easiest to hone? hold edge the longest?

[Twelvefret]

I happen to agree with you about the attractiveness of the design. I've got one of those "OUR 136" coming in the mail. It has tortoiseshell scales, and a leather case with stropping inserts built in. Not sure how useful those actually are, but it ups the 'coolness' factor of the whole package a bit.

I saw one listed like you found on eBay once. I trust you will thoroughly enjoy. If I remember the Google Books information, these originated in 1909.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I saw one listed like you found on eBay once. I trust you will thoroughly enjoy. If I remember the Google Books information, these originated in 1909.

Yeah, I read through that 46 page thread on B&B looking for more info, and didn't learn much, other than the #136 design is very well liked, and that sometimes they have a wide bevel angle that needs correcting. Your presence on that thread is missed, BTW. Thank you for the dating information.

 

[Steve56]

I have one, the blade is very nice and Torrey made a fantastic razor. The ‘Our 136’ referred to a regiment in the US civil war battle of Gettysburg I believe.

What is not the best for me is the tang, mine is tapered top to bottom, IOW the bottom of the tang is narrower than the top, A lot of vintage French razor tangs were made like that. This is not my preference, but of course, you get used to it, like thumb notches and other tang oddities.

Regardless, you have a fine razor, though I doubt that those are tortoise scales with collars on the pins in this era. They didn’t pin tortoise or ivory with pin collars with a few exceptions, the most common exception being decorative collars, usually seen on very early razors. Another is the rather thicker ivory scales on some Jernbologet, and some others that used the same scales (I have a MK 32 with thick collared ivory, or did until I had it re-scaled).

 

[PLANofMAN]

I have one, the blade is very nice and Torrey made a fantastic razor. The ‘Our 136’ referred to a regiment in the US civil war battle of Gettysburg I believe.

It actually refers to the blade shape. Like the Filarmonica 14 is a blade shape style not limited to Filarmonica, other German manufacturers also had #136 razors. That isn't to say they also used the opportunity to attach it to a Union regiment.

As for the tortoiseshell, it was a hope, not a guarantee. What do you think it is? Dyed horn? Plastic?

Edit: this is the post I sourced that info from:

Torrey Tuesday

www.badgerandblade.com

Though to be fair, nowhere in that post does he say that the Henkels is older than the Torrey. He clearly goes on the assumption that the "our" references their particular version of the 136, which may or may not be true.

 

[Steve56]

Here’s an example from early on, an unrestored French Pradel from probably the 1820s. Larger copper collars on the pins. Upscale razor, but the original ‘Rue de la Abbé’, where Pradel was located, was removed to build the current Rue de Sebastipol. That helps date the razor.

 

[Steve56]

It actually refers to the blade shape.

Got a reference? I’m interested!

 

[PLANofMAN]

Got a reference? I’m interested!

See my edit in the post above. Also read the post above that linked post.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I suppose I should put the seller's pictures in the thread, having spent so much time discussing the razor.

Close up of the scales:

 

[BlacknTan]

It actually refers to the blade shape. Like the Filarmonica 14 is a blade shape style not limited to Filarmonica, other German manufacturers also had #136 razors. That isn't to say they also used the opportunity to attach it to a Union regiment.

As for the tortoiseshell, it was a hope, not a guarantee. What do you think it is? Dyed horn? Plastic?

Edit: this is the post I sourced that info from:

Torrey Tuesday

www.badgerandblade.com

Though to be fair, nowhere in that post does he say that the Henkels is older than the Torrey. He clearly goes on the assumption that the "our" references their particular version of the 136, which may or may not be true.

Do you post any information from personal experience, or is it all rehashed internet babble?

Ahhh, isn't the "innanet" grand? Where the user must have the ability to separate the "wheat from the chaff," and where, by the way, armchair experts post 95% chaff, and only 5% wheat. Where mistruths are repeated so often, that they enter the minds of the uninitiated as pure fact.... where accepted knowledge take a back seat to what was read on yet another internet forum...

In the words of Ebenezer Scrooge... "I'll retire to Bedlam..."

 

[PLANofMAN]

Do you post any information from personal experience, or is it all rehashed internet babble?

Ahhh, isn't the "innanet" grand? Where the user must have the ability to separate the "wheat from the chaff," and where, by the way, armchair experts post 95% chaff, and only 5% wheat. Where mistruths are repeated so often, that they enter the minds of the uninitiated as pure fact.... where accepted knowledge take a back seat to what was read on yet another internet forum...

In the words of Ebenezer Scrooge... "I'll retire to Bedlam..."

Thank you so much for that informative post. I do actually occasionally post stuff based on personal experience, and I go out of my way to try to get said personal experience. When I don't have that experience, I read up what others have written, and apply logic. To me it makes sense that there is a model of razor blank called 136, and it makes sense that an American company made their own version of it. In the absence of facts to the contrary, I accept it as fact.

As the company was based in Massachusetts, naming a razor after the 136th New York doesn't make a lot of sense to me, especially calling it "OUR 136". Logic dictates that it's more likely to be named after a razor style that they adapted to fit their preferences. If you know otherwise, please correct me, so that the truth may be known.

Edit: there is no 136th Massachusetts regiment. I did check for that, in case you were wondering.

Edit 2: Looks like both Steve and I were wrong, as were the internet gurus. After further research, it appears that the 136 is a holdover from their original internal numbering system. While there are indeed other razors that use the 136 number, they don't appear to share the shoulderless design of the "OUR 136," at least that I was able to find. If such labeled #136 shoulderless razors exist, they are very rare and don't show up in either internet or forum searches.

Go you. You win the internet for the day. Good job. Give yourself a good pat on the back, you deserve it.

 

[BlacknTan]

Apologies to all at ATG.

While I meant what I said, I should not have said it in a public forum.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Apologies to all at ATG.

While I meant what I said, I should not have said it in a public forum.

The whole point of a forum is to have discussions. You could've worded your post a bit kinder, but when you're right, you're right.

 

[Pedigree]

Though not the easiest to hone due to the hardness of its steel, a Thiers-Issard holds an edge for far longer then the typical razor due to its hardness, making the extra time spent honing it, worth it.

 

[BlacknTan]

Though not the easiest to hone due to the hardness of its steel, a Thiers-Issard holds an edge for far longer then the typical razor due to its hardness, making the extra time spent honing it, worth it.

Not to single out your post, but here is yet another internet mistruth that has gained traction and become internet "fact."
If you're speaking of the C-135 Carbonsong steel, with the "Z" stamp on the tang, personally I find it no different to properly hone that any other high quality straight razor, and it takes me no longer to hone than any other. But, that's just me..
How much longer do you feel it takes you to get the edge you like over another razor

 

[Estariol]

@BlacknTan
What is your impression of the russian razor you have compared to the others?