What finish is it?
Wolfman WR1-OC
- Thread starter williabe
- Start date
What finish is it?
Великолепная бритва !!!
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Just a little update since I have around 12 or so shaves with the WR1-OC at this point. I've been experimenting with some different blades in this razor since I got it, revisiting some old favorites and trying some new ones I hadn't previously tried. So far the break down as far as I can remember is: Astra SP (4), Gillette Silver Blues (3), Personna Lab Blues (2), Voskhod (2), Feather (1).
My previous "go-to" blades were Astra SP so I started off with them in the Wolfman for the first few shaves as a baseline, followed by a shave with a Feather I had left over from a sampler pack. I've never gotten along with Feathers because even though they give a close shave, they only work for 1 use for me. I could tell it would be no different in the new razor, I think I'm giving up on them for good.
Next I decided to give a Voskhod a try, the 100 pack I just received a week or so before the razor arrived were begging for a spin. I had only used Voskhods 2 times prior in a Merkur 41c, they didn't really stand out to me but I felt like they gave good results nonetheless. As soon as I used one in the Wolfman it was like a match made in heaven, so smooth and comfortable but still an extremely close shave. I'm not sure what it is about those blades, the first pass seems to be very underwhelming (probably why they didn't stand out to me from previous uses), but they really shine for pass 2 and 3 and require almost no touching up after the third pass. Great pairing with the WR1-OC for me.
Having experienced the smoothness of the Voskhod, this had me wondering what else I was missing out on and I definitely preffered them to the Astras in this razor. I decided to try a couple new blades and placed an order from tryablade.com for a pack of GSBs and a pack of Personna Lab Blues at the recommendation of a few forum members. My first shave with the GSB was a pleasure, they are very sharp and very smooth. Unfortunately, for me the performance dropped off quickly and the 2nd and 3rd uses were not quite as enjoyable and I didn't have great results. I know I'm in the minority on that and most people get great longevity out of the GSB, but for me I had the same issue I do with the Feathers. I want to revisit these again at some point in the future but for now they are benched.
Next it was on to the Personna Lab Blues, oddly enough I've never tried these blades before either. I used one of these for the next 2 shaves, both with great results. This is another blade that, for me, is extremely smooth and comfortable. I think it felt a little sharper than the Voskhods, but not quite as smooth. I am pretty sure I like these more than the Astras as well, I plan on doing a head to head at some point in the future.
Granted I have limited use with all of them at this point, but of the bunch so far the Voskhods are taking the lead. I went back and used one again this morning on 2 days growth and it was again a pleasure to shave with. I'm going to give them a solid straight week of use, test out how many shaves I can get from each blade, and see the long term results when paired with the WR1-OC. Then I'll go back and give a full week of use to the Personna, and compare the results against the Astras again.
Sorry this turned into a mini blade review rather than a razor review, point being to go back and try different blades again in a new razor if you haven't done so already. I know I was surprised, and the Wolfman certainly has different shaving characteristics than any other razor I've tried so you never know what you could be missing out on with other blades.
My previous "go-to" blades were Astra SP so I started off with them in the Wolfman for the first few shaves as a baseline, followed by a shave with a Feather I had left over from a sampler pack. I've never gotten along with Feathers because even though they give a close shave, they only work for 1 use for me. I could tell it would be no different in the new razor, I think I'm giving up on them for good.
Next I decided to give a Voskhod a try, the 100 pack I just received a week or so before the razor arrived were begging for a spin. I had only used Voskhods 2 times prior in a Merkur 41c, they didn't really stand out to me but I felt like they gave good results nonetheless. As soon as I used one in the Wolfman it was like a match made in heaven, so smooth and comfortable but still an extremely close shave. I'm not sure what it is about those blades, the first pass seems to be very underwhelming (probably why they didn't stand out to me from previous uses), but they really shine for pass 2 and 3 and require almost no touching up after the third pass. Great pairing with the WR1-OC for me.
Having experienced the smoothness of the Voskhod, this had me wondering what else I was missing out on and I definitely preffered them to the Astras in this razor. I decided to try a couple new blades and placed an order from tryablade.com for a pack of GSBs and a pack of Personna Lab Blues at the recommendation of a few forum members. My first shave with the GSB was a pleasure, they are very sharp and very smooth. Unfortunately, for me the performance dropped off quickly and the 2nd and 3rd uses were not quite as enjoyable and I didn't have great results. I know I'm in the minority on that and most people get great longevity out of the GSB, but for me I had the same issue I do with the Feathers. I want to revisit these again at some point in the future but for now they are benched.
Next it was on to the Personna Lab Blues, oddly enough I've never tried these blades before either. I used one of these for the next 2 shaves, both with great results. This is another blade that, for me, is extremely smooth and comfortable. I think it felt a little sharper than the Voskhods, but not quite as smooth. I am pretty sure I like these more than the Astras as well, I plan on doing a head to head at some point in the future.
Granted I have limited use with all of them at this point, but of the bunch so far the Voskhods are taking the lead. I went back and used one again this morning on 2 days growth and it was again a pleasure to shave with. I'm going to give them a solid straight week of use, test out how many shaves I can get from each blade, and see the long term results when paired with the WR1-OC. Then I'll go back and give a full week of use to the Personna, and compare the results against the Astras again.
Sorry this turned into a mini blade review rather than a razor review, point being to go back and try different blades again in a new razor if you haven't done so already. I know I was surprised, and the Wolfman certainly has different shaving characteristics than any other razor I've tried so you never know what you could be missing out on with other blades.
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- Thread starter
- #184
Nice pics and reviews gents!
have been tempted by this razor but a 3 month wait is a long time and I am so impatient when it comes to waiting for things, I can definately see myself buying one of these though
Two months has been the stated wait time. However, recently production was slowed due to an equipment upgrade. That created a backlog, but I imagine it also sped up the means of production, eventually reducing future wait times.
It's not 3 months, it's 8 weeks and will likely be getting shorter in the near future.
Look at it this way, had you emailed James with interest when you were first tempted to buy the razor, you would likely have it already
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The time does pass, and it's worth the wait.
Contemplating ordering a Wolfman. Luv the fact of another top-shelf North American builder. Maybe a silly question but one thats important to me; is there any stamping or marking of some kind identifying it as a Wolfman or at least Made in Canada. I noticed the LASSC razors are marked but never noticed anything on any of the Wolfman photos I have seen.
- Thread starter
- #190
James latest versions of his razors have "Wolfman WR1" identifier etched on the underside of the razor base cap. I like it - here's an example:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/457030-Wolfman-WR1-SB-Solid-Brass
Mine also has the year of manufacture (2015) etched under the "Wolfman." I'm not sure how many James shipped with the year though, as photos of recently purchased WR1s do not include it.
- Thread starter
- #192
Dan- Post some pics - I'd love to see the 2015 etch...
Page 7 post 139 in this thread.
None of my recently acquired heads have the year on them, just the "Wolfman" and "WR1". The year would have been nice!
Very nice indeed. Thought I had read all 10 pages - better brush up on my reading skills I guess. The year added is a nice touch. I hope he does that for them all. As email sent
- Thread starter
- #196
Nice!
Got this response from James "Initially I wasn't planning to mark the pieces at all...sort of a commercial-free concept. But after some feedback it seemed important enough to do this. I got a new machine that does a nice job with engraving so I started adding this. At first I included the year, I think on 2 or 3 pieces, but decided to scrap that and just go with the make & model." He did offer to put year on if requested. What's not to like about that!!! Wow. Looking forward to trying the Wolfman 
I like his logo so I'd prefer that on mine. Including the model seems superfluous though since the presence of combs(s) indicates which of the 3 you have. And unless the design changes from year to year I don't understand the importance of including the year it was manufactured.
Have you seen the tremendous troubles and travails some have undergone to try and date some Gillette razors?
- Thread starter
- #200
I think the coolness factor of the year stamp is nostalgic - to think my sons will have, hopefully use many years later, a razor that I used daily while they were young.
