which I prefer yet as I have only used each of them a couple of times.

 

[pjgh]

You do want a Heljestrand MK in the collection