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Post by mjclark on Sept 5, 2014 14:27:12 GMT -6
After marvelling at the excellence of the Darwin SE, I now feel very privileged to have acquired another beautifully constructed self-stropping razor from the 1930's, the Ronson. It's a near mint set with a blade holder and a box of two NOS blades. When the spring mounted head is extended, the OEM blade (which is like a thick DE or a double edged GEM) can be flipped over and also swivelled through 360 deg. This allows both sides of each blade edge to come into contact with the sharpening roller on the back of the head, which you then spin with your hand to refresh the edge. The sharpening roller seems to be made of a synthetic aggregate like a revolving barber hone, so who knows what it's capable of? I feel a little uneasy that the design relies so heavily on a spring, but as the world's premier lighter manufacturer I guess Ronson knew what they were doing and this razor is certainly a beautiful thing. I'll let you know how it shaves...
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Sept 5, 2014 17:40:23 GMT -6
That is certainly different!
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Post by fram773 on Sept 5, 2014 20:52:37 GMT -6
Very cool!
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Post by drumzalot on Sept 5, 2014 22:17:35 GMT -6
As an avid collector of rare and odd razors I love your Ronson! I wonder just how sharp the proprietary blades are. It looks quite hefty for it's size. You definitely have to give us a shave review of this unique razor.
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Post by mjclark on Sept 6, 2014 17:22:54 GMT -6
First shave tonight with the Ronson and one of the NOS OEM blades which was good to go straight out of the wrapper. The head heavy balance makes it feel like a Wilkinson Empire but the shave it delivers is like a smoother Rolls - very close and extremely comfortable. The small comb clogged with lather quite easily, and I wonder how long the built in sharpener can maintain the edges. But the mechanism is convenient and quiet. The blade cover has numbered edges to keep track of the sharpening process and the literature recommends 15 seconds rolling for each side of each edge, so that's a minute of maintenance. The literature also suggests flipping the blade cover so the retention knob is on the underside when shaving, so the top plate is flat allowing easier shaving under the nose. Just like the Empire, the Ronson looks clunky but in practice is an extremely agile and comfortable shaver. The blades are billed as stainless but feel to me like carbon steel and are very sharp indeed but also super smooth. The resultant shave combines the best elements of the Empire and the Rolls and is absolutely superb.
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Post by PJGH on Sept 7, 2014 4:42:00 GMT -6
You're using the NOS blades, yes? Will it only take those blades?
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Post by mjclark on Sept 7, 2014 10:01:15 GMT -6
Indeed I am using a NOS blade which is a wonder to behold! I read that you could mod a DE blade by trimming the sides, and a despined GEM would also fit if its central hole was wider... but we all know what I think about that!
18 hours after my first Ronson shave, the beard regrowth is slow and still looks very smart - another similarity with the Rolls, although I'm finding the Ronson shave a bit smoother.
I do wonder how long the blade can be maintained though. Unlike Valets, NOS Ronson blades are decidedly thin on the ground, and the thin profile of the blade will offer a few honing challenges though apparently there's an Allegro model that will do it.
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RocketMan
Gem Star
RazorAddict
Welcome To The Sharp Side!
Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Sept 8, 2014 23:49:33 GMT -6
The Ronson is really a wonderful Art Deco razor. I'm glad your shave with the old blade was satisfactory. That is a pretty old blade and likely has some oxidation on the edge. I mostly find blades that age don't shave well for me.
It is a beast though around the nose eh? They used lots of metal on this one.
Nice presentation and photos.
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Post by mjclark on Oct 29, 2014 15:47:23 GMT -6
Got my hands on an Allegro hone now, and the Ronson blades fit perfectly. I hear that generally speaking Allegros are not much use, but we'll see if it can augment the Ronson system...
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riverrun
Lather Catcher
sɐǝɹpu∀
Posts: 888
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Post by riverrun on Oct 22, 2018 5:34:54 GMT -6
A size comparison of Ronson blades and unsuitable blades: And finally, a superimposed image showing that the unsuitable blades are bigger in both dimensions. Also, Ronson blades are much thicker. In short: the unsuitable blades are unsuitable.
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Post by wchnu on Oct 22, 2018 21:45:50 GMT -6
Thanks for checking that out!
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riverrun
Lather Catcher
sɐǝɹpu∀
Posts: 888
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Post by riverrun on Oct 26, 2018 16:39:07 GMT -6
Here is the paperwork I got with my Ronson razor: The main instructions: Additional hints: And one more piece of paper:
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