We always talk about German, English and French straight razors, but it would not have been without the Swedish straight razors. Just like what Solingen is to Germany and Sheffield to England, the city of Eskilstuna is the important city of Sweden renowned for straight razor and other cutlery production. Eskilstuna straight razors, known for their smaller forms, quality steels, gentle shaves, often quarter hollow grinds and characteristic straight tails, are highly regarded and sought after by every straight razor enthusiast. Klas Törnblom is one of the first straight razor manufacturers comes to mind when Eskilstuna is mentioned.
For a short history; Tönblom and his partner Hedengren established their company in Eskilstuna in 1900 and started selling knives and other cutting tools. In 1916, they started having financial difficulties resulting from the WWI embargoes, thus Törnblom wanted to try his luck by starting his own company and focusing straight razor production. Even though he also produced pocket knives, main production was on straight razors. Törnblom straight razors quickly gained fame as high quality straight razors that offer great shaves. As production remained small-scale, they always remained as high priced quality razors in Sweden. Törnblom passed away in 1920 but his company continued to manufacture straight razors until 1959.
Klas Tornblom Straight Razor we present you is one of the most antique models of the company. A very rare hard to find early model, measuring 4/8, made of carbon steel, with a shallow quarter hollow, close to a fake wedge. We reground the blade completely to achieve a clean steel surface, then polished and honed it. Judging by the form of it we estimate it to be a century old. Don't be intimidated by the look of its wide edge which is a result of its shallow grind, as Swedish straight razors are known for their gentle, comfortable shaves. Ordinary scales wouldn’t cut it for such a rare antique model of an important brand, so we made some unique scales from Arbutus burl wood.
This razor, which is extremely eye-catching but also a great shaver thanks to its high quality steel, can be preferred both for collection purposes and for regular use.
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.