- Joined
- Jun 4, 2002
- Messages
- 3,930
On a whim, I picked one up from G. Gedney Godwin www.gggodwin.com, a supplier of reenactment goods for folks portraying F&I War and Revolutionary War. Here's the razor I bought;
The handle is real bone, not imitation plastic (also available in horn for a dollar less), the blade is carbon steel, and the price is only $15.95. The razor itself is a pretty good reproduction of an actual 18th century piece.
Now, for $15.95 you don't exactly get a Thiers Issard, the razor I got did have a couple of faults. First, the blade pivot pin is of a smaller diameter than the blade's pivot hole, resulting in a bit of "slop". No big deal, if you hold the razor properly in use, this doesn't present a real problem. Second, the blade's edge was rough as a cob, and in no way ready to shave with. Again, not a problem, I simply applied the same sharpening techniques I would use in restoring an old razor, and brought it up to snuff.
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Now that I'm allowing my beard to grow back (Arrgh, avast ye swabs, thought ye was rid of Thumbcutter Goodbeard?) I have far less shaving to fool with. Still, I keep my cheeks and neck clean shaven, and this razor did a fine job of it. It will probably require more frequent stropping than my expensive Sheffield steel razors, but in the final analysis, it does what it's supposed to do, at a price that's hard to beat. :thumbup:
Sarge
The handle is real bone, not imitation plastic (also available in horn for a dollar less), the blade is carbon steel, and the price is only $15.95. The razor itself is a pretty good reproduction of an actual 18th century piece.
Now, for $15.95 you don't exactly get a Thiers Issard, the razor I got did have a couple of faults. First, the blade pivot pin is of a smaller diameter than the blade's pivot hole, resulting in a bit of "slop". No big deal, if you hold the razor properly in use, this doesn't present a real problem. Second, the blade's edge was rough as a cob, and in no way ready to shave with. Again, not a problem, I simply applied the same sharpening techniques I would use in restoring an old razor, and brought it up to snuff.
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Now that I'm allowing my beard to grow back (Arrgh, avast ye swabs, thought ye was rid of Thumbcutter Goodbeard?) I have far less shaving to fool with. Still, I keep my cheeks and neck clean shaven, and this razor did a fine job of it. It will probably require more frequent stropping than my expensive Sheffield steel razors, but in the final analysis, it does what it's supposed to do, at a price that's hard to beat. :thumbup:
Sarge
