Wolfman recommendations?

[BigJ]

I have three Wolfman razors...a WR1 SS SB .74 (purchased used from a B&B member), a WR2 SS SB 1.15 and a WR1 SS OC .80. All of them are excellent shaving razors. As you might guess from the razors I own, I prefer the WR1. For me, now, the WR1 SS SB .74 is very easy to use. I can whiz it around my face like it's nobody's business. The WR2 SS SB 1.15 has the same kind of feel as my RR Lupo razors...almost no blade feel, but deceptively efficient. After shaving with the WR1 .74 for a while, I realized that I needed to up my gap a bit and, preferring the overall look and feel of my WR1 Wolfman and also preferring the feel of open comb razors, I opted to purchase a WR1 .80 OC. For me, that was a very good decision.

Looks like we have similar taste!! I also prefer the WR1. I only have the SS SB 0.74 and it is one sweet razor!

 

[Guido75]

Out of curiosity a question which is off topic, but in the direction of the current discussion - I think and if not please correct me. The design of the WR1 looks to me to be making more towards the Game Changer than the Lupo - purely based on looks. And given the ever ongoing debate on which is better the Game Changer or the Lupo, but with either one receiving their fair share of love around here - why is that apparently not the same for the WR1 in comparison to the WR2?

And maybe as a follow up: have you already decided @CzechCzar which of the two you are aiming to get if you get one at all?

 

[Medivh]

Any Wolfman you buy will certainly be exceptional quality. But that’s not the same as saying your choice of gaps is the right one for you. I’m just pointing out that if you expect a 1.25 to be more efficient than a 0.95, or smoother than a 1.55, then that may not be the case, and there’s no reason to think it should be. If you increase gap and blade exposure significantly then it’s a different razor and it will behave differently. If you increase blade exposure such that the razor has to be used at a very different angle then it will shave very differently.

James made the WR2 with 0.95mm gap. Every other variant is due to customer requests, and I don’t think you can criticize James for giving his customers what they asked for. More choice isn’t necessarily a benefit to everyone, but nevertheless we demanded more choice. It might be helpful if James published blade exposure data for each gap, but, still, none of us is able to predict how a razor will perform based on this data. I think we can just accept that James has configured each razor head to work well for its given gap. If you want a WR2 the way James designed it then this is the 0.95 gap, it is still available, and there is no need to become paralysed by the choices. It’s a very smooth and very efficient razor - I don’t know why anybody would want more efficiency than the 0.95.

None of us knows what changes James made to configure each of the other gaps. I wouldn’t assume only the base plate is changed, but I really don’t know.

I don’t have a 1.25 so I can’t say exactly how it compares. For sure you can’t use a neutral angle when a razor has significant blade exposure, so that alone changes the equation significantly, but I don’t know what the shaving angle on a 1.25 is. I just know you can’t shave neutral with a 1.35 like you can with a 0.95.

I will wait until I try my 1.25 and see how it goes, since asking people left and right is making me even more confused than I already am and I end up with more questions than answers. I'm sure they are doing their best to make their businnes as efficient as possible, but I think they can at least give us a bit more info regarding the different plates than just the blade gap. But like I said, not everyone can aford to try more than one or two different gaps and most of us just have one shot to make it right.

 

[CzechCzar]

Out of curiosity a question which is off topic, but in the direction of the current discussion - I think and if not please correct me. The design of the WR1 looks to me to be making more towards the Game Changer than the Lupo - purely based on looks. And given the ever ongoing debate on which is better the Game Changer or the Lupo, but with either one receiving their fair share of love around here - why is that apparently not the same for the WR1 in comparison to the WR2?

And maybe as a follow up: have you already decided @CzechCzar which of the two you are aiming to get if you get one at all?

WR2 1.55. in a few months! If I survive the surgery that is

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I will wait until I try my 1.25 and see how it goes, since asking people left and right is making me even more confused than I already am and I end up with more questions than answers. I'm sure they are doing their best to make their businnes as efficient as possible, but I think they can at least give us a bit more info regarding the different plates than just the blade gap. But like I said, not everyone can aford to try more than one or two different gaps and most of us just have one shot to make it right.

The good news is they are all very good razors. I don’t think you’ll be unhappy with your choice, whatever you get. I don’t think James just added gaps and didn’t test or configure the razors well - I believe they are all well optimised. I just think most people underestimate how efficient the 0.95 is or how smooth the 1.55 is, and they dismiss them and default to something in the middle. My 1.35 is a very good razor.

 

[JCarr]

Out of curiosity a question which is off topic, but in the direction of the current discussion - I think and if not please correct me. The design of the WR1 looks to me to be making more towards the Game Changer than the Lupo - purely based on looks. And given the ever ongoing debate on which is better the Game Changer or the Lupo, but with either one receiving their fair share of love around here - why is that apparently not the same for the WR1 in comparison to the WR2?

It's a good question and one I think I can shed, perhaps, some light on being that I own all of the razors in the question. To me...The Lupo, although it looks like the WR1 in configuration/design, shaves more like the WR2 in overall feel. To my face, when I shave with the Lupo, I hardly get any kind of blade feel...and yet...it's definitely doing the job. The WR2 is like that. The Game Changer I would put more in the category of the WR1. Both the GC and the WR1 have, to my face, more blade feel. Blade feel is a personal preference as is much of wet shaving...you either like feeling the razor blade doing it's work...or you would prefer not to feel it so very much. But...that's my experience with all of the razors in the equation. I've come to learn that I would rather feel the blade more than less. Not that I can't pick up a razor like the WR2 or the Lupo and speed it around my face and get a DFS/BBS, but...I lean towards feeling the blade more as a personal preference. I think that's why after so many years, I find myself reaching for the Muhle R41 as much as I do...lots of blade feel.

I'm not sure if this answers your question directly, but it may reveal something that helps.

 

[Medivh]

The good news is they are all very good razors. I don’t think you’ll be unhappy with your choice, whatever you get. I don’t think James just added gaps and didn’t test or configure the razors well - I believe they are all well optimised. I just think most people underestimate how efficient the 0.95 is or how smooth the 1.55 is, and they dismiss them and default to something in the middle. My 1.35 is a very good razor.

I'm sure the higher gaps are more efficient, because the person who sold me his 1.25 said that he finds it a bit too mild for his personal preference and he enjoys his 1.55 a lot more.

 

[Guido75]

WR2 1.55. in a few months! If I survive the surgery that is

You have to sell body parts or organs for a Wolfman?!! You must really want this razor!

 

[Guido75]

This was the answer I was hoping for and so much more! Super helpful thanks! And without having any of them I concur at least visually with your findings.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I'm sure the higher gaps are more efficient, because the person who sold me his 1.25 said that he finds it a bit too mild for his personal preference and he enjoys his 1.55 a lot more.

Yeah. The way the 1.55 behaves is really surprising. I think it’s a happy accident. James certainly never intended to make it and he refused for years to go higher than 1.15. 1.55 is nothing to be scared of - it’s super smooth and gentle.

You should try shaving both steep and shallow with the 1.25 before you judge it. I suspect different methods probably account for the different feedback people have about it.

 

[corlay]

The good news is they are all very good razors. I don’t think you’ll be unhappy with your choice, whatever you get. I don’t think James just added gaps and didn’t test or configure the razors well - I believe they are all well optimised. I just think most people underestimate how efficient the 0.95 is or how smooth the 1.55 is, and they dismiss them and default to something in the middle. My 1.35 is a very good razor.

Interesting take.

And it all is rooted in shave angle preferences.

Makes me think that "splitting the difference" (gaps between 1.15-1.35) is probably not the best approach to this series of razors?
Passable for all, master of none?

I used my WR2 1.15 this am.
It's a good shaver, but gives me a few minor weepers on the regular,
no matter how I concentrate upon technique.
My angle preference is neutral, trending toward shallow.
Makes me curious to try a 0.95...

 

[corlay]

The thing I don't like about Wolfman razors is that you can't order a separate plate from them and you have to order a whole heads.

geeze. I did not know that.
that's sort of a bummer...

 

[Medivh]

geeze. I did not know that.
that's sort of a bummer...

Yep, given the fact how many different gaps they offer, finding the one that suits your face can be an expensive quest unless of course you're very lucky and get the right one from the start.

 

[CzechCzar]

Yep, given the fact how many different gaps they offer, finding the one that suits your face can be an expensive quest unless of course you're very lucky and get the right one from the start.

You just described me.

 

[Fedsbackhand]

Tempted to switch around all my caps now.

I can get excellent shaves with the "standard" gaps. I think James chose them well.

WR1 .61
WR2 .95
WR3 .40

It's fun to try other gaps but in the end I mostly end up using a standard configuration.

 

[Medivh]

You just described me.

I think pretty much everyone is stuck in this situation.

 

[latetotheparty]

Hi OP I didn't read all the posts but see you are in line to get a wolfman WR2.

First of all, good choice on starting with the WR2. It's a unique geometry that is based on a now-defunct razor. Very unique and my favorite because it has a phantom blade feel -- or at least in the gaps I have it.

What I would recommend is getting the WR2 in whatever gap is most equivalent to the blackbird which you said you like. I'm sure other people can direct you towards the proper gap. But then choose a lower gap and have James make you a dual head. Make the other side a bit more mild.

That gives you great flexibility and almost an adjustable razor with just a flip of the head.

So for example, if you go with a 1.55 gap then maybe grab a 1.25 gap on the other side.

I have a .75/.85 WR2 and it's my favorite razor.

 

[gpjoe]

I've looked at the Wolfman site and it is sorely lacking in information and flush with pretty pictures. Besides the cost, the lack of good information regarding exactly what the customer is buying is a complete deal-breaker for me, and I assume many other potential customers.

Nearly every major manufacturer of machined razors (Timeless, Blackland, Karve, Razorock) offer at least some general guidance on choosing a plate that suits the customer, but not Wolfman.

Combined with the price, it makes their razors a huge leap of faith, and not worth the risk to me. The last thing I'm interested in is a $500-800 (or whatever) razor that "might" work, only to find I made an incorrect choice and have to go back to the bottom of their 7-month wait list just to roll the dice again.

No thanks.

 

[Phoenixkh]

There are some things one has to overcome to order a Wolfman. You either get accustomed to the thought.. or you don't. I never thought I'd own one because I couldn't wrap my mind around the options. I think I posted "I'll never own one!!" on some thread or the other. I am glad I got over the obstacles because my Wolfman shaves as beautifully as it looks.

 

[Medivh]

I've looked at the Wolfman site and it is sorely lacking in information and flush with pretty pictures. Besides the cost, the lack of good information regarding exactly what the customer is buying is a complete deal-breaker for me, and I assume many other potential customers.

Nearly every major manufacturer of machined razors (Timeless, Blackland, Karve, Razorock) offer at least some general guidance on choosing a plate that suits the customer, but not Wolfman.

Combined with the price, it makes their razors a huge leap of faith, and not worth the risk to me. The last thing I'm interested in is a $500-800 (or whatever) razor that "might" work, only to find I made an incorrect choice and have to go back to the bottom of their 7-month wait list just to roll the dice again.

No thanks.

Your best option is to by one from someone else. Although some owners insist that Wolfman's are like Rolex watches and they sell theirs for 90-95% of the price they've paid, there others which are more reasonable folks who can sell you one much cheaper.

I have a Wolfman on it's way and I've paid around 50% of its original value and a few days after the purchase I saw another Wolfman going for below 50% of it's value, but the plate that it had was 0.95 and I was looking for at least 1.25.

If you're patient enough and you also check the BST, you will eventually find one at a very reasonable price. Thank God most people around here are reasonable and not everyone is a greedy goblin.