The Phoenix Prismatic Safety Razor - A Modern Take On A Classic - Nickel Plated
I am very excited to be able to finally release The Prismatic! This razor has been in the works for almost a year...and what a crucial piece of wet shaving history it is!
The Prismatic, much like The DOC or The Phoenix Bakelite, is yet another homage based once again on one of my favorite, hard to get (or afford) classic vintage safety razors of all time by The Kirby Beard Co Razor of England...or actually by The French Razor Company Leresche (classic "Private Labeling")!
Being from the USA most of us modern wet shavers and collectors seem to be Gillette-centric and rightly so. But in being so we miss out on so many great vintage, highly efficient, European designs. Leresche being one of them, a company I believe to be light years ahead of their time and Gillette in their day! Doing a google image search you will see these relics to be fine examples of not only beatific form, but also function! The Razor makers of Leresche were true masters in their craft and would give modern designers a real run for their money today!
The Kirby Beard Co razors are *mostly known for their eye catching scalloped top cap and their continuous solid guard bar. Very unique in their time (30's and 40's), and very unique now. Most importantly, they are known by many an old time collector as great, GREAT shavers!
There really is something to be said about the slim head design when it comes to getting into those hard to reach places on the neck or under the nose, compared to top heavy, clunky modern head designs we have been drowning in for the last 10 years. Not to mention the physics behind the scalloping top cap design yield similar effects comparable to the DOC top cap reservoirs, however less dramatic. (*NOTE: Not all of Kirby Beard Co's Razors had the Scalloped top cap.)
With this recent reboot I made a few minor tweaks to the design, mainly the blade mounting posts. I opted for bars more like the the DOC design. I also made the head slightly smaller in shape without sacrificing the geometry of the original design. This also means you can create a really funky Young Frankenstein Razor w/ our very popular DOC! (Meaning more comical than effectual.)
Like most of these classic, hard to get razors, they too were put out of business, not by Gillette this time but by Nazis bombing their plants during the 2nd WW! That said, I am very happy and grateful to be able to save these fine shavers from being lost to history and once again restore them to their rightful place of honor, The Modern Shave Den and at a more than fair price. Viva La Prismatic!
FIND DE Blades HERE!
Aggression: Medium
Classic 3 Piece Design
Blades Not Included
Nickel Plated Brass Handle
Head: Satin Nickel Plated Zinc Alloy