{"id":16380,"date":"2024-01-17T00:20:52","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darwinshaving.com\/the-collection\/darwins-deluxe-safety-razor\/"},"modified":"2024-01-17T00:20:54","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:20:54","slug":"darwins-deluxe-safety-razor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/darwinshaving.com\/en\/the-collection\/darwins-deluxe-safety-razor\/","title":{"rendered":"Darwin’s “DeLuxe” Safety Razor"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Darwin “De Luxe” or “DeLuxe” razor is a double-edged safety razor that owes its name to its fine finish, elegant presentation and the purity of the material used to make it. The design of the Darwin DeLuxe razor is broadly the same as that of the Darwin Standard, but the DeLuxe stands out from the others thanks to a number of small details. It was manufactured from 1925 until the end of the 1930s or beginning of 1940s, when the factory was bombed and the brand disappeared for a while. Back then, having a stainless steel razor was already an achievement in itself. But having a cobalt razor, now that was another step further. The original vintage Darwin DeLuxe razor was so beautiful, and so strongly built, that we can still find some fine examples today.<\/p>\n

The Darwin “DeLuxe” safety razor that we will present here is not to be confused with the hoe-type razor carrying the same name. Surely they meant to use this to describe a range, a level of greatness in their different models, rather than just one model. Nowadays, with the advent of forums and collectors doing their research with so few information, the “DeLuxe” name stuck to the double-edge razor only. And we decided to go with it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ad from 1937 for the Darwin DeLuxe razor<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Darwin DeLuxe in cobalt-chrome steel<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Darwin “DeLuxe” razor is generally made from cobalt steel. This is one of the features that has made it a real Holy Grail for collectors. The Darwin “DeLuxe” razor is very similar in design to its brother, the Darwin “Standard”. It has a faceted handle and a straight-guard head with toothed bars. Visually, the big difference is the blade centring pins. These are located on the guard plate and protrude through the cap that covers the blade. From a more technical point of view, there is also a slight geometric difference in the curvature of the blade.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Comparaison de deux rasoirs Darwin DeLuxe<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Cobaltchrom steel<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Cobalt steel, also known as cobaltchrom steel or chromium cobalt, is so hard that it had to be worked by hand, over long hours. The shapes of a Darwin razor are not always equal, not always symmetrical. This is due to the very hard manual work on a very hard material.<\/p>\n

The photo opposite shows two Darwin DeLuxe razors. The one on the right is much deeper, both in the handle and in the teeth of the head.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The cobalt steel used to make the Darwin “DeLuxe” razor was a variant of stainless steel, which contained a certain amount of cobalt and chromium in its composition. The result gives the razor a cooler, whiter, harder shine. Like diamond, cobalt steel is very hard but not so resistant to impact. This is why older DeLuxe razors can now be found cracked, something that generally doesn’t happen to other models. Once again, like diamonds, if you take care of it, its brilliance is incomparable, and its longevity is immense.<\/p>\n

In advertising at the time, the razor was described as “practically indestructible”. It was also claimed to be impossible to tarnish or rust, which is true enough. The few spots it may have on its mirror surface can be removed by fine polishing.<\/p>\n

In the hand, you can also feel a slight difference from standard stainless steel: it is said to be cooler to the touch, but it is also, and above all, a little heavier.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Rasoirs Darwin DeLuxe<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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How can I recognize a true Darwin DeLuxe ?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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To find out if your Darwin razor is a DeLuxe model made of cobalt steel, try the magnet test. If the metal parts of your razor are attracted to a magnet, they contain cobalt steel. And thus, they can only come from a DeLuxe model.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Darwin De Luxe - Extrait du catalogue 1934<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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To find out more, take a look at our page dedicated to comparing the different vintage Darwin safety razors:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead the article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Note that Darwin DeLuxe shavers with cobalt heads and regular stainless steel handles also come up from time to time. There are several possible explanations for this:<\/p>\n