Thread: Revisor "5-0003" 5/8

Until fairly recently, if you wanted to buy a new production razor, you had a choice between Thiers Issard and Dovo. TI has a long history of duds, and I have never found one I really liked (with the exception of the 1/4 hollow Grelot that Obie now owns). Those of you who are interested in watches will probably know Glashütte, Saxony. One of the companies there did something incredibly clever. They used the knowledge of the old watchmakers to produce new watches. Similarly, there are still some elderly gentlemen around in Solingen (Heribert Wacker being the most well known, probably) who learnt the trade while razors were still being produced in larger quantities in Solingen.

Here is a bit of background about the REVISOR brand, and the Revsior company.

The company REVISOR was founded in 1919 by C.FRIEDR. SCHMIDT. In the same year, the trade mark REVISOR was registered at the national patent office (see enclosed certificate). There are also registrations in the years 1919 - 1929 - 1930 - 1941, and these documents are readily available.

In the fifties, the traditional straight razor market decreased. Razors which utilise replaceable blades, cartridge razors and the electrical shaver replaced the razor. Circa 1950, there were around 600-700 razor manufacturers in Solingen. The razors were mostly produced for the manufacturer by independent contractors working from their homes or private shops.

Today in 2009 there are only 8 - 10 manufacturers remaining in Solingen.

By the end of the fifties, REVISOR was only producing razors and other Solingen-steel products in limited numbers. With the coming of a generation, REVISOR was faced with the choice of closing or selling in 2003. Based on family tradition of the company and the long-time solidarity with the SOLINGEN-steel product industry, we decided to acquire REVISOR and take over of the trademark REVISOR.

In 2007 the protection of the name REVISOR was been renewed at the German Patent and Trademark Office in Munich. The extensive inheritance of old stock from REVISOR was sorted and, when necessary, finished or refinished. Now, these New Old Stock (NOS) razors are sought and favoured by our customers.

Beginning in 2004, REVISOR began to develop a new line of razors. The production of these razors is grounded in the high quality of vintage razors, and draws from new and improved production methods to further improve the quality of the razors.

The highly skilled workers, veterans to the company who may be in their 70's, are still highly involved and highly committed to their work. It is a great honour to have these old, loyal co-workers who are willing to share the wisdom from their many decades of experience with their younger colleagues. REVISOR celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2009.

I reviewed another Revisor previously, the http://www.straightrazorplace.com/fo...umb-notch.html. I sent this razor - along with several others, including a Dorko "300", a Wacker "Old Sheffield" 7/8, two 7/8 Henckels "Friodur" and some other not-too-shoddy blades to a good friend for honing. Here is what he had to say about the "Seemann":

"The razors all shave me very well. I don't know how you selected them, or if this small collection is the result of weeding out many others, but they each stand out above the average razor I'm send for honing. The one I liked best, shave-wise was the Revisor. It took an edge exactly as I want it (so did the others), but also fits my hand as if I was born with it, has just the wheight I like, and redefines the concept balance for me. It takes a razor with perfect balance to realize that it can actually make a difference. :-) I already checked their website: they also carry those without goldwash... which is not good, not good at all... I'm slowly running out of reasons not to buy one. :-("

As you can see, I was not quite wrong with my review. So, without further ado, let us see how the 5/8 performs.

The razor came in a nice black plastic coffin (click to enlarge this and the other images).



I unpacked it, and this is what I was greeted with:



A perfect Tiefenätzung (deep etching), and again perfect enamel. You can see the equally perfect satin finish on the back of the blade:



Craftsmanship: Absolutely top notch. The plastic scales are well done, and functional. They open and close snugly. The pins are as they should be. The blade itself is fantastic. Even, full hollow grind, absolutely flat, and with nice jimps.



Balance: If the jimps were 1mm to either side, I could balance the razor on the Dovo stand.

Collectability: n/a. I am waiting for Thomas Kronenberg to get back to me with more background information, but I do not think this razor will become a collectible too soon.



Price: €88, which puts it in the same league as the bottom line Dovos. But the craftsmanship on the Revisor is a cut above most Dovos. Just take a look at the close-up shot of the front of the blade.



And for me at least, one of the core questions when rating price is, 'how much would I pay for the razor without any bells and whistles?'. Let me tell you, I would absolutely pay €88 for it. Because of the way it shaves. The tang area is wide, and the deep jimps make for an excellent grip. This is also a pro when stropping the razor. The grind is hollow, but the razor does not offer too much flex - just enough to be comfortable and smooth. It came with a nice factory edge and stropped, ready for action. A word of caution for those of you used to US honemeister edges: the razor is not "scary sharp", but "European sharp" (for lack of a better word). It shaves smoothly but without the hyper aggressiveness of, say, diamond spray edges.

Overall: The etching is stunningly beautiful, the goldwash makes the razor even more attractive. In short, everything about this razor looks and feels right. Granted, the blade is worthy of horn scales. But for the price, the razor is a really attractive offering. Revisor have similar razors in 6/8, which is why I give the Revisor "5-0003" 5/8 9.5 points overall - if it were 6/8, it would be truly perfect. But as it is, it is highly recommended, and should make a very attractive beginner razor for a fair price - and a worthy competition for Dovo's "Special Tortoise". Recommended? Absolutely!