Yay, it's WILLY'S WEDNESDAY.

[Cal]

Willy's Wednesday SOTD

Brush: Shavemac "Kleiner Bayer" 14/42 Silvertip D01 2-Band
Soap: Vitos Red
Razor: 1947 Gillette Flat Bottom Tech GT
Blade: Willy's (1)
ASL: La Rive Cabana

An excellent shave.
The brand new (and brand new to me) Willy's blade certainly didn't disappoint.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Willy's Wednesday SOTD

Brush: Shavemac "Kleiner Bayer" 14/42 Silvertip D01 2-Band
Soap: Vitos Red
Razor: 1947 Gillette Flat Bottom Tech GT
Blade: Willy's (1)
ASL: La Rive Cabana

An excellent shave.
The brand new (and brand new to me) Willy's blade certainly didn't disappoint.


Happy shaves guys.

Where did you find "Willy's" blades?

 

[SharpieB]

Phew! Thank god this thread wasn’t about what I feared it was.

 

[Cal]

Where did you find "Willy's" blades?

I was reading a "Pearl Flexi Adjustable" thread. Ya mean ya didn't receive 110 of them free with your Flexi?

It sounded like they were pretty damned good so I went looking for a tuck on eBay (UK). They were so cheap I ended up purchasing 110, thinking that I can always PIF them if they're not for me... but unless things go drastically downhill on future shaves, I'm keepin' 'em.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I was reading a "Pearl Flexi Adjustable" thread. Ya mean ya didn't receive 110 of them free with your Flexi?

It sounded like they were pretty damned good so I went looking for a tuck on eBay (UK). They were so cheap I ended up purchasing 110, thinking that I can always PIF them if they're not for me... but unless things go drastically downhill on future shaves, I'm keepin' 'em.

Bought my Flexi used. I'll look in the box and see if there are Willy's Blades in there.

 

[FarmerTan]

And here I thought this thread was going to be one about mixing Williams with AS for use on Wednesdays!

Ooo... That could be a new thread!

I've seen and heard good things about this blade.... somewhere...on the 'bay?

 

[Cal]

I'll look in the box and see if there are Willy's Blades in there.

I like the Five by 10-Tuck boxes they come in :

 

[dmshaver]

If anyone is interested in trying a Willy's blade, they are available in the Great Blade Exchange.

 

[BigJ]

Excellent ‘teaser’ title, plus the graphics are top-notch!!

 

[KeenDogg]

Phew! Thank god this thread wasn’t about what I feared it was.

Me too! I thought I was going to have to drive a jeep through the woods while shaving!!!

 

[Cannon Cocker]

The Razor Company has them.

 

[Cal]

Willy's Wednesday SOTD

Brush: Shavemac "Kleiner Bayer" 14/42 Silvertip D01 2-Band
Soap: Bignoli Neutro
Razor: 1947 Gillette Flat Bottom Tech GT
Blade: Willy's (4)
ASL: Floïd Mentolado Vigoroso

A great shave.
All is well in ZenShaveLand.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

Willy's Wednesday SOTD

Brush: Shavemac 20/46 Silvertip 2-Band
Soap: Vitos Red
Razor: 1947 Gillette Flat Bottom Tech GT
Blade: Willy's (2)
ASL: La Rive Cabana

A good shave.

The Shavemac 20/46 Silvertip 2-Band (used today) is a great brush, but its 14/42 Silvertip D01 2-Band little brother (the Kleiner Bayer) is king. Less is definitely more in this case.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[BigSpender]

Where did you find "Willy's" blades?

Wither Willy's?

RIP?

 

[BigSpender]

The Razor Company has them.

Not anymore. Sold out:

Willy's - Premium Double Edge Razor Blades - 10 Pack

Willy's - Premium Double Edge Razor Blades - 10 Pack SPECS 1 pack of 10 blades COUNTRY OF ORIGIN India

www.therazorcompany.com

Same at Maggard Razors, etc:

Razor Blades - Double Edge & Single Edge

Single Edge Razor Blades, Double Edge Razor Blades, Injector Blades, Artist Club Blades

maggardrazors.com

Curious thing, Maggard and others list Willy's as a Gillette product. It wasn't before. If I were of a suspicious nature, I would speculate that P&G purchased the name and closed it down to remove competition from a blade that was too good and too cheap. But P&G and Edgewell would never do such a thing, would they?

While I cannot find them for sale in the U.S. (or even in India), the UK eB BIN listing is still up.

The Willy's tuck says it is manufactured and marketed by Zircon Global Manufacturing, Bari Brahmana, Jammu, 181133.

Indiamart still has a page for purchasing Willy's wholesale in 8,000 blade lots. That would last you 22 years, at one blade per day. However, I suspect this site is not updated frequently:

Shaving Blade - Willys Shaving Blade Extra Premium Safety Razor Blade Manufacturer from Mumbai

Manufacturer of Shaving Blade - Willys Shaving Blade Extra Premium Safety Razor Blade offered by Zircon Global Manufacturing LLP, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

www.indiamart.com

The main page for Zircon LLP lists a lot of DE blades they make:

Razor Blade - Safety Razor Blade Manufacturer from Mumbai

Manufacturer of Razor Blade - Safety Razor Blade, Zircon Razor Blade, Saimax Stainless Razor Blade and Zircon Double Edge Blades offered by Zircon Global Manufacturing LLP, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

www.indiamart.com

Another posting re Zircon led nowhere:

Zircon DE Razor Blades

I watched a couple video's on the Tube & Kensurfs gave them good reviews as well as the George Toons guy. They are supposedly made with Japanese steel ( Feather? ) Anyone have any info on them? Thanks

www.badgerandblade.com

So the bottom line is: Are Willy's still made, and are they for sale?

If not, Does Zircon make an equivalent blade, and where can it be purchased?

Willy's is/was cheap enough in India at 30 rupees, or 40 cents USD, for a tuck of 11 blades.

It is a pleasant blade to use, smooth and efficient. Willy's shows that these days, with modern blade manufacturing equipment, it is no great feat to produce excellent blades, provided you are willing to put the money into honing the blades properly.

At the right price, I think Willy's (or Zircon) could be a hit in the U.S.

Anyone have any insights into the status of Willy's/Zircon, particularly our India correspondents?

As things stand, one day there will be no more Willy's Wednesdays, except perhaps for a few B&Brs who stocked up.

---

(Did I ever tell you about the time I was trying to find green coffee beans for sale online in India? Finally, after extensive searching I found a listing from a coffee seller. However the link only had a picture of green beans, as in string beans.)

 

[Cal]

Anyone have any insights into the status of Willy's/Zircon, particularly our India correspondents?

Beaming you up @luv2shave, your comments would be appreciated.

 

[Cal]

While I cannot find them for sale in the U.S. (or even in India), the UK eB BIN listing is still up.

THAT's where I got mine. I don't know if he ships outside the UK though.

 

[luv2shave]

Beaming you up @luv2shave, your comments would be appreciated.

I have sent out my squad of messenger pigeons to people in the know including to Zircon. I'll report back what they come back with

Pearl started the whole Willys game and they have stopped shipping them. I'll check with them too.

 

[Cal]

Willy's Wednesday SOTD

Brush: Shavemac "Kleiner Bayer" 14/42 Silvertip D01 2-Band
Soap: Vitos Red
Razor: Gillette NEW RFB GT
Blade: Willy's (9)
ASL: La Rive Cabana

A fine shave.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[luv2shave]

Beaming you up @luv2shave, your comments would be appreciated.

The Pigeons came back home with some news.

Apparently Willy's is now selling huge bulk only in excess of 8000 blades. Hence the usual retailers are not stocking up in India as it is too much quantity.

I have befriended an Online vendor in India in another town who sells wet shaving stuff via his online store. I had advised him how to go about setting up channels for international payments and shipping for international customers. He is a small time vendor who has started up some time back.

He shared the news above. He also added if there is a commitment of a kind of "Group Buy", he could be willing to add value if someone connects to him and gives a volume count as he is not willing to pick up 8000 blades and not have business around it

I am aware that there are rules for group buys at B&B, hence I will leave it at that. Unless someone wants to pick up via the right channels at B&B.

He has some tucks of the blade in stock however like many online retailers he might not restock considering the high volume he has to pickup. I guess this is the state with other small time retailers who sell online or offline here. Strange business policy of the brand !