Hill & Son Straight Razor is a quarter hollow razor with extremely soft velvety Sheffield steel. It has a quality steel that is easy to use, sharpens quickly and polishes beautifully. This special model, which we estimate to be more than a century old, has traces of corrosion in a few minor points and is in medium condition. We have combined this razor with scales made of buffalo horn, remaining faithful to the original form. It is a comfortable shaver that we would recommend especially to users with sensitive skin due to its soft comfortable steel.
The description of this rare straight razor from London has been updated according to the information provided by one of the last representatives of the family who contacted us. Hill & Son of 4 Haymarket was a business which was run by at least 3 generations of Hill family. They were all cutlers. Thomas Robert Hill was the first Hill associated with the family business. The company was located at 4 Haymarket in the prestigious London suburb of St James.
Apart from straight razors and general cutlery goods, they also made a lot of other high quality items including ice axes. One intriguing find in the 1970s was an Alpine Ice Axe discovered on a Scottish Mountain, refurbished and now in a museum.
Ice skates were produced by the company for its entire Hill association and later on became a primary product. Census records see Edwin Bardelle Hill (Thomas' son) change his recorded occupation from Cutler to Skate Manufacturer, but the address of 4 Haymarket remained.
Straight Razor Care Instructions
Unlike any other shaving tools, straight razors require special care. The cutting edge must be protected from impacts and contact with any hard surface. After each shave you must clean and dry your straight razor with a soft paper towel without touching the very edge and strop it to keep it sharp. You can strop on the canvas side of your strop to clean the cutting edge after each shave. Please do not try to sharpen your straight razor by yourself if you don’t have adequate honing experience, otherwise you can cause irreparable damage. You may consult our straight razor honing service. If you won’t be using your straight razor for a long time, it’s best to cover it with a thin coat of oil to keep it rust free. This is especially important for straight razors with carbon steels, as carbon steel is very prone to rust in humid conditions. Keep your straight razor in a dry place and out of children’s reach.
CAUTION: Straight razors are serious tools for experienced users who know their faces, skins, whisker types and how to lather well. They can cause serious accidents and injuries in the hands of people without enough experience. If you’re enthusiastic about traditional wet shaving but don’t have the experience needed for using a straight razor, then we recommend checking out our double edge safety razors first.
Please note; comes only as straight razor; stand image was added as reference.