Modern Straight Razors 1980 - Current

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Just a little section to show off your straight razor(s) and what you like about them. Any other information is always welcome, I hope to build a domestic catalog of razors in use through this repository.

[dappershaves]

My first new razor was Dovo 6/8 Best Quality. It’s a razor that served me well over the years and once honed they will hold their own against vintage and modern counterparts. The razor like all other mass produced razors did not come shave ready from the manufacturer even though the local vendor indicated they are wet tested and ready to shave.

Besides not being shave ready the razor was free from any defects or quality control issues, great value, great razor! I elected to start with a 6/8 razor and in hindsight glad I did. I just like larger blades...

6/8 Dovo Best Quality
Solingen Carbon Steel
Double Concave Bellied Hollow

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Pierre Thiers (1860-1929) was a blacksmith of incredible renown and strength. He was probably bigger than he was tall, with huge biceps from forging and was famous for the quality of his work. From the age of 10 to the end of his life he worked 6 days a week hammering out thousands of blows each working day. Theirs was already an established brand so Pierre Theirs created his own factory and added the maiden name “Issard” that of his wife Jane, so to differentiate his work from others Theirs family members who were also making similar articles. So Theirs Issard came about. You see the Thiers family goes back to at least 1582, where the famous "chart of the Jurande" or guild charter mentions at least 3 different "Thiers" as master razor makers.

As Pierre’s business Theirs Issard became larger he was followed by others from his family besides his wife, there was Pierre Thiers junior 1884-1962, Louis Thiers (1910-1985) and finally another Pierre Thiers (1914-1997). Eventually the family sold the factory in 1985 to the current owner, Mr. Gilles Reynewaeter, who has kept alive the same traditional methods of razor manufacture that have made the razors of this company famous. Thiers-Issard has sold its razors since the beginning of the company of course in France but also largely in Italy, England, Spain and Germany but also for long periods in North America.

General Razor History
Straight razors are one of the worlds earliest tools. In fact we can find similar formed tools in some of the Celtic burial places and other burial places of many old civilizations. These original hand razors were round or oval and usually in bronze or in stone. These tools changed very slowly until the 13th Century and then much faster changes occurred in the 14th century until today. English steel has been considered to be the best quality steel to be used for razor manufacture. English steel especially in the 18th century became very important as Sheffield made crucible alloy steel while other countries such as Spain, France and Germany only made regular steel. Alloy steel produces better edge longevity and is harder than other steels.

Theirs Issard to my knowledge the only manufacturing operation today that quench and temper their high end razors in molten lead. The lead and quench process introduces more carbon making Sheffield alloy steel very hard. Molten lead produces toxic gasses that is a health and environmental hazard, therefore special approval and precaution must be taken. The blades are lead hardened at 800C after which they effectuate annealing at 300C to give the steel not only hardness but flexibility.

The 2 examples shown below are 7/8’s made from alloy steel like they did in the 19th century using Silver Steel that’s quenched and harden with molten lead.

This modern beauty in memory of Jane Issard (Pierre’s wife) and the man himself Pierre Theirs scaled in Olivewood

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and this Bison scaled in Ebony