So i'm back with another monthly review! Although in actuality this time it’s only been a couple weeks in between reviews. My daily shaving experiment ran me through blades faster than normal, so i wanted to post this up before the memory faded. As before, each blade will be reviewed based on a 2 pass (plus touch up) shave using a Van Der Hagen razor, Henry Cavendish shave soap and a generic Fento badger brush. I run through 2 of each blade and use each 4 times; for a total of 8 shaves per brand. I'll be grading based on sharpness, smoothness, longevity and consistency. Price will be a factor but only of it's very cheap or expensive since most DE blades are pretty cheap comparatively.
This month (week haha) is Wilkinson Sword German. Most on this forum will have an opinion on this one as it’s considered almost universally a ”very good” blade. The trusty Wilkinson Sword German is shown a lot of love in the DE circles and i was excited to try it out; especially on the heels of it’s brother the Wilkinson Sword India.
Like the Wilkinson Sword India, the Getman is PTFE coated stainless. Wilkinson Sword does have a website and touts the German (or “classic” as they call it) as “an excellent value for money”.
So after much anticipation, my first impression was...surprisingly underwhelming. There was far more tugging than i had anticipated and it took a good amount of work to reduce the stubble enough to go atg. I know from refinedshave.com that these ARE sharp blades, so i was surprised that i felt so much tug and pull. I thought perhaps i just got a bad blade, but the second blade was exactly the same. I just was not impressed by the sharpness.
Smoothness is another story. I didn’t have any weepers througout all 8 shaves so the reputation for smoothness i found to hold true. I wasn’t afraid to get a little overzealous chasing a BBS shave, and afterwards my face didn’t feel raw at all. To me that’s the measure of smooth blade so i was pleased with that aspect.
To me though, the top quality of this blade was it’s consistency. The first 3 shaves were exactly the same with both blades, and the 4th experienced a slight dulling on both. The fact that each blade was a mirror image of the other says a lot for their quality and construction.
Longevity i assume would be very good as well. I think i could have comfortably had 2-3 more shaves with each blade. Anything over 4 shaves i would consider good, and i think the Wilkinson’s definitely could make it to the 6-7 shave range.
Despite being smooth, consistent and durable, I simply couldn’t get over how subjectively “dull” these seemed. I fall into the category where i’d rather feel a little raw with a near perfectly close shave than have a comfortable shave that’s just so-so. And i felt a comfortable, so-so shave is what the Wilkinson Sword gave me.
Ironically, i found it to be a lot like shaving with the Van Der Hagen blades. Good, but to me nothing special. Overall i’d give these blades a 5 out of 10. At $17.85 per 100 on amazon they're certainly not a bad deal, but on the whole they’re not something i see myself buying again. I know a lot of people will disagree but for whatever reason, these just really did not cut through my stubble well at all. I actually much prefer the Wilkinson Sword India which again, a lot of people will probably disagree with. But as they say a lot around here, your mileage may vary.
Up next, Vokshod. I’ve decided to post my next review fairly quickly since i’m a little behind the blade i’m currentlyp using, so it should be up in a few days. Thanks for reading and happy shaving!
This month (week haha) is Wilkinson Sword German. Most on this forum will have an opinion on this one as it’s considered almost universally a ”very good” blade. The trusty Wilkinson Sword German is shown a lot of love in the DE circles and i was excited to try it out; especially on the heels of it’s brother the Wilkinson Sword India.
Like the Wilkinson Sword India, the Getman is PTFE coated stainless. Wilkinson Sword does have a website and touts the German (or “classic” as they call it) as “an excellent value for money”.
So after much anticipation, my first impression was...surprisingly underwhelming. There was far more tugging than i had anticipated and it took a good amount of work to reduce the stubble enough to go atg. I know from refinedshave.com that these ARE sharp blades, so i was surprised that i felt so much tug and pull. I thought perhaps i just got a bad blade, but the second blade was exactly the same. I just was not impressed by the sharpness.
Smoothness is another story. I didn’t have any weepers througout all 8 shaves so the reputation for smoothness i found to hold true. I wasn’t afraid to get a little overzealous chasing a BBS shave, and afterwards my face didn’t feel raw at all. To me that’s the measure of smooth blade so i was pleased with that aspect.
To me though, the top quality of this blade was it’s consistency. The first 3 shaves were exactly the same with both blades, and the 4th experienced a slight dulling on both. The fact that each blade was a mirror image of the other says a lot for their quality and construction.
Longevity i assume would be very good as well. I think i could have comfortably had 2-3 more shaves with each blade. Anything over 4 shaves i would consider good, and i think the Wilkinson’s definitely could make it to the 6-7 shave range.
Despite being smooth, consistent and durable, I simply couldn’t get over how subjectively “dull” these seemed. I fall into the category where i’d rather feel a little raw with a near perfectly close shave than have a comfortable shave that’s just so-so. And i felt a comfortable, so-so shave is what the Wilkinson Sword gave me.
Ironically, i found it to be a lot like shaving with the Van Der Hagen blades. Good, but to me nothing special. Overall i’d give these blades a 5 out of 10. At $17.85 per 100 on amazon they're certainly not a bad deal, but on the whole they’re not something i see myself buying again. I know a lot of people will disagree but for whatever reason, these just really did not cut through my stubble well at all. I actually much prefer the Wilkinson Sword India which again, a lot of people will probably disagree with. But as they say a lot around here, your mileage may vary.
Up next, Vokshod. I’ve decided to post my next review fairly quickly since i’m a little behind the blade i’m currentlyp using, so it should be up in a few days. Thanks for reading and happy shaving!
