I have added Imperial to my list of favourites when it comes to vintage razors, as the few I have tried all shaved very nicely, and consistently so. The brand was birthed by Adolph Köster, born 1856 as son of a Jewish family from Wattenheim, Germany. He emigrated to New York in 1870, hoping to gain a foothold in the cutlery business. There, not unusual for immigrants, he renamed himself Kastor. His uncle Aaron was already in the business and served the young man as a mentor by offering the young Kastor a position in his hardware supply company Bodenheim, Meyer, & Company.
This razor is in fair original vintage condition, it weighs 31 grams and the blade height is 5/8 ths, or around 16 mm high, it has a cutting edge of 68 mm with a muted square point presenting a typical vintage blade in a good, shave ready condition. The bevel on the razor is not perfect, but it sharpens easily with no need for special techniques, slap one layer of tape on the spine and drag it over the stones, that is it! There is no wear on the spine, the razor has a spine thickness of 4 mm and presents a sharpened cutting angle of 16 degrees. The engraving on the grind is nice and deep, and it will remain so after a lot of sanding, this is a great razor for the guy who wants to spend some time and put a mirror finish on it. The razor has a half hollow grind and a comfortable grip with the jimping and standard aestetics on this cool cutter from Germany.
The celluloid scales and pinning is in fair condition, and the razor opens/closes comfortably and centers without touching sides when closing. The scales look like a skeletal finger to me, although I think it was intended to represent 'fake bamboo'
*Vintage razors are priced according to model and availability, time spent cleaning and reconditioning and time/level of honing. Please enquire if you need additional work done to this set prior to purchase. All straight razors will require a stropping on a leather strop before every use. Pics are unedited (detail) and provide a true image of the condition of the razor.