Today was shave number 12 with my first English Wilkinson Sword blade and it still seems just as sharp as it did on day 1 and if anything it may actually be getting smoother. I still have another 189 of theses blades left as well as 100 Personna Labs and 50 Schick Krona-Chrome blades and around 100 blades for my Schick Injectors so I figure at a minimum I'm set for at least the next 9 or 10 years and depending on just how long the English Wilkies last I may never have to buy blades again.
I may never need to buy blades again!
- Thread starter rotto66
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The English Wilkinsons are hands down my favorite blades, too bad they're out of production which makes them tough to find. Which ones are you using?
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- #3
Good deal! I think most of the ones I have are a little older, plus I have a pack or two that look like yours but made in Germany...I don't care for the German ones much.
Are yours the Made in England blades? I understand that these are sharper than the German produced ones.
I recently got a bunch of the same UK wilkis off ebay and am very impressed. This guy was selling 100 pieces for best offer prices going down to $16 a few weeks ago. Seems like he had bucket loads of them. Yeah and they seem to last a real long time. Not quite as sharp as I like but very smooth and the do last a long time. Not sure I have even wore one out yet.
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- #7
Today was shave number 14 and the blade shows no signs of giving out.
I picked up 100 of them and when I got to shave #50 on the first one I unwrapped I got another 100 of them.
I put the first blade down at 105 shaves. It is still a sharp blade and I may use it some more but it feels GREAT to get back into my injectors and SE razors again so it might be a while before I look at that Wilkie once more
One may never need to buy blades again, but one may want to! 
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- #10
One may never need to buy blades again, but one may want to!
That's definitely true, if we only bought what we actually needed for shaving I think most of us would be set for a very very long time.
What one is the "to buy one" anyone have a B&B Vendor link where we can buy them?
I don't believe there are any B&B vendors carrying these. I got mine here (as did many others):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Wilkinson-Sword-CLASSIC-Double-Edge-Razor-Blades-20-packs-of-5-blades-/251322070239?ssPageName=ADME%3AL%3AOU%3AUS%3A3160&nma=true&si=0jNXtGV25flQR9tcFLk9Zb9PxRU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Says there is only one left. But they always seem to restock them. At some point I assume they will run out.
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- #13
The place to buy the English Wilkies is on Ebay. The seller I bought mine from is empireorder. Here is a link for you. I ordered twice from this seller and both times received the blades pictured in my earlier post not the ones shown on the sales page.
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Hmmm. I'd love to try a pack before I commit to a hundred. They sound interesting.
Is anyplace selling them in smaller quantities?
Nick
Is anyplace selling them in smaller quantities?
Nick
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Sure. The same guy has smaller quantities.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-Wilkinso...t=US_Shaving_Hair_Removal&hash=item3a85325e3b
It is a much better value to buy the 100 blades, though. If you don't like them, I will buy them from you after Christmas (I'm on the 2013 GRUC sabbatical so I can't buy anything until 12/25/13.
I found them to be a bit rough on the first shave, but then they smooth out. Maybe I should cork them?
I hand strop all blades before my first use, and between uses. Never seem to have an issue with the first shave. Of course, and as always, YMMV.
With that said, I can't really say how long these English Wilkies will work for me, But I can say that, while they seem like a perfectly acceptable blade, they aren't nearly as smooth as the Voskhod or SI blades--for me, that is.
I realize blade reviews are pretty subjective. Nonetheless I'd love to hear from people who've used these and other popular blades like 7 O'Clock Blues or Blacks or Yellows, or Silver Blues, or Personna Meds or Labs, or Feathers, or any of the other brands that get talked about a lot here. Also, is there anyone out there that can compare these modern British made blades (with Chrome, and ceramic edge and PTFE) to the vintage Super Swords or Light Brigades that get such rave reviews. Thanks.
I find these blades to be very smooth, but not that sharp, Maybe performs closest to an Astra SP. Not as sharp and efficient as an Israeli Personna. Probably the dullest blade I use that still give a smooth shave - but it takes more work to get their than any of the Gillette 7 O'clocks. Works well in my Fatip, My Slim adjustables need to be on the 9 setting. Mild razors I've not found to be a good match to this blade.
Contrasting this to the German Wilkies. The Germans are sharper than the Brits (blades, not people) but are harsher (again, the blades). The German Wilkies remind me of an Israeli Crystal Stainless which is a sharp blades but seem to be pretty irritation inducing.
Further evidence of YMMV. The Crystals seem to work well in all my razors and seem sharp and smooth. OTOH, I'm not really a fan of the red Israeli Personna blades, which seem rough and not as sharp, to me that is.
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- #20
I would say the English Wilkinson blades are sharper than an Asra SP but not quite as sharp as a Personna Lab or 7 O'clock yellow and for me they are very smooth.
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