REVIEW: The Shake Sharp razor, "The Razor that Sharpens Itself."

I'm not much for hype, positive or negative (I like to think I'm not, anyway). Like the Marines I worked with taught me, "If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid." I've never forgotten that maxim and so I judge shaving gear not on popularity or lack of it but on how it works for me. As a result, I've long used various obsolete shaving supplies and eccentric devices which rendered me something of an oddball among wetshavers. I also get consistently great results from an much-maligned but admittedly overpriced multiblade razor. But as a wise man once said, "It's all about the shave." Those are words I live by.

So when I'd heard good things about the Shake Sharp razor and saw how it is supposed to work, I was cautiously intrigued. When the opportunity came up, I got one. 

What is the Shake Sharp? It's a long-dead type of safety razor from the 1940s. Its main selling point was that it is not merely a safety razor (there were literally dozens if not hundreds available back then) but also a self-contained double-edge razor blade hone. That might sound gimmicky since every area of the marketplace back in the early half of the last century was saturated with gimmicks (it still is), especially where shaving items were involved (it still is). Times were tighter than they generally are now, so if a guy had a chance at stretching something as (even then) relatively cheap as a razor blade, it was worth a shot. Having a considerable amount of Scot in me, so did I and for the very same reason.

So the big question is, Does the Shake Sharp work? 

Short answer: Yes it does, and it does so even better than I'd expected.

Luckily, mine was apparently in mint unused condition all the way around; the gold finish is gorgeous but condition was most important for the stone. After all, if the stone is worn or shot it wouldn't make any difference what shape the razor itself is in. I don't know exactly what compound the stone is composed of but mine is in excellent shape and - most importantly - it DOES do what it says. 

The first thing I did after the typical cleaning routine was to choose a carbon blade to test out the honing feature. 

By the way: I am very reluctant to hone stainless blades in this razor for two reasons. First, it seems to me that, being a harder steel, stainless would have to wear out this very difficult to replace if not irreplaceable hone much sooner than using the softer carbon blades it was designed for. I may be mistaken on that, but I doubt it. Second, for me the jury is still out on whether stainless blades even CAN be effectively honed, or if they can, whether it's worth the effort. When it comes to carbons, though, there's no question - if you can do it right, it's worth it.  

To test the hone, I marked up the edge of the blade with a red Sharpie...being just ink, it would quickly show whether the hone touched the edge of the blade evenly, if at all. 

Result: the entire edge of the blade was sanded clean of Sharpie, though about 30% of the edge was not done as evenly as the rest. Still, the extreme cutting edge itself - the part that actually matters - was visibly de-inked the entire length of the blade. A good sign, though only time would tell whether the Shake Sharp would live up to its claim to fame by maintaining an edge, thereby increasing a blade's longevity.

On an admittedly reckless impulse, I very carefully pried the stone loose and reversed it (this is extremely foolhardy since one wrong move and the whole stone could have cracked or shattered). Luckily it did not,* so I reclamped the reversed stone and repeated the Sharpie test. This time the edge was de-inked evenly the whole length of the blade. 

Now it was time for the moment of truth!

With two full days growth, I prepped and lathered. Long story short, I received a wonderful two-pass BBS (baby butt smooth) shave. The brand of carbon blade I chose performed as well as it ever does but, giving it a dozen or so shakes every 30 seconds or so - probably more than I needed to give it - the shave was perfectly smooth sailing the whole time, with none of the edge-dulled pulling typical to carbons as the shave progresses. The end result after both passes was not one nick and no irritation, either. A splendid shave!

The proper cutting angle of the Shake Sharp mimics that of the Guiding Eye gimmick found on some Gem Micromatics -- meaning the head is held pretty much flat against the face. Blade noise is also surprising as it resonates almost as loudly as early single edge razors do.

The safety bar is deeply ribbed; at a distance, squinting, one could mistake it for an open comb. In fact, it resembles one of the combs on that uber-aggressive bakelite monster, the Neillite 400. I'm pretty sure that between the deep combs and the hone feature - which can easily knock out soap sludge mid-shave - it could take off my yearly goatee without choking on it like most safety bar DEs do. We'll see come next Spring. EDIT: Decided to mow off my goat; the Shake Sharp didn't even blink. So now, my beloved Gillette NEW is obsolete, too.

As an unexpected bonus, this razor surprised me with various aesthetic elements which resemble features I've always found pleasing in other razors. For example, the cap of the head is rounded, mimicking the curved profile of my favorite ancient Gem/Ever Ready razors, most notably the Damaskene. Whatever the razor, I've long been convinced that this curve definitely makes for a nicer shave.

Something else I liked: While the razor has a slightly short handle (the only drawback I can name), it's tolerable because what it lacks in length it makes up for in girth and really grippy knurling that resembles Gillette's old Bar handle, also a favorite of mine. 

Overall, the razor is not as heavy as it would appear at first glance. Due to the stone, the weight is mostly in the head but the balance does not seem to suffer for this. The cutting angle finds itself, and quickly.

CONCLUSION: The Shake Sharp is, so far, the best $30 I've ever spent for a razor. It is wonderfully designed, handsomely finished, comfortable to use, shaves very well and lives up to its main selling point: It extends the life of carbon blades indefinitely. Is it going to replace my venerable Gillettes and Schicks? Yes, very probably it will replace most of them. Even after one shave I know some of them have just been rendered obsolete, along with various stropping and honing paraphernalia I've acquired over the years.

If you have a chance to obtain a Shake Sharp with a good hone, and if you use carbon blades, I'd advise you not to pass it up. It's worth a reasonable price (whatever you decide that is). If you're primarily a stainless user, I'd be leery of using it to hone them much at all, just for the sake of the stone's longevity.

*After pondering it awhile, I came up with an idea for a replacement hone that I'm reasonably sure would be close to if not just as effective, if the original ever wears out or breaks. I just hope it's a long time before I need to put this idea to the test. Since the stone can be swapped around, though, and since I don't use carbon blades exclusively, I hope to be in my box before wear really becomes an issue.