Thread: Introducing the AlembiCase

Well, I am finally able to do an introduction of my new business to all of my friends here at SRP. My company name is Alembic Products, LLC, and my product is the new AlembiCase™ straight razor case.

When I developed the AlembiCase™, I had spent months looking for a storage and travel case for my very expensive vintage straight razors. What I found was more than just a little disappointing. The problems as I saw them were:

1. Cost – I had to raid my daughter’s college fund to afford the $100 - $200 price tag. For that kind of money, I would rather have another vintage straight razor.
2. Configuration – The cases available were great if you had multiple identical razors. But straight razor users have many lengths and thicknesses of razors. Something the current cases handle poorly if at all.
3. Security – The existing cases had no means of locking the case
4. Dehumidification – The mostly wood, leather or clothe cases did not comprehend a desiccant to keep the corrosive humidity low in the case.

So I decided to go on a journey of developing my own case. My requirements were:

1. Low Cost – I wanted this case to be affordable for anyone, including the ever cash strapped college student or military man.
2. It had to hold 7 of virtually any straight razor at the same time, but be able to be reconfigured for any other 7 straight razors – without any tools.
3. It had to be easily cleaned if soap or lather got on it.
4. It had to have an area for a desiccant pack, and the desiccant pack needed to be indicating to let me know when it was saturated.
5. It had to be lockable to keep prying children’s fingers safely away from the insanely sharp edges on a straight razor.
6. It had to be durable and look good.
7. Finally, it had to be able to be manufactured at a cost that I could satisfy requirement Number 1.

The result after 9 months of development and 13 prototypes is the AlembiCase™.

The case is capable of holding seven (7) of virtually any but the largest of custom made straight razors (1 1/8" x 6 3/4") and is based on the *Otterbox © Waterproof Box. This box is crush proof, lockable, waterproof to 100 ft, lined with foam for padding, has replaceable latches, and just looks great.

The Interior of the AlembiCase™ contains a High Density Polyethylene base with 7 adjustable nesting blocks for your precious razors. It has a slotted rest for the monkey tail of the razor and has an integral machined compartment for an indicating desiccant pack in the base’s underside.

To use the AlembiCase:

1. Open the case, remove the Mylar foil barrier envelope containing the desiccant pack, and open. Pictures 1 and 2 below.


2. Remove the base from the case and push the pack into the back cavity making sure the stripe is down. This stripe is transparent to allow you to see the blue desiccant inside the pack. When the pack turns pink, it is saturated, indicating it needs to be replaced. The sides of the cavity are undercut at 14 degrees, so the side walls grip the pack and lock it in. Picture 3 below.

3. Return the base to the bottom of the case. Picture 4 below

4. One at a time, find the slot you want a specific straight razor to reside in, put the monkey tail into the slot and hold the wedge end of the razor in front of the “V” groove. Picture 5 below.

5. Press down on the dimpled area of the adjustable block and slide the block until the razor is securely nested. The block is spring loaded and friction will lock the block into position. Picture 6 and 7 below.


6. Repeat for the remaining razors.

Keep the case closed when not putting razors in or taking razors out of the box to prolong the life of the desiccant pack. Two (2) desiccant packs have been supplied with the AlembiCase™.

I have taken the time to design what I believe to be the best Straight Razor Case available on the market today, using the finest materials that I could find. And, I am delivering it at a price that is affordable. I believe that you will think so too. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your AlembiCase™, return it for a full refund of the cost of the case (less shipping).

Oh yes, pricing. The AlembiCase™ retails for $39.95 plus shipping. My website www.alembicproducts.com is still under construction, so PM me or e-mail me at alembicproducts@comcast.net to place an order. I will post when the website is up and running. I am currently accepting Paypal for all orders.

Sincerely,
David Vitale
Alembic Products, LLC

*Otterbox © is a registered Copyright of Otter Products, LLC and is not affiliated in any way with Alembic Products, LLC.

I am in complete and utter awe!!!!

That is freakin' AWESOME and ELEGANT!

But could you make me one that is waterproof to 200 feet?
And, perhaps, could you make it bigger so it could accommodate my scythe?

CONGRATULATIONS ON AN AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!!!!!

That is freaking awesome. I was at the local tobacconist today finding something for the evening and was perusing his old cigar boxes to see what I could use for every day storage and saw he had a crush proof cigar case for traveling. I thought to myself, I bet someone can figure out how to turn one of those in to a straight razor case. It appears that you have succeeded. I wish you great success. And I'll be PMing you here in the next couple of days once baby #3 comes home and we start adjusting to his schedule.

Well, I know what I'm asking for for Father's Day this year.

Btw, without actually seeing one in person, I would say that it seems that you've met all of your goals there.

One question: Is the adjustable part held by friction? If so, how does it tolerate any tilting of the box that may occur during transport?

David,

Awesome product! I'll have to add it to my ever-growing list of wants, no - needs, no - wants - oh well whatever it is

Greg

Alot of R&D right there!!! Well done!

Originally Posted by Utopian

I am in complete and utter awe!!!!

That is freakin' AWESOME and ELEGANT!

But could you make me one that is waterproof to 200 feet?
And, perhaps, could you make it bigger so it could accommodate my scythe?

CONGRATULATIONS ON AN AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!!!!!

Thanks Utopian - I'll have to see what I can do about that scythe!

Originally Posted by bharner

That is freaking awesome. I was at the local tobacconist today finding something for the evening and was perusing his old cigar boxes to see what I could use for every day storage and saw he had a crush proof cigar case for traveling. I thought to myself, I bet someone can figure out how to turn one of those in to a straight razor case. It appears that you have succeeded. I wish you great success. And I'll be PMing you here in the next couple of days once baby #3 comes home and we start adjusting to his schedule.

Wow - congratulations on the new baby - that is just awsome.

And thank you for the kind words - I really appreciate them

Originally Posted by chay2K

Well, I know what I'm asking for for Father's Day this year.

Btw, without actually seeing one in person, I would say that it seems that you've met all of your goals there.

One question: Is the adjustable part held by friction? If so, how does it tolerate any tilting of the box that may occur during transport?

Thanks, I just updated the description. The blocks are spring loaded and held by friction. There is about 1/16" gap under the block in the dovetail slot. So when you press the block down, you compress the spring and relieve the friction, making it possible to slide the block forward and back. When you release the block the spring forces the block up to lock into the sliding dovetail joint. It works and holds beautifully. So much so I filed for a patent.

Originally Posted by Alembic

Thanks Utopian - I'll have to see what I can do about that scythe!

He only thinks it's a scythe. I read a whole thread on how math-- which is for smart people-- shows that all scythes are actually corn knives.



This looks brilliantly designed! Can't wait to get a look at one in person...