How much have Razors improved ?

[TobyC]

The MMOC was the first TTO, and a fine shaver as well. The "new" stuff made today, is just an attempt to cash in on the resurgence of vintage shaving. Consumers are vulnerable to the snake oil and better mouse trap mongers.

 

[Nishy]

I would say with respect to DE and SE razors, they have improved. Tighter tolerances, more durable, sexier. To put a value on the level of improvement is difficult. Unfortunately price can be an issue due to this. As mentioned by Sid earlier the straight razor hasn't changed much, in fact the older Japanese steel is quite sought after.
Answers to your question also depends on the type of shaver.

Some shavers may be of a utilitarian nature, therefore comfortable stubble removal is peak, aesthetics etc are secondary or not of importance at all.

Personally I enjoy different aspects of product design; aesthetics, lather channels, audio feedback, blade feel, weight, head profile, handle grip/ergonomics, balance point etc. So IMO the more modern razors in general offer more with regards to the above. Again price is subjective and the improvement in shave quality may not be equivalent in all examples.
Another good exercise is to look at forums and you realise which razors are held in high regard. Generally this is not diluted to just modern or vintage.

 

[TobyC]

Personally I enjoy different aspects of product design; aesthetics, lather channels, audio feedback, blade feel, weight, head profile, handle grip/ergonomics, balance point etc.

Those are the reasons I prefer vintage, along with price and the appreciation of quality tools that are older than I am.

.

 

[Deleted member 476]

I think modern razors today are fueled by marketing, over engineering and consumerism. A vintage brass Gillette razor with nickle electroplating will likely out-live its user. I've certainly got a few vintage gillette razors that have likely out-lived their original owners and yet still work flawlessly and as originally intended.

 

[Blademonkey]

I was going to tell you about how much I thought SE razors had come on just in recent times after having quite a few BUT I don't want to be seen as that guy who's simply bragging because of the material that my new SE razor is made out of. i don't buy razors or anything for that matter for bragging rights, if said razor had not have lived up to expectations it would have been sold on ASAP.

 

[RussellR5555]

For me there is some real quality being produced these days, by some very skilled makers and of course modern tooling and machinery makes it possible to do what would have been impossible for the small maker back when Gillette etc. where producing their best work. I think both have merits of course there are some very fine vintage razors and equally some very fine modern ones too, and with enough skill and care you can of course shave with a blade on a stick !

 

[Dule083]

I must say after I try some of the best from both sides, in my opinion vintage are still keep light. From the time I try Olaf Rasmussen I not find any modern razor that can be even close to him. To put outside craftmanship, shiny polishing and advertisent. As a simple usable tool Olaf is mole infront all modern razors. Leresche 77, Barbasol "floating head", Kirby Beard & Co, Rotbart Mond, and few more are sinply untachible

 

[Batch300]

Some new 2019 razors getting favorable reviews:
- Carbon Shaving
- Haircut and Shave N075,
- Smart Helix Apollo
- Janus (hopefully funded),
- Seygus
- I am not sure if the Rockwell Model T would count as a 2019 razor.

At a minimum, the new DE razors are making happy shavers.

 

[Boru62]

Echoing sentiments around the straight, the safety razor is a simple enough device that holds the blade close enough to the face to shave without the risk of beaching the edge into the skin. The straight is the cleanest design, although not the safest and do remember that many of the first safety razors were simply wedge holders, the wedge being "an inch or so of hollow ground straight edge".

Across something like 1000 safety razors that have come through my hands going back to the 1880s, I really can't fault the 1912 (or 1919 as it really should be known). I also can't fault the Gillette 1904 patent, nor Autostrop's early line like the 7 O'Clock or Valet (especially the VC1). Indeed, blade technology no doubt improved over time with one or two real classics alongs the way.

Consider this, though ...

For razors, mass production has inevitably led to a razor that is cheaper to produce and so we could argue that razors themselves reached a peak somewhere. Gillette, for example, say a most definite cheapening of materials and so quality of razor from the 1950s. Their Tech was really quite something in the 1940s but by the 1960s we're seeing a shade of its former self and by the 1970s, a really poor item by comparison. Likewise, the 1912 hit production excellence by the end of the 1940s but later examples saw the thickness of the sheet metal thinning, and I have a very late example which really is poor.

For blades, it was all about the quality from the 1910s onwards, with each blade being a genuine technological improvement over the last, either in material or production finesse. Again, mass production saw miles and miles of blade ribbon being cut into single blades each day. Technology got about as far as it could and so any improvement was purely in the marketing ... stainless, teflon, titanium edge, medical, lab, etc.

Most recently, cartridges have actually pretty good blades, but cost a fortune and so we hit this final nail on the head - it's not about technical excellence either in the razor or the blade, but in the marketing to give the illusion of improvement with each new generation. That, and an ever more convoluted means of locking the buyer into an exclusive format that keeps a good step ahead of the interest rate.

So, yes, both razors and blades have got better ... but they have (both) reached their peak some decades ago. What used to be a battle of which was genuinely best is now a war of marketing.

Excellent answer and I'm with you apart from this:

Most recently, cartridges have actually pretty good blades, but cost a fortune and so we hit this final nail on the head - it's not about technical excellence either in the razor or the blade, but in the marketing to give the illusion of improvement with each new generation. That, and an ever more convoluted means of locking the buyer into an exclusive format that keeps a good step ahead of the interest rate.

Gillette had the marketing from the off, new improved, new (the last one was an improvement but this one really is new), and the need to buy new blades.
Also I'm suspicious about the idea that making the blade really thin adds to expenses and makes a sharper edge.
As a whole I prefer the thicker blade of an SE and due to the amount of metal in each blade they're probably less cost effective. Perhaps this is why the DE won the war.

Hi ,I have some decent De razors ,Timeless ,Karve etc and still waiting for the Pils but Ive got a small collection of vintage Se s 1912,1914 Gem mmoc for instance ,Why am I reaching for the se s first ,I’m getting equally good shaves with the old se s as the new de s for a fraction of the price ,I guess se blades are better now , Has razor design improved much over the years or are we spoiled for choice now ,Maybe we need to try different razors out of curiosity,The old boys certainly could make a razor either way

I've used vintage SE blades and they're as good as modern blades, possibly the reason you reach for your SEs is because your skin prefers the thicker blade.
As far as I'm concerned I've seen no marked improvement in DEs and modern manufacturers struggled to make a decent Gem bladed razor. Blackland being the exception.
On the other hand modern AC type SEs have been the only real improvement in traditional shaving imo.​