Draft:T R Cadman & Sons

Thomas Radley Cadman (1833-1917) was a Cutler from Sheffield In England, and came from a family of cutlers who settled in Sheffield from Derbyshire in the mid 1700s.

Luke Cadman became a freeman of the Cutlers' Company of Hallamshire in 1748 and used the trademark of Bengall for his knives.

Thomas Radley Cadman took over the family business in the 1870s and traded as T. R. Cadman & Sons, under which name the company operated until 1924 when it was incorporated and became T R Cadman & Sons Ltd.

The company ceased trading in 1965, bringing to an end the long history of the Cadman name in the Sheffield cutlery trade.

T R Cadman made knives and pocket knives, but are best known for their straight razors, sold under the Bengall brand until the company ceased trading in 1965.

Razors made before 1924 can be identified by the tang stamp reading "T R Cadman & Sons" whereas those made after 1924 read "T R Cadman & Sons Ltd".

Most early Bengall razors have black xylonite scales in a classical style with a rounded domed shape.

Later razors had flat scales with bevelled edges, and many had the name "Bengall" embossed into the scales and gold painted.

Cadman did Bengall razors branded for a variety of large department stores, often with the store name etched into the face of the blade, and for a fee the buyer could have their initials monogrammed into the scales.

The bulk of Bengall razor production appears to have been exported, mainly to the Antipodes. Vintage examples are easily found in Australia and New Zealand in antique stores and online selling platforms such as eBay and Marketplace, however they are quite uncommon in the UK, Europe, and the Americas.

After the Second World War, straight razor use declined massively, and the bulk of companies producing them ceased razor production or went out of business altogether by the 1970s, and TR Cadman was no exception, closing in 1965.

The Bengall razors have a reputation for being smooth and comfortable shavers, holding a good edge, and being fairly easy to hone.

Prices are reasonable (in 2024 in Australia and New Zealand the value of a restorable example was between $30-75 while a restored and shave-ready example was worth $100-200) making them a good razor for amateur restorers. They don't hold the high prices that Puma, Filarmonica, Wade & Butcher etc. routinely fetch, so they are not as highly prized by collectors.