The pits, and pitfalls of zamack eventually come up on forums. I will leave readers to ask wikileaks to expose it's

flaws to the masses. Everything, even a diamond has a physical life; although that bauble lasts longer than the

finest stainless steel. Zamack razors are plated today in chrome, a very hard metal used as the primary anti oxidant alloy in those stainless razors. It is also more expensive; again one reason for the creation of zamack.

The Achilles heel is often an exosed thread post, indifferent QC in cosmetic finnish ( a razor's chrome plating is VERY thin) and INDIFFERENT or overzealous cleaning. Unknown chemicals and minerals in tap water ( chlorine) the popular diluted white vinegar baths can set up slow chemical reactions that lead to failure. The miracle is how few, or unreported catastrophic failures people report. I posted on another forum and one poster

uploaded photos of a real shipwreck. It can, and does happen.

My MERGRESS has lots of inaccessable moving parts and a few obvious thin spots in plating. I love this razor and intend to keep it around. I learned, from self discovery and Mantic the fallacy of distilled water for creating lather. I still have it on hand for a periodic good flush. I think of the first aid adage ' dilution negates pollution.'

Exposed thread posts can be treated with a dab of vaseline, those irritating wax dots on blades or possibly best mineral oil which can be applied to the entire unit and easilly washes away in heat. I wouldn't suggest WD 40 or 20-50 engine oil.Does anyone apply chrome paste waxes?

Lastly, check your bathroom environment. My apartment has one wall of perpetually peeling paint down to soggy drywall.The painter comes in once a year, strips it and slaps another coat on. He works fast and cheap and few people stay as long as 12 years. My bathroom is a tropical jungle clime with lousy venting. Is your bathroom microclimate an unseen enemy?

A lot of nice razors are made of zamack. they need not wind up like the poem about Ozymandious.

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