As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I found and ordered my Holy Grail Razor. It has now arrived, and it is a beauty. And it is, I strongly suspect, virtually unused. The magazine was full of vintage blades¹ as well as a brass blade dummy.

Harking back from 1929, the razor is – to my eye – all but spotless. There is some oxidation of the silver plating near the tip, but no plate loss. The head tilting mechanism is nice and tight – not too stiff, not too loose. The plunger is quite stiff, but in the near future I plan on giving the whole razor a clean and a very light oiling.

The leather sheath is also in surprisingly fine condition. It is still soft and supple, and the scent is still nice and leathery. The lettering on the front is still nice and crisp. There is a few darker spots in the leather, and there is a tiny bit of cracking² where the flap joins the main body. Oh, and a little bit of verdigris on the snap that holds the flap.

And that is about it.

Not at all bad for a razor that is closing in on one hundred years.

In fact, it is very good for a razor that can look back on nine decades and some change. I was hoping to find a user grade razor, and found one that is way better than I dared to hope for. So next week³ I will put my newly acquired Schick B2 through its paces. A modern injector blade usually is good for two weeks shaving for me, so it should stay nice and sharp.

As a side note I have a patent for y’all today as well… the patent that is claimed for the Schick B. Stamped on the underside is the text “PAT.5-18-26.” This refers to US patent 1,584,811, which is a patent for a repeating razor. A repeating razor that has little to nothing to do with the Schick B in concept or operation, but a repeating razor none the less. So the patent claimed on the Type B isn’t for the type B… that would be US patent 1,730,167.

Before I wrap up, I would like to tell you one thing; If you have a Holy Grail Razor that you have yet to find or procure, keep looking. I was on the look out for years before one suddenly appeared. And it was worth the wait!

Footnotes:

1. Which I am not going to use to shave with. The inside of a razor isn’t the dirtiest environment, but 94 years is a long time.
2. Not surprising, since this would be rubbing against the edge of the plunger.
3. More likely the next couple of weeks.