Wolfman: On the waiting list. Questions.
- Thread starter Direwolf76
- Start date
I went with the basic polished as I think it looks great. I haven’t seen it in person but my WR2 basic polished shipped today. 
Okay, I had hoped to avoid having to add to this already lengthy thread, but after having gone through just about everything said about Wolfman razors on this forum, I haven't found my answer.
I got the email that my name came up on the list this morning. I could use some guidance on the head to order. I am looking for the Wolfman's most efficient/aggressive head design. Do I go with the WR1 .86mm gap or the WR2 with the 1.55 gap? Probably going to go open comb in either. Thoughts? I prefer efficient razors and like blade feel. This is my first Wolfman, but some of my other go to razors are the Stirling Hyper Agressive (or Standard) and the 2011 Muhle R41 for comparison. I have a Karve CB G plate that I like, but find on the mild side.
Thanks!
I got the email that my name came up on the list this morning. I could use some guidance on the head to order. I am looking for the Wolfman's most efficient/aggressive head design. Do I go with the WR1 .86mm gap or the WR2 with the 1.55 gap? Probably going to go open comb in either. Thoughts? I prefer efficient razors and like blade feel. This is my first Wolfman, but some of my other go to razors are the Stirling Hyper Agressive (or Standard) and the 2011 Muhle R41 for comparison. I have a Karve CB G plate that I like, but find on the mild side.
Thanks!
A .86 WR1 ~= 1.25 WR2. If you like efficient razors and blade feel, I would go with a .94 WR1 in an open comb.
Same for me today. 3 months exactly
Guess those automated finishing machines are working out
"Automated finishing machines are being considered. Test samples are being sent out to be processed by industrial finishing equipment. Another update will follow next month once the test pieces are returned and inspected. The goal will be to have the machines do the basic polishing, further reducing wait times. Mirror and satin finishes are expected to continue to be done by hand."
3 months is so much faster than my first order on the new waitlist. More like 9 months.
"Automated finishing machines are being considered. Test samples are being sent out to be processed by industrial finishing equipment. Another update will follow next month once the test pieces are returned and inspected. The goal will be to have the machines do the basic polishing, further reducing wait times. Mirror and satin finishes are expected to continue to be done by hand."
3 months is so much faster than my first order on the new waitlist. More like 9 months.
Congrats! You won’t be disappointed!I went with the basic polished as I think it looks great. I haven’t seen it in person but my WR2 basic polished shipped today.
You would want to go with either a WR1 .94OC or WR2 1.65OC as those are the most aggressive gaps he makes...
Good suggestions.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Exactly.
This is terribly disappointing to read, on a lot of levels. The brand is no longer the same, to me.
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I agree, it is a shame but there was no way the list was going to speed up otherwise.
I've decided to stick to the secondhand market and pick up the originals. I only have the old brushed WR1s now. It takes a bit of patience and luck but I'm finding the razors and handles are out there.
I've decided to stick to the secondhand market and pick up the originals. I only have the old brushed WR1s now. It takes a bit of patience and luck but I'm finding the razors and handles are out there.
If the results are the same, whats the difference if you the razors are finished by machine, or by hand? After all, if wanted a perfect finish, I would get the high polish which will still be done by hand. I only get the basic polish. So I will give it a wait and see, and wait for some reviews of the new machine polished razors to start coming in.
I agree. If the results are the same, I don’t care much about the means. Some of the finest guitars ever—30’s Martins—were manufactured on an assembly line.
To me, the mystique of Wolfman laid in the fact that is was arguably the best quality available, it was produced in-house by a single set of hands and hard to get because of these traits. I was willing to pay a premium for that and it kept resale values elevated. Now, he has help in the shop and sending parts down the road for finishing. Quality has dropped and the finishes are inconsistent since these moves. There is plenty of photographic evidence of this available. The results are certainly not the same. The brand has been diminished, in my eyes.
It seems that it wasn't always done by a single set of hands though. Here is a quote from Wolfman:
LATEST NEWS
April 2021
A machinist/shop assistant has been hired. Joel will be helping James with operating machines, general shop duties, and gradually with finishing. He previously worked here in 2016/17 and is already familiar with most of the processes. The goal is to reduce wait times for customers, which is currently about 6 months.
Now to what extent Joel helped in making the razors from 2016/2017 I do not know, but it sounds like he might have done something. But I do agree that to some extent lesser wait times for a razor could impact the secondary market. At least those of us with pre-machine finish Wolfman razors can enjoy the knowledge that our razors were hand made and finished by a craftsman. If you still want hand finished you can always opt for a mirror polish.
Joel worked on the Guerrilla razors and then they parted ways.
My reasons for seeking out the original Wolfman razors is largely down to the finish. The older brushed finish is no longer available and James has no plans to re-introduce it. I know lots of people love the mirror effect but I'm not one of them. To be clear the new satin is truly excellent but I prefer the older brushed finish.
I am not sure what the older brush finish looks like. I assume the Wolfman I purchased from @Hannah's Dad is the basic polish. Do you have a photo of a brushed finish Wolfman?
Point of clarification noted. My understanding was Joel only worked on the Guerilla. I think all WR1s and WR2s are his alone until that announcement. The main gist of my point intact. No one else may care, I do. This is just my opinion. Not trying to throw shade for the fun of it. DuFour has few bigger fans than me, I've ordered more than my share. I just don't like where it's headed. I think if he is going to embrace production razors it would be nice if he offered a bench series of customs for a premium. Maybe that is where he is headed. I'm just not a fan of the transition.
