In Praise of the Schick Krona DE

Ferrum

Ferrum

Messages
2,367
Location
Silly Suffolk
What with Mongoose, Barbaros, Rocnels, Rockwell, Single Edge, ATT, Blackbird, Seygus, Wolfman, Ikon, Hone and the rest, I feel as if I've really been doing my bit to support newer makers of single- and double-edge razors.

However, I also have a drawer or two chock-a-block with vintage razors and, in the course of having a tidy-up, my hand dropped upon a boxed Schick DE razor - the model with the plain doors (no name), silver TTO knob and Schick logo in silver on black in the end.

I forget when I last used this, so I got it out, stuck a Feather blade in it, and gave it a whirl this morning. Teamed up with P&B Obsidian, it gave me a perfect shave in two passes.

The Schick DEs are generally regarded as very mild, and they certainly don't weigh much; but with a good sharp blade like a Feather, they are incredibly smooth but efficient. Personally, I think they can hold their own with most other TTOs, and many 2/3 part razors, particularly safety bar models.

I did wonder why I felt a sudden change in aggression on the second pass, but that was because I'm so out of practice on TTOs that I'd omitted to tighten the doors properly after a first-pass rinse.

As usual, "YMMV", but, if you haven't tried a Krona DE, and get an opportunity to do so, then take it.
 
Love the Schick Krona. I got four I think
n5k7io.jpg
 
I had one and gave it to an acquaintance for him to test out wet shaving and regretted it almost immediately. Recently I was able to trade another razor for a Krona and I am a happy camper once again. They are like the 60s version of a Feather Popular - mostly plastic, mostly cheap, but gives an awesome shave.
 
They are quite under rated and great for beginners. I really like mine and keep meaning to shim it to see if it gets any better. Has anyone here tried shimming theirs?
 
Quite simply, it was the greatest mass produced DE razor for daily shaving ever invented. I have three and use one for at least 50% of my daily shaves nowadays. Incredibly, no modern razor makers copy the stunnlingly brilliant beveled doors employed on the Krona. They are bulletproof in their function. A few years back on another forum a man fitted Krona silo doors onto a Gillette "Fatboy". Beyond cool. :cool:

The Schick Krona was the razor Gillette engineers used in their homes behind closed doors as they wept...........in silence.
 
dowsing said:
They are quite under rated and great for beginners. I really like mine and keep meaning to shim it to see if it gets any better. Has anyone here tried shimming theirs?
Click to expand...

I am not a proponent of shimming as to me it appears a huge pain in the a_ _ fiddle farting around with a shim. However, it does have its adherents. That said, the Krona is not as mild as many believe IMO. It's more 'aggressive' than any Tech model except for the Canadian pre-war one. The Krona was the first DE razor I used. I bought it on the cheap in an antique store several years ago. Those bevels served as "training wheels" such as on a child's bicycle to rote memory train me for the best angle. It's incredible that someone at Gillette didn't think of that idea first.

Will it give a "seat of the pants" shave like an R41...? No. However, most people don't want a super aggressive razor for that matter. Despite all the bloviation on shave forums I believe most people simply want a decent, pleasant, painless daily shave and not to feel like they are "milking" a cobra in their hand whereas the slightest twitch will be lethal. :rolleyes:
 
Bogeyman said:
Did any of you new Krona users decide to stay with it? Ferrum, Uncle Bertie or gvw755?
Click to expand...
I've had mine for a long time, but it somehow got to the back or bottom of the "Boxed Razor" drawer. Look at the photograph and you'll see how that might be.
A great razor, and now it's resurfaced, I'll use it a bit more.
 

Attachments

  • One-Drawer.JPG
    One-Drawer.JPG
    769.4 KB · Views: 15
Ferrum said:
What with Mongoose, Barbaros, Rocnels, Rockwell, Single Edge, ATT, Blackbird, Seygus, Wolfman, Ikon, Hone and the rest, I feel as if I've really been doing my bit to support newer makers of single- and double-edge razors.

However, I also have a drawer or two chock-a-block with vintage razors and, in the course of having a tidy-up, my hand dropped upon a boxed Schick DE razor - the model with the plain doors (no name), silver TTO knob and Schick logo in silver on black in the end.

I forget when I last used this, so I got it out, stuck a Feather blade in it, and gave it a whirl this morning. Teamed up with P&B Obsidian, it gave me a perfect shave in two passes.

The Schick DEs are generally regarded as very mild, and they certainly don't weigh much; but with a good sharp blade like a Feather, they are incredibly smooth but efficient. Personally, I think they can hold their own with most other TTOs, and many 2/3 part razors, particularly safety bar models.

I did wonder why I felt a sudden change in aggression on the second pass, but that was because I'm so out of practice on TTOs that I'd omitted to tighten the doors properly after a first-pass rinse.

As usual, "YMMV", but, if you haven't tried a Krona DE, and get an opportunity to do so, then take it.
Click to expand...

I agree. I pulled mine out of the drawer last month and got a pleasant and smooth shave. What a great razor that gets very little love.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom