Hey guys. I'm new here. Learned to shave on DE razors when I was a boy. Soon after, the Atra came along and I consigned the older technology to the trash bin. Rediscovered the DE around 10 years ago. At the time, was looking to save money (Ha!). About a million dollars later, I'd developed my own preferences, though I'd zero in one one razor for a while and then eventually I'd go through a transition and my whole world would change.
Went through an antique Gillette phase, mostly Superspeeds. Then got into adjustables -- the Fatboy was my favorite. Then the Futur. Shaved with that every day for years, set wide open to 6. Eventually the stop broke and the gap got larger and larger. After that, discovered the Ikon Tech and couldn't shut up about it for a time. Then I went through a phase with high end razors -- mostly borrowed from some generous friends. All sorts of expensive razors. Several Wolfman razors, though they weren't quite my thing. Finally invested in a CGL3, which was my baby. A gorgeous beauty, as much jewelry as shaving hardware. Then one day I was in an antique store and I saw this weird little razor. Didn't understand what it was but the price was just $20 so I picked it up on a lark.
That was my first Mark Cross and for the last two or three years it's the only razor I've used because, for me, nothing else can hold a candle to it. Funny too, because I wasn't a single-edge guy. I'd tried them and some seemed alright. But the Mark Cross was the first that really caught my fancy.
I find I can use it with an ordinary DE blade broken in half. Depending on how I align it the razor can be super mild, super aggressive or anything in between. It's unbelievably light and agile.
Perhaps I'm weird. This razor gets very little notice or love online. At this point I have three of them and am always on the lookout for one in truly mint condition. A hard thing to find with a razor that was made for one year 108 years ago. But one never knows. If not, perhaps I'll have one of mine refinished, though I don't know who can recreate the original finish which consisted of three thin layers of silver. Hard to believe this razor originally sold for 25 cents but I guess it was a loss leader to sell proprietary blades. Didn't work out but Mark Cross survived and thrived. To this day, they make high end leather goods. Unfortunately that was their only foray into safety razors. I believe there was an English version with a Bakelite handle -- also manufactured in 1912.
Went through an antique Gillette phase, mostly Superspeeds. Then got into adjustables -- the Fatboy was my favorite. Then the Futur. Shaved with that every day for years, set wide open to 6. Eventually the stop broke and the gap got larger and larger. After that, discovered the Ikon Tech and couldn't shut up about it for a time. Then I went through a phase with high end razors -- mostly borrowed from some generous friends. All sorts of expensive razors. Several Wolfman razors, though they weren't quite my thing. Finally invested in a CGL3, which was my baby. A gorgeous beauty, as much jewelry as shaving hardware. Then one day I was in an antique store and I saw this weird little razor. Didn't understand what it was but the price was just $20 so I picked it up on a lark.
That was my first Mark Cross and for the last two or three years it's the only razor I've used because, for me, nothing else can hold a candle to it. Funny too, because I wasn't a single-edge guy. I'd tried them and some seemed alright. But the Mark Cross was the first that really caught my fancy.
I find I can use it with an ordinary DE blade broken in half. Depending on how I align it the razor can be super mild, super aggressive or anything in between. It's unbelievably light and agile.
Perhaps I'm weird. This razor gets very little notice or love online. At this point I have three of them and am always on the lookout for one in truly mint condition. A hard thing to find with a razor that was made for one year 108 years ago. But one never knows. If not, perhaps I'll have one of mine refinished, though I don't know who can recreate the original finish which consisted of three thin layers of silver. Hard to believe this razor originally sold for 25 cents but I guess it was a loss leader to sell proprietary blades. Didn't work out but Mark Cross survived and thrived. To this day, they make high end leather goods. Unfortunately that was their only foray into safety razors. I believe there was an English version with a Bakelite handle -- also manufactured in 1912.
