Weber availability and quality

[Benoni]

I'm looking for my first stainless steel razor and during my research I noticed that their consistency is not splendid and as I can see they only offer handles at the moment. Are they going to sell heads/complete razors in the near future?

Any comment or advice is appreciated!

 

[McHale]

1. Yes they will be selling more heads/complete razors in the future.
2. I don't own one because the quality is hit or miss *AND* because of their consistent reluctance to work with the customer to replace with a good one.

I've seen people say they've ordered 4 and all 4 were perfect and I've seen people say they ordered one that was bad, shipped it back and got one back that was worse. I also read a post that the person received a cracked one and they wouldn't replace it because the crack "didn't affect the quality of the shave."

If you can get a good one, $75 is a steal. I personally will not take a chance on a Weber.

-Mc

 

[Guestabc]

I have had my weber for almost a yr now and it is easily one of the best shavers I have, built like a tank smooth and efficient. I was lucky and did not have the QC issues with them and have always had good luck in contacts with them. With the fact that only the handles are avail, maybe they are addressing the QC, however overall the "wavy blade issue" was a batch scenario as some ordered and they were perfect , then a few issues, and then folks who ordered later were ok. I hate to use the term YMMV, you can look at the ATT line, as they are fantastic as well, but prepare to dig a lot deeper into the wallet
good luck with your purchase. I love my Weber

 

[Galaktus]

Another vote for getting a Weber. My only regret is that I have only one face to shave at a time, having a NEW long Comb, No Date Code tech, etc.

 

[chris.hale]

I bought three polished Webers at various points over a two year period, all three had wavy blades. The two I have now I've sanded until the blade is virtually straight and they now shave like they should.

Until there is confirmation that this has been sorted out if you want guaranteed quality go ATT.

 

[Badger Bill]

I agree very much with the above. They are extremely uneven in their QC, however if you do manage to get a good one, they perform extremely well. Mine happens to be a good one and I love it. But, I really do prefer OC razors, so it isn't #1 in my rotation. But they certainly are great values. It could be worth it to try to find one used from someone who can tell you that it's indeed straight?

 

[ERVARGASNY]

A Cracked one? No replacement? So maybe when i pick up my new car and it has a dent on the fender, The dealer shouldn't have to fix it or replace it? Are you serious? I would just of asked weber for a full refund if they ever gave me an answer like that "Doesnt affect the shave". This is a grown man's shaving tool, that we use with pride and take personal. A defect is a defect, weather it affects the shave or not. Replacement is a must to satisfy the customer, Period.

1. Yes they will be selling more heads/complete razors in the future.
2. I don't own one because the quality is hit or miss *AND* because of their consistent reluctance to work with the customer to replace with a good one.

I've seen people say they've ordered 4 and all 4 were perfect and I've seen people say they ordered one that was bad, shipped it back and got one back that was worse. I also read a post that the person received a cracked one and they wouldn't replace it because the crack "didn't affect the quality of the shave."

If you can get a good one, $75 is a steal. I personally will not take a chance on a Weber.

-Mc

 

[McHale]

A Cracked one? No replacement? So maybe when i pick up my new car and it has a dent on the fender, The dealer shouldn't have to fix it or replace it? Are you serious? I would just of asked weber for a full refund if they ever gave me an answer like that "Doesnt affect the shave". This is a grown man's shaving tool, that we use with pride and take personal. A defect is a defect, weather it affects the shave or not. Replacement is a must to satisfy the customer, Period.

Yep. I was reading the multiple threads on how their stainless steel razors sometimes rust (and Weber won't replace them) and that was one of the comments. It'd been a while since I read it so got a little bit of the story messed up but here's the thread and quote:

I saw base plate with crack in it on site, Weber rep emailed and confirmed this to be ok, as it was a surface crack and would not worsen. As they do not suffer stress in normal use, this may be correct though I used to carry out non destructive testing of metals in a former life and know it is not possible to determine depth of a crack in metal via eye or photo.

There are plenty of threads on B&B and other sites that show rust on the Weber handles as well as heads. Like I said, QC issues. Horrible customer service.

-Mc

 

[rsilvers]

My experience was positive. I ordered Saturday at around 1am. They shipped it that morning, and responded to my email. It arrived on Monday. It looked good to me and works well. That being said, if I could not get a head, I would just buy their Bulldog handle and use it on some other head, like an R41.

 

[rsilvers]

There are plenty of threads on B&B and other sites that show rust on the Weber handles as well as heads. Like I said, QC issues. Horrible customer service.

-Mc

316 does not rust unless you expose it to acid or other outrageous conditions. So I don't believe that happened (post a link if I am wrong). It is pretty much impossible unless it was some older product made with another process than what they sell now.

 

[hdjj00]

Rust does not count as a quality control issue because stainless steel rusts! Its a metal! If you give it the opportunity, in the right conditions, it will oxidize. Should the razor be sent out by the manufacturer with a coat of oil to protect it from rusting? Yes, it would help. But it would be a mistake to assume that anything made of stainless will automatically last forever.

 

[rsilvers]

One way that rust would be a QC issue is if it was not made from the material specified.

While there are stainless-steels that can rust (400 series), 316 is one of the more resistant ones:

http://www.sandmeyersteel.com/images/316-316L-317L-Spec-Sheet.pdf

 

[lindley]

My experience was positive. I ordered Saturday at around 1am. They shipped it that morning, and responded to my email. It arrived on Monday. It looked good to me and works well. That being said, if I could not get a head, I would just buy their Bulldog handle and use it on some other head, like an R41.

The lord l6 head is the same as the webers. Not as good looking thats for sure, but if you compare the webers head to a merkur head and then also the lord l6 head you will see the weber resembles and also shaves like the lords head, not a merkur head. Doubt most would want the lord head as its not plated that good and says LORD real big on it, so I would agree using a R41 or the R89 head would pair well, or if you really like the weber handle you could buy one of those ATT heads for it, really eyeing up them myself but they're just so darn expensive you know.

 

[VerbaVolant]

Rust does not count as a quality control issue because stainless steel rusts! Its a metal!...

So is my kitchen sink. And all my cutlery. The insert of my dishwasher. And a million other things in my house.

 

[mastershake]

from weber per email today


"We are currently only producing the handles. You can follow us on
Twitter for new product announcements and special offers."

 

[McHale]

from weber per email today


"We are currently only producing the handles. You can follow us on
Twitter for new product announcements and special offers."

I'm sure it's only temporary and I hope it's to retool and get the heads right. If the consistency issues get resolved, he'll have a winner. Maybe easier said than done but I hope that's what he's working on.

-Mc

 

[rsilvers]

It would be sweet if he went for MIM. Expensive tooling though.

 

[lindley]

If the consistency issues get resolved, he'll have a winner.

-Mc

Right there, he would have to hire more assistants to ship Webers out, as soon as everyone heard the issues are fixed its going to be like a flood gate opening and everyone will purchasing one or two, or three. I know I would be ordering one. He will be asking himself why in the hell he never fixed these problems a long time ago.