Hoffritz Razor Question
The Bond Experience
Newtown, PAPosts: 5,490Quartermasters
As some of you know I have a small but growing literary James Bond collection and just received a vintage but mint Hoffritz heavy toothed razor. I want to give it a trial run but wanted to first ask if anyone uses this as their daily shaver? Any precautions to take? Will it take standard razor blades or do I have to use a certain brand? I ask to avoid my face looking like it went through a wood chipper...thanks in advance!
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picz dz!
Above is the auction..lots of good close up pix.
now that's a real man's razor!
Please let us know how it feel -{
www.007jamesbond.dk
http://thedangermen.com/
Joke beside – wonderful item – congrats
www.007jamesbond.dk
http://thedangermen.com/
As long as the blades fit, it should not really require anything special. Back then, its not like current razors where each manufacturer has different fittings for obvious reasons.
But to the most important question, how does it shave....there are different preferences. Some guys swear by these even today, lathering up the old fashioned way with badger brush and all. And they do give close shaves despite the fact they are only single blade shavers..but they require a slower touch...lots of hot towels, etc to prepare the face.
ps you should show more of your literary collection.
pps it is for the face, isn't it?????? LOL
ppps also use Floris or Trumpers for the full on Fleming experience
The Daily Adventure was extremely nice this morning: new things to use. To begin with, a potential new lathering bowl: a heavy hemispherical bowl from a French line. Problem: too large, inside too smooth (somehow). I switched back to the large soup cup for now.
I used my Savile Row brush, but I’m becoming more and more attached to my Simpson Emperor 3 Super badger (scroll down at the link). Not too large, not too small, but just right—and not too floppy, not too stiff: just right. And holds water and lathers wonderfully well. A great shaving brush.
The shaving cream was Tabac, a complimentary tube from QED (on the “Other Toiletries” page—see their menu at the left). Before putting that on, though, I washed my beard and rubbed a small amount of the Proraso pre/post-cream over the wet beard.
I used the Merkur Hoffritz update (shown in photo) with a new Feather blade. It requires a sure hand and a light touch, so it’s not the first razor a novice should use. OTOH, it gives a terrific shave—this is the smoothest shave I’ve had in a while. The secret, as always (besides the razor and the blade) is to use light pressure—just the weight of the razor, really—and the right angle and use the 4-pass method: more passes = smoother shave.
Also, use short strokes, which encourage light pressure, correct local blade angle, and focused attention.
Using more pressure, OTOH, is highly productive of cuts, nicks, and razor burn. To get the light pressure, one guy holds the razor at the very tip of the handle with a two- or three-finger grip (photo at link). Try it just to feel how light the pressure can be and still have the razor work well.
Don’t be deceived by feeling some stubble after the first pass—the razor is doing its job, and you will make at least two more passes (across the grain and against the grain). Continue with the light pressure: the final result will amaze you.
I should add that the combination of a thick, wiry beard and sensitive skin just cries out for using a Hoffritz and Feather. First, perfect your technique and learn proper prep and light pressure and correct blade angle. Then get yourself a Hoffritz and a packet of Feathers.
The Slant Bar is handled just as a regular safety razor. The difference in performance is due to the slant of the blade: rather than chopping directly through each whisker, the slanted blade slices through the whisker. As you perhaps know, when you are, say, chopping carrots, you don’t push the knife directly down through the carrot to the chopping block. Instead, you push it down while simultaneously pushing or pulling it slightly: not chopping the carrot, but rather slicing it. Both methods work, but slicing requires a lot less effort.
The Slant Bar’s way of holding the blade automatically slices each whisker. Again, you don’t wield it any differently than you would, say, the HD: you shave with light touch and proper angle and don’t even think about the fact that it’s a Slant Bar (or HD). The way the razor is constructed will take care of the cutting.