Wilkinson Sword blades made in Germany: what do you think?

[lak611]

I know folks are comparing London Bridge and Wilkinson Sword Light Brigade blades here.

I was curious what other folks think about the Indian vs German Wilkinson Sword blades.

I got a tuck of Indian Wilkinson Sword blades and a tuck of German Wilkinson Sword blades.

The blades made in India gave me a nice shave. They were sharp yet smooth in my Gillette Superspeed Red Tip from the UK.

I used the same razor with the German blades, as well as the same soap and brush. The blades made in Germany were the worst blades I've ever used. It felt like I was scraping my skin with a paint scraper. I got the worst razor burn ever. I've had blades that were dull and pulled, and I chalked it up to blades that just weren't for me. However, nothing was as bad as these German Wilkinson Sword blades.

Did I just get a bad batch, or are the German Wilkinson Sword blades just rough?

 

[dmshaver]

I've had nice shaves with both Indian & German-made Wilkinson Sword blades. You may have gotten a bad German-made blade, or it may be that those blades just don't work for you.

 

[AndyPanda]

The German ones seem to get better after the first shave - as though there is some coating that needs to be worn off first. But I get a great first shave from the Indian blades. The German blades last for more shaves -- but the Indian blades are so much cheaper and the first shave is the best, so shave once or twice and toss them.

 

[Andris83]

The Indian blades are totally different. Super smooth, not very sharp (low end of the spectrum), and not long lasting. Nonetheless I like them very much in aggressive razors.
I used to daily the German version, but then I haven't used them in a long time. My gut tells me the current production blades are not the same as the ones sold ~5 years ago. Or my technique / requirements changed or I found even better blades, I have no hard evidence. The current ones feel close to the German Personnas. They are sharp (above average imo), fairly smooth and last longer. Some nicks are possible, at least to me.

 

[Halfbeard]

German Wilkies are one of best in my blade stash.

 

[TomCan]

My first 100 blade by were German Wilks, Loved them!
Managed to hang onto a few tucks to enjoy down the road.
Have also compared them to the India saloon packs, similar but dull quicker for me.

 

[NorthernSoul]

They are OK, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get them. Prefer blades such as the Personna Lab Blue that seem more comfortable and last longer. Blades such as Nacet, Perma-Sharp Super, BIC Chrome Platinum are better than German WS, IMHO.

In place of the Indian WS, I'd prefer blades such as Lord Silver Star.

 

[Eric_75]

Not a fan. YMMV.

 

[ATomek]

They become better with next shaves. First one is a bit rough but they become better. One of mine favourites. Long lasting also.. But YMMV..

 

[madmedic]

Different companies...not different versions of the same blade. Gillette sells under Wilkinson Sword in the Indian market. I think it is Schick in Europe

 

[Luc]

I saw 3 different Wilkinson Sword blades.
-Made in Germany
-Made in India
-Made in China

So far, I only used the ones made in Germany as I'm able to buy them at my local pharmacy. I have a tuck of the ones made in India (yet to be tried). I never tried the ones made in China.

When I tried the German blades, I thought they were good but not great. They are overpriced versus what I can get online. If I'm stuck, they will do the work. I can get a pack of 100 for cheaper and they will be sharper and smoother.

 

[slimshavy]

I saw 3 different Wilkinson Sword blades.
-Made in Germany
-Made in India
-Made in China

So far, I only used the ones made in Germany as I'm able to buy them at my local pharmacy. I have a tuck of the ones made in India (yet to be tried). I never tried the ones made in China.

When I tried the German blades, I thought they were good but not great. They are overpriced versus what I can get online. If I'm stuck, they will do the work. I can get a pack of 100 for cheaper and they will be sharper and smoother.

I heard good things about the Indian "saloon pack" and Chinese blades and they had a decent reputation as being cheap but decent blades and also of both being the same. I bought some of each and concluded that they shaved the same and were both awful. Dull but still managed to wound me. My notes from the trials read "cuts skin but not hair."
The German Wilkies were a solid blade to me. Sharp, long enough lasting, gave me good shaves. My main complaint was that they were too expensive, as I was mostly seeking very cheap blades at the time.

 

[Luc]

@slimshavy, mmm, that's no good! Thank you for the feedback!

 

[AshleyC]

The German ones seem to get better after the first shave - as though there is some coating that needs to be worn off first. But I get a great first shave from the Indian blades. The German blades last for more shaves -- but the Indian blades are so much cheaper and the first shave is the best, so shave once or twice and toss them.

I've come to think of this process as "Face Stropping". After you use the skin of your face and neck to strop out the Micro-serrations on the blade in that first shave, subsequent shaves will be smoother.

I am not a fan of having to "face strop"...

 

[Tume]

The Indian blades are totally different. Super smooth, not very sharp (low end of the spectrum), and not long lasting. Nonetheless I like them very much in aggressive razors.
I used to daily the German version, but then I haven't used them in a long time. My gut tells me the current production blades are not the same as the ones sold ~5 years ago. Or my technique / requirements changed or I found even better blades, I have no hard evidence. The current ones feel close to the German Personnas. They are sharp (above average imo), fairly smooth and last longer. Some nicks are possible, at least to me.

The German Wilkinson blades were much better in 2019 than today. I have still a couple of tucks the old ones. They are really smooth and sharp.

 

[Andris83]

The German Wilkinson blades were much better in 2019 than today. I have still a couple of tucks the old ones. They are really smooth and sharp.

ok, so it is not just me and they were changed. good to hear
do we know anything about it? forums are full of blades that were changed over the years, but I haven't read anything about the German Wilkies.

 

[geneaut]

Different companies...not different versions of the same blade. Gillette sells under Wilkinson Sword in the Indian market. I think it is Schick in Europe

Edgewell is the parent company that makes Wilkinson Sword-branded blades in Germany. I believe they also manufacture Schicks and Personnas in the same plant.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

This thread may provide a little information:

The Eye Test. Sword Duel, Wilkinson Sword (Germany) VS Gillette Wilkinson Sword (India)

Here we have a duel between the Wilkies. Between most blades I have a favorite and this is the case here as well. I am going to skip the poll and put up the photos. I will comment that the price point between these blades is substantial and it shows in the quality of manufacture. Wilkinson...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[MrMoJoe]

For me, the German made Wilkinson Sword blade is outstanding. Great blend of sharp and smooth and good for 4+ shaves. It may not be my #1, but it's close and among my absolute favorites.

 

[Frito Ray]

The German Wilkie and Bic Chromes are the only blades I can’t get along with in any razor.

Bum blades do happen, so I suppose whole bum tucks could also happen, but I don’t care to revisit either any time soon.

There were reports of counterfeit Bics, so I may eventually retry them eventually.