Anyone use one ? ...how does it shave ?
Wilkinson Bonded Cart razor
- Thread starter malocchio
- Start date
It's certainly been a long time -- I stopped using it when I could no longer find the cartridges in stores. This was before ebay and internet shopping. It shaves great. I know that's not very descriptive, but it's been too long to recall details and at the time I thought it was better than DE.
It was the first plastic razor I used regularly after first trying wet shaving w. a travel Tech. Liked the results and the idea of not going w. mainstream Gillette stuff like the Trac II, which was pricier. It might be fun to try one now on an experimental basis, but finding a regular supply of blades is problematic.
Been quite some time since I last used it. I vaguely remember it seeming a bit like an injector, but that may have been more due to the light plastic frame than the shave itself. According to my inventory sheet, I should have 80 blades in storage, so I might have to bring it back out one of these days.
As part of the ongoing quest to find the British marketed equivalent of the US marketed Light Brigades (read about it here:
Wilkinson Sword Chromium/Light Brigade - Was this just marketing for the US Market?)
it turns out that the Bonded Blade system came out in 1970 which is the same year as the LBs!
And like the LBs the Bonded Blade is billed as a Chromium Edge.
So this suggests great shaving and I got myself a razor and some blades:
I’d also wondered why Wilkinson didn’t make an Injector but I guess with this they kind of did.
The blade is 42mm long vs the 38mm injector blades and the 50mm Artist Club blades and it is indeed a fantastic, easy shave although we really are entering cart razor territory here.
It is a fantastically sharp smooth blade to - will it go for 30 shaves like a Light Brigade?
Wilkinson Sword Chromium/Light Brigade - Was this just marketing for the US Market?)
it turns out that the Bonded Blade system came out in 1970 which is the same year as the LBs!
And like the LBs the Bonded Blade is billed as a Chromium Edge.
So this suggests great shaving and I got myself a razor and some blades:
I’d also wondered why Wilkinson didn’t make an Injector but I guess with this they kind of did.
The blade is 42mm long vs the 38mm injector blades and the 50mm Artist Club blades and it is indeed a fantastic, easy shave although we really are entering cart razor territory here.
It is a fantastically sharp smooth blade to - will it go for 30 shaves like a Light Brigade?
There are many different versions of the handles. I have several hundred of the carts and around 4 different types of handles. Great razors compared to Bics and Pronto's.
It was my first razor in the 80's.
I remember it as being very good compared to all the carts that came later.
It also lasted an amazingly long time.
When my stock of Bonded carts got over, I tried Gillette's Trac II/PII & other carts.
They were so badly suited to me that I had to grow a beard until I discovered DE's in the 90's.
I remember it as being very good compared to all the carts that came later.
It also lasted an amazingly long time.
When my stock of Bonded carts got over, I tried Gillette's Trac II/PII & other carts.
They were so badly suited to me that I had to grow a beard until I discovered DE's in the 90's.
Now I’m head shaving with carts I thought I’d return to the Wilkinson Bonded Blade: godfather of them all!
Simply superb and here in the 21st Century it’s a very classy shave!
Simply superb and here in the 21st Century it’s a very classy shave!
You should have gone for an orange one
...Ooh I’ve never seen an orange one - these are very collectible eh?You should have gone for an orange one
Also I’m more and more inclined to think that the blade in these Bonded carts is essentially a single edge Light Brigade which explains a lot about their longevity and all round superlative performance.
They were for the ladies, but are quite fetching. Google Wilkinson Sword Cressida.
I believe the production line was sold to the Soviet Union. They later made a twin cart version. I have only ever seen two. I have one of these.
There were some carts on Etsy, sadly sold.
The Sputnik 2 compared with a normal bonded cart.
The Sputnik 2 compared with a normal bonded cart.
Amazing! Does it shave as magnificently as the single Bonded Blade?There were some carts on Etsy, sadly sold.
The Sputnik 2 compared with a normal bonded cart.
One does not shave with inobtainium items. I only opened the box under peer pressure lol.
There's a Sputnik 2 for sale in Russia.
Had one of these in mid Seventies. Can’t remember much about its shaving performance except that I shaved WTG only and didn’t demand much from a shave. I liked the ease of cartridge replacement. I also had a ‘73 SuperSpeed that I alternated with it. Don’t know why.
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