Thanks for the warning
I will look around for some electrical tape.
Thanks, Cal!
I will look around for some electrical tape.
Thanks, Cal!
Forgive the click bait, please. But, since I’ve acquired a WR2 .95 SB head to accompany my WR 1.25 head, I now have the ability to replicate all gaps from .95 through 1.55 simply by adding a shim (or two or three). In this way, I basically have the ability to enjoy the entire range of the WR2.
The .95 SB is insanely smooth with no discernible blade feel, much like a Gillette Tech; but the closeness of the shave does not last as long as with higher gaps. At all gaps, the WR2 maintains remarkable smoothness, but (and this is not news) the higher the gap, the longer the shave lasts.
I realize the purists may denigrate the use of shims, and that’s okay. But the WR2 is such an awesome shaver, why not enjoy the full range of gaps without needing an adjustment dial and clunky TTO? Here’s my WR2 ‘Adjustable’ with three Schick shims…
View attachment 1367816
Thanks for that link, Cal. I knew that ‘reverse shims‘ reduced something (blade exposure) — just not the gap, though! Glad to be corrected.No.
'Fraid it's not correct, Dan.
Don't do it Ken.
(Apart from being a total pain to search and navigate) the B&B Wiki is your friend.
I qualifyI think it would be important to note that if you are trying to "reverse shim", this will only work if you are a shallow angle, (riding the cap), shaver!!
You can reduced the gap on your Wolf, Dan. Just break out the angle grinder!Thanks for that link, Cal. I knew that ‘reverse shims‘ reduced something (blade exposure) — just not the gap, though! Glad to be corrected.
Indeed, even the WR2 1.55 is remarkably smooth. For me it comes down to whether you’re a daily shaver or a 2-3x/week shaver. The lower the gap, the more likely you’ll have enough stubble to shave 24 hours later.OK, the reverse shim was a failure. The tape increased the comfort a tiny bit...but decreased the efficiency dramatically!
Perhaps I did something wrong?
OTOH, the regular shim increased both blade feel and efficiency a little. I can now see why guys go for the bigger blade gaps with the Wolfman WR2. Although there is more blade feel, it's not as threatening as you might think. Somehow, the head geometry preserves the comfort level.
That's why after reading all 30 something pages of your thread, I had settled on the Timeless .95. I knew it would be just as smooth as your .68 from others experiences, but with a tiny amount of blade feel. I finally have it and am done buying DE, Wolfman is out of my league. And you were right about the magic feel of Ti.OTOH, the regular shim increased both blade feel and efficiency a little. I can now see why guys go for the bigger blade gaps with the Wolfman WR2. Although there is more blade feel, it's not as threatening as you might think. Somehow, the head geometry preserves the comfort level.
probably better clamp it in a vice and use a cutting wheel@Grundi
You want protect your eyes while cutting the blade edges. Sometimes these metal shavings "bounce" around as they come off... its unlikely that you'll hurt yourself but it's a case of "better safe than sorry".
The Timeless Ti .95 is great...but the Wolfman WR2 .95 is better, especially ATG. It's the only razor I've ever used that has given me a BBS shave with zero irritation. Mr. Alum is silent I cannot wait till my name comes up (probably in February) for a Wolfman Ti. As you note, the feel of titanium is "magic". It goes way beyond just being half the weight as SS. It feels "softer" on the skin, even though it's actually harder than steel!That's why after reading all 30 something pages of your thread, I had settled on the Timeless .95. I knew it would be just as smooth as your .68 from others experiences, but with a tiny amount of blade feel. I finally have it and am done buying DE, Wolfman is out of my league. And you were right about the magic feel of Ti.
I wonder if there are any other slight differences in the base plate/cap based on the gap. Obviously the baseplate is slightly different to change the gap level. I don’t know as I currently own just one Wolfman WR2 head so I can’t compare. But for those with multiple heads, is adding a shim or two really identical in every way from a razor built with a specified gap? In other words, if you have a 1.05 gap and add two razor shims at 0.1 mm thickness each, the result is a 1.25 gap. Is this shimmed 1.25 head identical to a razor made with a 1.25 gap?Thanks, Dan.
I've added shims to my WR2 1.15. Perhaps I did something wrong. (I don't think I did.) At any rate I wasn't very impressed with the shaves I got adding one, two, or three shims.
I very much like my WR2 1.35 though.
I have no idea what any of that means if anything.
Happy shaves,
Jim
The caps are all the same. The amount of steel on the safety bars determine the gap. Shimming is unlikely to provide a perfect match to each gap; but it’s an inexpensive way to simulate more aggression for this head.I wonder if there are any other slight differences in the base plate/cap based on the gap. Obviously the baseplate is slightly different to change the gap level. I don’t know as I currently own just one Wolfman WR2 head so I can’t compare. But for those with multiple heads, is adding a shim or two really identical in every way from a razor built with a specified gap? In other words, if you have a 1.05 gap and add two razor shims at 0.1 mm thickness each, the result is a 1.25 gap. Is this shimmed 1.25 head identical to a razor made with a 1.25 gap?
I wonder if there are any other slight differences in the base plate/cap based on the gap. Obviously the baseplate is slightly different to change the gap level. I don’t know as I currently own just one Wolfman WR2 head so I can’t compare. But for those with multiple heads, is adding a shim or two really identical in every way from a razor built with a specified gap? In other words, if you have a 1.05 gap and add two razor shims at 0.1 mm thickness each, the result is a 1.25 gap. Is this shimmed 1.25 head identical to a razor made with a 1.25 gap?
Thank you for that information. This is helpful. Right now I have the WR2 SB1.05 and am currently putting in my order. I really like the 1.05 a lot, but I am considering going to the WR2 1.15 SB. For reference, I did not like the Timeless 95 at all as it caused too much irritation. I have read people saying though that the WR2 1.15 is pretty similar in efficiency but is smoother than the Timeless and more comfortable. But when I added a shim the other day to my 1.05, I did not like how my face felt afterwards even though I could tell that the shave was a bit closer. But maybe this isn’t really accurately replicating what an actual WR2 1.15 would feel like.In my experience with my 1.15 and later with my 1.35 the shims don't accurately simulate the larger gap. That's just my experience.
I'm not saying the shims are not useful to you or anyone else, but if I'd stopped with the shims and what I concluded using the shims, I wouldn't have purchased the 1.35.
I like the 1.35. I didn't like the 1.15 with two shims.
Happy shaves,
Jim
How wide are your shims, Jim? And are the distances from each side of the blade to the center equal?In my experience with my 1.15 and later with my 1.35 the shims don't accurately simulate the larger gap. That's just my experience.
Anyway, the 1.15 gap did shave slightly closer than the 1.05 but I did notice some irritation that I never get when using the 1.05.
Shimming is unlikely to provide a perfect match to each gap; but it’s an inexpensive way to simulate more aggression for this head.
Shimming on my WR2 matches up with all of the above. Shimming will you give you an approximation of the closeness of the shave, but it won't match the smoothness. Now, I can only talk about the 1.05 to 1.15. My first WR2 was the 1.05. I put one shim in it, and did not like the feel. I still purchased the 1.15 and it's my go to these days. Absolutely love it.I'm not saying the shims are not useful to you or anyone else, but if I'd stopped with the shims and what I concluded using the shims, I wouldn't have purchased the 1.35.
Shimming will you give you an approximation of the closeness of the shave, but it won't match the smoothness.
Great information. This convinced me to go ahead and try the WR2 1.15. I am hoping for a bit more efficiency without sacrificing comfort. I think this gap may be able to do this for me, but I will post my experience. I would never know if I didn’t try.Shimming on my WR2 matches up with all of the above. Shimming will you give you an approximation of the closeness of the shave, but it won't match the smoothness. Now, I can only talk about the 1.05 to 1.15. My first WR2 was the 1.05. I put one shim in it, and did not like the feel. I still purchased the 1.15 and it's my go to these days. Absolutely love it.
But, all our faces are different. I just think it's really useful that a razor like the WR2 Wolf allows us to experiment this way with only a subjective decrease in comfort—we can experiment without risk to our faces.