Post by drumzalot on Jun 24, 2014 18:43:29 GMT -6
This is my latest acquisition C.R. Bailey's "Very Sharp" single edge razor. The only information I could attain is that Wait's mentions that the Very Sharp is related to the Clark Razor Blade Company. It appears that C.R. Bailey manufactured and imported toiletries personal care items and novelties. My guess is that the Very Sharp might have been manufactured for C.R. Bailey by the Clark Razor Blade Company but this is only a guess. I just might be the only owner of a Very Sharp that has the original box and one original blade.
The Box
The box is a bare bones simple cardboard box. The box appears to have been purple in color but through the years has gotten dark spots and a bit tattered.
What's Inside The Box
Inside the box is the razor and one original Very Sharp blade. On the underside of the top part of the box is an advertisement for the Very Sharp razor. It appears that this razor was packaged with quite a lot of shaving items (as stated under the box's cover).
The Very Sharp Razor
This single edge razor is as unique as it is rare. The head design looks like a hybrid between a Valet and a lather catcher. Instead of the razor having a top cover there is a small latch that covers roughly half of the base plate. Like a lather catcher it has (blade) clips located on the right and left side to better secure the blade in place. This is an open comb SE with a round knurled hollow handle. Unfortunately, I don't own a proper scale to weigh the razor and it's individual parts. Note the middle picture of the 1" joint/nose that connects the razor's head and handle.
Loading The Razor Blade
Being used to the more common Gem/Ever-Ready SE razors I thought that the blade loaded under the latch (top cover) but this is not so. Instead the blade sits on top of the razor's latch (piggyback) the same way as a vintage lather catcher. Below are pictures of how to properly load the blade.
The Good and Bad
The design of this razor is pretty unique. Though the razor has blade stops they are quite small and are more like “nubs.” It would seem that the nubs would not hold a blade properly but they do. The original Very Sharp blade is stainless steel and (like most vintage SE blades) it is thicker then today's modern SE blades. I mention the thickness of the Very Sharp blade because it will be of importance. Though the razor is light in weight it has good balance, this is not a head heavy or handle heavy razor it is well weighted.
I don't know why the razor was designed with the nose/joint that connects the handle and head. This nose/joint loosens when tightening the handle so it becomes a bit inconvenient. Like old Gillette DE razors my handle has a crack in it about 1” running from the top of the handle downwards. The joint is slightly thicker then the handle. Through the years the joint's tension on the handle has made it crack. The small joint is weighty which appears as if though it was meant to add weight to the handle. I don't understand why they did not just make a solid one piece handle. In my experiences there are too many inconveniences with this handle's design.
Incompatibility Issues
Here is where the thicker original blade plays a crucial role. When the blade is installed on the razor it sits tight and well held. When the handle is inserted and screwed all the way in the threads of handle will push the latch up. Since the blade is sitting on top of the latch it will be sandwiched even tighter this is a deliberate by design. The blade gap is virtually non existent which means it will be a mild shave … but something went wrong.
The Shave
I installed a modern Gem stainless steel blade before testing the Very Sharp razor. When I tightened the handle I noticed that the blade had slightly bowed up in the center. The blade gap was slightly uneven because of the bow and the blade gap had also increased. I knew right away that this was due to the modern SE blade being thinner and more flexible then the vintage Very Sharp blade.
I installed the Very Sharp blade and tightened the handle all the way. Sure enough, the bowed blade effect did NOT occur the blade gap was even and small. I knew I was stuck with the dilemma of a blade incompatibility issue. I tried to barely screw the handle in so that the bowed blade effect (with a modern blade) would not occur (which it didn't) but the head became loose quickly.
I can feel that the shave is moderately mild (a hint of aggression) when the blade is seated correctly. In the end I shaved with the razor's handle properly tightened and the slightly bowed modern SE blade. The experience? Aggressive more so then an OCMM and I got a bit of razor burn on the upper lip. I know that this is caused by the incompatibility blade issue.
Still, shaving with a thin modern blade is doable but it's not very comfortable. Finally, I can't really rate the performance of the Very Sharp since I would need to use the appropriate blade for this razor. At the moment (and future) I need to find a way to alleviate this incompatibility issue. This is a good unique razor but I believe it greatly benefits from a thicker vintage SE razor blade.