Noobie wants a Wade & Butcher?

[Bourbon & Bowties]

I figured I should ask (event if it makes me look stupid) before I make a decision (or mistake). I just recently made the jump from my Schick Quatro to a SR thanks to Larry over at Whipped Dog and his "Sight Unseen Deal", which has been awesome! It's been a learning curve so far and experienced only a tiny nick on my first attempt and a little bit of razor burn (ouch...).

Now on to my real question. I was first made aware of SR shaving from the Art of Manliness blog where Brett mentions a few good manufacturers/"cities" to look for when buy vintage SRs. As I started my research I became really interested/fascinated in Wade & Butcher, especially the big "Barbers Use" blades.

What is a good price for one? As a brand new convert, should I even be looking at these? Is there an advantage to shaving with a beefier blade?

Any advice about W&B would be appreciated, just love the notch.

 

[brother cavefish]

the cheapest way is to get one on the Bay and restore it, other than that it will end up being more expensive-----------BST has them now and again, dont get stuck on W&B, alone there are many wonderful names out there, and blades

 

[Jacob Robertson]

Might I recommend a JR Torrey? Fantastic shavers, at a bargain price. Wade and Butchers are pretty pricey.

 

[brother cavefish]

Might I recommend a JR Torrey? Fantastic shavers, at a bargain price. Wade and Butchers are pretty pricey.

Torreys are excellent shavers i have 3, great steel

 

[ridnovir]

I would not go there. The wedge is tricky at best the WB barber use is BIG, clumsy, and a poor choice for a newbie.

 

[FiveOhNine]

Keep in mind there are barber's use blades that aren't wedges. I believe they used to call them 'hollow', but in reality, I put them more at 1/2-1/4 hollow by our standards today. In other words, you can get a big wide barber's use without the heft.

 

[thatsilverguy]

...I became really interested/fascinated in Wade & Butcher, especially the big "Barbers Use" blades.

Any advice about W&B would be appreciated, just love the notch.

This is more than enough reason to own one. And compared to some other works of art - VERY inexpensive. I despise framebacks as a whole but I picked up a 100-year-old Erik Anton Berg frameback that still has some awesome etching on the blade . Will I ever use it? Probably not. Do I think it's a cool work of art that I take out and show people from time to time - heck yeah.

The other posters are probably correct in saying there are better razors to start with but look at the Straight Razor SOTD sometime. Do you think any of us straight-shavers NEED the kind of razors we have to get a good shave? I doubt.

Get the one(s) that YOU think are cool to look at and the ones that are easy for you to shave with.

Enjoy your journey - including the side-trips

 

[mdunn]

the big barbers use W&Bs do command some pretty decent money. That said, you can occasionally find them on ebay at resonable prices (if the listing has been misspelt or something).

Any similar blade from sheffield will shave as well. You pay a premium for the W&B brand.

 

[Wullie]

+1 to all said above.

Right now it appears that the BIG 8/8 and bigger FOR BARBER'S USE are the current "got to have", "hot ticket" items on ebay.

You can get a hefty 7/8 or 15/16 blade that will feel nearly the same and with the same grinds for a LOT less money. Any of the old Sheffield names will be good razors if they've not been abused or honed to death. They're a bit different to shave with than a full hollow made just before after the turn of the 20th century. I enjoy them, you might try one and love it or you might hate it. I'd think seriously about starting smaller and cheaper unless money is no object ( I've never had that problem myself and can only dream LOL).

 

[GreekGuy]

I have a W&B FBU

They are great razors, but a tad on the "clunky" side. I wouldn't recommend one for a beginner.

You can get a nice 7/8 W&B without the FBU for about 1/2 the cost.

I would say for a 7/8-8/8 W&B you're looking at $200 in excellent condition

For an FBU, you're probably looking at $400+

 

[shakin_jake]

I became really interested/fascinated in Wade & Butcher, especially the big "Barbers Use" blades.


As a brand new convert, should I even be looking at these? Is there an advantage to shaving with a beefier blade?

Any advice about W&B would be appreciated, just love the notch.

~~~~I have four Wade & Butchers, two are full hollow, one is 1/2 hollow and this one, is 1/4 hollow

I think this is the type/similar of razor you are wanting

Just because you are new to straight razor shaving, don't think some blades are off limits. In the world of straight razor shaving, anything is possible, including the fabled brand and their big beefy blades, so if you want one, do some research and buy one, or two, or three=

IMO, big blades like this 1/4 grind work best if you have a heavy beard to cut. After all, with a blade an inch in size and a 1/4 grind to boot, that's an awful lot of inertia to go to waste, so you need some beard to cut. I have a light beard. When I shave daily a full hollow or better (extra full hollow) works best for me as the thinner blade follows the nooks and crannies of my facial topography much better than a big ol beard whacker like this one, but this razor is fun to use if I let my beard go 4 days or so, then it has something to cut. Others may have better and different ideas


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.