Have you heard of the Rolls Razor? It is a non-disposable blade razor with a built in hone and strop in the case. You hone the blade twice a year and strop it before using. A complete description and history can be found at the following link:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/3541/Rolls_Page.htm
When I was in the army back in the fifties I bought one. Somewhere along the way I lost it. Time has dimmed my memory of what kind of shave you got. When I found a "mint" one on e-bay, I bought it. It was indeed "mint", like brand new, at a very good price, $25.00. I forgot what a lousy razor it was. You are taking your life in your hands to use it and you don't get a very good shave. I used it this morning and of course cut myself. Does anyone out there actually use these things tp shave? I would not recomend using it except in an extreme emergency. Funeral directors could use it to shave corpses because they don't bleed.
My razor will go on display with other collectibles and I can tell people I own a Rolls. I can't help but be reminnded of Arnold Gingrich, the late editor of Esquire Magazine. For years he lusted after a Rolls Royce automobile. He was finally able to save enough to buy a used one. A year's experience with unreliability and vere expensive maintenance was enough and in his words he got rid of "this beautifully made piece of junk". That's how I would characterize the Rolls razor.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
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2 comments:
You surprise me - Maybe the blade on your Rolls needed honing and stropping for a little longer.
After reading about the Rolls extensively online, I bought one on ebay which arrived today in very much used condition.
I spent a short while cleaning it and repairing the strop. Perhaps an hour at most to get it as close to original condition as I could.
Once done, I honed it and stropped it for probably the first time it's been done in 2 decades then gave myself a shave.
I had 1 small nick on my chin but I usually expect worse than that with my normal razor. Not bad considering it's the first time I've ever used a Rolls.
What surprised me though was how close a shave I got - A brand new Mach 3 blade doesn't give me as good a shave as the Rolls managed.
One further thing to consider is the model of Rolls you have. I got an Imperial #2, one of the original Rolls Razors. There are also a lot of 1950s Viscount models out there which are widely regarded to be of poorer construction quality.
That said, I'd consider sharpening the blade for somewhat longer and trying again.
I'm very happy with my Rolls and have decided to buy a couple more in better condition and use mine for spares. I have every intent of shaving with it from now on.
My rolls razor is tops. Great shave every time
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