riverrun
Lather Catcher
sɐǝɹpu∀
Posts: 888
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Post by riverrun on Jun 2, 2019 14:48:13 GMT -6
Postage: Doesn't post to United Kingdom Just as well. Money saved
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TobyC
Gem Star
Old stick in the mud.
Posts: 2,400
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Post by TobyC on Jun 2, 2019 15:01:44 GMT -6
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Post by wchnu on Jun 2, 2019 15:04:33 GMT -6
Beautiful razor. I love it when we dust off a old thread and add to the razor porn. Looking forward to seeing what you think of the shaves.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2019 15:44:01 GMT -6
Nice! Havent heard of that one either. Love a surprise!
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Flintstone
Lather Catcher
Scraper Blade Shaver...
Posts: 908
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Post by Flintstone on Jun 2, 2019 16:19:01 GMT -6
Thanks TobyC -- very interesting stuff. It does appear that in the second pic the STAR razor on the right used to be part of a STAR lather catcher....a little re-tooling and I guess you're off to the races. Happens all the time today, but I don't look at most of the stuff produced today very closely...of course, I don't collect it either. I will say that anyone considering an Improved Stoll should have an affinity and preference for a mild shaver. I'm not the only one who has used these and considered them a touch too mild for their taste. I think I can get a good shave out of it, but I'll be surprised if it supplants one of my favorites. I also saw that Bob (aka spidey9) used my characterization of the Stoll ("cross between a 1914 and a 1924") well before I did.
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TobyC
Gem Star
Old stick in the mud.
Posts: 2,400
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Post by TobyC on Jun 2, 2019 20:19:23 GMT -6
Has anyone seen Bob? I haven't seen him on any forum for a while now, hope he's OK.
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riverrun
Lather Catcher
sɐǝɹpu∀
Posts: 888
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Post by riverrun on Jun 3, 2019 3:50:23 GMT -6
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Flintstone
Lather Catcher
Scraper Blade Shaver...
Posts: 908
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Post by Flintstone on Jun 3, 2019 7:43:22 GMT -6
Andreas, thank you so much for posting that link. I've been quietly searching for Bob ( spidey9) on this and another forum where he was a frequent poster. He always felt like a kindred spirit, and I learned a great deal from his posts. Probably sounds strange to say this about someone I've never met or even conversed with, but I'm really glad to know he's okay (and hopefully still is).
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TobyC
Gem Star
Old stick in the mud.
Posts: 2,400
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Post by TobyC on Jun 3, 2019 13:45:54 GMT -6
I guess my memory isn't what it used to be, I remember posting something concerning Bob's absence, but I had forgotten that he replied. Thank you for the reminder!
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Flintstone
Lather Catcher
Scraper Blade Shaver...
Posts: 908
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Post by Flintstone on Jun 4, 2019 7:36:28 GMT -6
After several shaves with the Improved Stoll, I am ready to put it away for a bit. I like the history and the uniqueness of the design, but it is not my favorite shaver. After several shaves I'm convinced that the tiny blade gap, what appears to be somewhere between neutral to negative blade exposure, and the angle of the head makes this a very mild razor that lacks efficiency. On the scale between socially acceptable shave (SAS) and Baby Bottom Smooth (BBS) -- with Darn Fine Shave (DFS) in the middle -- I can really only get this razor to an SAS level...and that is with focused technique (really concentrating on the angle) and 3 full passes plus a healthy clean-up pass. Another unpleasant feature is the blade loading. As with many internal side-clip razors, I found the modern blade cut-outs constantly caused me to fight/fiddle with the getting the blade to line up and slide into place. It wasn't a 5 minute ordeal or anything overly tedious, it was just one more reason that I wouldn't jump up and down to grab the razor in the morning. So this is one of those very few razors that I don't look forward to using, but that I will revisit after some time to see if I've had a change of heart or my skill has improved to the point where I'm able to coax more out of the razor. Below are some pics comparing the ER-1914, Improved Stoll, and ER-1924 (they are always in that order in the photos). Something that jumped out of me was the difference in the head angle of the Stoll. It is less acute than the other two, and that seemed to force me to hold it almost at the same angle as an injector (handle practically parallel to the floor), anything else and all I could feel was the guard moving the soap on my face.
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Post by birdlives on Jun 4, 2019 16:37:50 GMT -6
I just copped one of those on the 'Bay...I want 'in' on the Stoll trial...I've been researching and reviewing all the Shovelheads. I've owned the ER 1924, 1925 AND the 1909 New Ever Ready. It was while extolling the virtues of these the HoosierTrooper hipped me to the Kampfe Star Super Six and the Stoll Improved. He told me his Stoll shaved as good as his 1914 and better than his 1924!! But I've heard some others say they are too mild...And 2 folks told me when they "Shimmed" the new SS blades that that really amped the Stolls aggression level. One other told me he adjusted the spring that holds the blade tight and then his Super Six became great! Now my curiousity has taken over. I bought one this morning...I guess, I wont sleep much till it makes the scene...lol! Thanks Flintstone for the push...🤣😂 And veddy nice pictures and review👍👍👍
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Flintstone
Lather Catcher
Scraper Blade Shaver...
Posts: 908
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Post by Flintstone on Jun 4, 2019 19:44:03 GMT -6
I just copped one of those on the 'Bay...I want 'in' on the Stoll trial...I've been researching and reviewing all the Shovelheads. I've owned the ER 1924, 1925 AND the 1909 New Ever Ready. It was while extolling the virtues of these the HoosierTrooper hipped me to the Kampfe Star Super Six and the Stoll Improved. He told me his Stoll shaved as good as his 1914 and better than his 1924!! But I've heard some others say they are too mild...And 2 folks told me when they "Shimmed" the new SS blades that that really amped the Stolls aggression level. One other told me he adjusted the spring that holds the blade tight and then his Super Six became great! Now my curiousity has taken over. I bought one this morning...I guess, I wont sleep much till it makes the scene...lol! Thanks Flintstone for the push...🤣😂 And veddy nice pictures and review👍👍👍 Thank you and happy to help, sir!!! I'm intrigued by the thought of a "shim" to raise the aggression level....I will definitely give that a try. And I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Stoll.
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TobyC
Gem Star
Old stick in the mud.
Posts: 2,400
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Post by TobyC on Jun 4, 2019 20:05:05 GMT -6
Seems like a shim would make it milder.
A shim changes the blade angle very, very slightly, I doubt you could tell a difference in a blind test.
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Post by birdlives on Jun 4, 2019 23:46:40 GMT -6
Seems like a shim would make it milder. A shim changes the blade angle very, very slightly, I doubt you could tell a difference in a blind test. We shall see...Billy Fergie said it needed 1/2 a shim to push it forward aswell as raise the angle. BUT...Hoosier Trooper said his shaved like his ER1914 aggressive wise, without the shim. This razor seems to be a polarizing rascal! Maybe there are differences between each example. I had 2 1914s that shaved very differently. One was very mild and the other was more aggressive than my Micromatic, but smooth. My ER 1909 had that thing with the cutouts on the new blades not fitting with the side blade clamps. I found my fix by...when I started to slide the blade forward, I would lay an injector blade on top of the SE blade with the edge facing the front. As I sled the SE blade forward, the edge of the injector blade would catch under the side clamps. As I con'd, the injector blade would stop and the SE blade kept sliding forward til the back edge of the injector blade hit up against the SE blade spine. Then both blades sled as one til the SE blade was in place and the injector blade held it under the side clamps. Sounds more complicated, but was really very simple and worked great. Course ST. Tom's method of honing the original blades for his, is the definitive fix, and best shave possible. But this Stoll was made to use the new spined blades...Yes they were much thicker, but still alot newer profile than the blades in 1909...lol! We Shall See...I'm really looking forward to it.
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Post by birdlives on Jun 5, 2019 1:36:34 GMT -6
I just found a note I got from HoosierTrooper/Tom in May 2013, where I asked him how does the Stoll Improved and and Super Six'es hold up in the shave dept.?
And Tom said, "I really like the Stoll, shaves very much like my ER1914, only just a little lighter."
We shall see....I've been waiting for this confrontation for some time!
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