Thread: FS:Wapienica razors

I recieved today the 3 I ordered. My hones are already packed so I'll have to wait until I find a house to hone them. I expect them to be really good shavers based on the info given here. I do like the looks of them and the cases they come in.

Glen F

I've been looking at these and noticed that there is a 9/16 and 5/8 offered. There's not much difference in size if my fractions are correct. I'm currently using a 5/8 so would it be worth getting the 9/16 for something different to try or will there be no noticeable difference in size?

Originally Posted by steve

I've been looking at these and noticed that there is a 9/16 and 5/8 offered. There's not much difference in size if my fractions are correct. I'm currently using a 5/8 so would it be worth getting the 9/16 for something different to try or will there be no noticeable difference in size?

I have used both and they are both amazing shavers. FWIW I like the feel of the bigger blade a little more on the hone and strop but both shave just about the same. I don't really think that there will be a noticeable difference in the shave, just maybe in the feel and weight/ ballance. The scales on the 5/8 seemed to be heavier (almost too heavy) however I don't have the 9/16 to compare it to right now. You don't need to buy both; however, they are so cheap that I would say what do you have to loose? Both are great.

Originally Posted by edk442

sheesh todays the 15th day since i ordered and i still haven't had sight or sound of my package...hoping i get something soon

Ship time: My box is postmarked 29th March, and it reached on the 6th of April, Poland to Midwest USA. Should be less time in transit for East Coast/Europe?

Stones: The Arkansas is a white stone (correct me if I'm wrong). I had thought it would be a black Arkansas which is supposed to be a finer grit. It is hard to decide, but sometimes I think the black slate is finer (higher grit) than the white Arkansas? I don't know what order to use them in... I have both.

Strops: Utilitarian. I haven't used them, but tried pasting one and it didn't work out so well. i have the smooth single side only strop that comes in combination with the hone. Certainly usable as a first strop which you don't mind cutting, and you can get the linen one Woj sells as the next one to move up to (has more draw, according to others). The strops seem variable in length though.

Dings, chips, quality: I noticed no quality issues such as dings and chips, or warpage, though I'll check again for microchips. They are very utilitarian in appearance, and obviously meant for surgical work. Not fancy, but quite good quality control, IMHO. Nothing to complain about there!

Razors, balance: The smaller razors don't have nice balance, IMHO, or perhaps just different from what I'm used to. The larger razors do have fair balance.

Newbies, honing: I haven't shaved with mine yet as I'm no good at honing. So for a new person this might not be such a good deal -- unless you have Lynn's DVD and/or seriously want to get into honing etc. That qualifier aside, I used both stones (lapped one against the other) and got them sharp enough to shave my armhairs. Chin test was surprisingly smooth, but I didn't have the guts to shave with them! But I've never done this before, so I suppose that's a testament to the ease of sharpening these razors! I didn't do a pyramid, or set a bevel or anything, just light strokes, doing the thumbnail test after every few. I also found while honing that they're slippery to hold compared to my other razors which could make you sorry one day!

All said and done, definitely a very good value for money, and a good deal. I am happy with mine and might pick up another complete set for a convert. Probably a better deal for the more experienced who will consider rescaling (and appreciate the quality of the steel), but a good start/introduction to newbies too. A great second/travel set, and a great buy for those who want to learn honing.

Lastly, I really like the Wars cream and have ordered the other cream in anticipation.

I hope this answers some questions for someone!

Finally, a big thank you to Woj for making these available to us .
They must know him really well at the post office by now!

Nichhel,
Which other cream did you order?
I like WARS quite a bit, however wasn't too impressed with Pollena Lider as I recall, it was just ok.
I agree with the utilitarian look to the strops, obviously military production; however I've not noticed the length difference in the strops. The plain strops that come with the black hones are all the same length, and then the linen backed strops are all the same, at least of the ones I have ordered. Then again, perhaps that is what you meant in the first place...(I've not pasted any of these strops, however...so far I've gone rough to smooth; rough leather/linen, then smooth leather, with good results on the strops.
I actually think that this would be a great starter kit. When you look at the prices, you can get one of these brand new or at least NOS for $6 (at least in the US) and shipping; the steel is excellent; and if you want, send it to Lynn (or your favorite honemeister) for another $20 or so, and for $26 you have a shave-ready razor, which is basically brand new. What's not to like.
Also, honing is not rocket science. We all have little tricks that make it easier, but it is still doable. You can use the hones Wojtec76 sells, they do take awhile, but I still recommend getting a Norton as soon as you can afford one, if only because of the plethora of information on here as to best methods for their use...
Having tried the stuff, I think all of the razors, strops, and even stones he has are quite useable; and recommend at least the strops and razors without reservation; and when you want to move into some luxurious strops...give a look at Tony Miller's website, for one...after having learned on the very affordable Polish military ones. I wish my first strop had only cost $4...instead of 10 times that...because I sliced it all to pieces...
Keep us informed on how the pasted strop works out for you though, I'd not thought about pasting one, and greedy as I am, I bought several of them...
John P.

I broke down and ordered three after reading all the great reviews. I like the look of these razors a lot. Very minimalistic utilitarian. One is for me and the other two are gifts for my two converts.

Matt

John,

I got the Pollena! Haven't tried it yet though.

I'm afraid I was greedy like you too. I got four strops, or three, one is much shorter than the rest (or is it two and two, I forget). They were also somewhat bent from being wrapped in the box and haven't straightened out yet (but I haven't had time to do the hot water bottle thing).

>these strops, however...so far I've gone rough to smooth; rough leather/linen,
>then smooth leather, with good results on the strops.

I assume you don't mean using the rough and smooth sides of the strop that would be bad!

>I actually think that this would be a great starter kit.
I agree. At these prices, if you want to go thru sending them to a honemeister (which you would have to do anyway with a new Dovo or similar).

For someone who wants to start honing (as one must, eventually) these kits are a no-brainer, imho. To clarify what I meant: these are a great starter kit, and a superb starter kit for those who wish to hone their own razors.

I don't want to spend on a Norton, but I do have a rough/smooth 2 sided stone I got, which I think is about 1500/3000 by comparing it with 2000 grit auto sandpaper. Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and get the Norton 4/8k but I wonder what grit Woj's stones are?

I have the black slate and the white arkansas from Woj. Do you know what grits these work out to? I am using water with them, and a slight slurry that's left over from lapping them.

The pasting didn't work well with the diamond .25 paste, but that's water based and fussy to work with anyway. I think I'll get a TM balsa paddle for that one. I haven't used the strops in earnest yet either, but they seem capable enough!

I do have TM strops, and luckily bought the model which came with a starter strop, which I sliced all to pieces! That's why I want to make kits out of Woj's stuff when I go about proselytizing the straight shavin' faith!

EDIT: I just checked one razor, it has jimping on the bottom of the tang though not the top. It felt slippery while I was honing it, but I am sure it should be fine when shaving.

I have one or two of Tony's earlier strops and it's still my best looking strop.
I'll have to compare the strops again but pretty sure all of mine are the same.
As for going rough to smooth, the strop sold with linen backing is a textured leather, sortof a suede finish to it, if you will. It is rough, not smooth; when yours arrive (if you are anything like the rest of us they are already on the way) you will see what I mean. So I go rough (2 sided strop) first, then smooth (plain strop, with a smooth finish).
Haven't tried paste on either one, but at those prices don't see why you couldn't....
I'm really not sure what the grit is on Wojciech's hones is, I would have ventured a little higher, but the consensus seems to be that the black stones are somewhere around 4,000 and the Arkansas is around 6,000. I did get one of his "compressed slate" stones which seems a bit finer, still, but couldn't swear to it.
I don't know much about .25 micron paste other than that I am pretty sure by the time most folks get to that grit, the edge is already shave ready, the paste simply makes it a bit smoother. You can quite easily produce a shave ready edge right off the black stones, but it takes awhile, and might not be satisfactory in the comfort department.
Get the Norton. It brings a whole new level of "easy" into the process.
Do tell a little more about your 2 sided hone? it sounds a bit coarse for razor work, but you never know. That's sortof my quest, anyway, to find a portable, small replacement with similar performance to the Norton...so far the closest I've come is a small Belgian coticule I have, and a few barber's hones that I like quite a bit. I have the Arkansas from Wojciech, but have to pick up some oil to try with it.
John P.

I just placed an order for the 5/8 razor. For the guys who have honed it up already, I have a Norton 4/8k and a chromium oxide bench hone, what would you recommend in terms of pyramids, strokes, etc.

Originally Posted by steve

I just placed an order for the 5/8 razor. For the guys who have honed it up already, I have a Norton 4/8k and a chromium oxide bench hone, what would you recommend in terms of pyramids, strokes, etc.

Start by shaving with the razor fresh from the box. Simply strop it 30-50 laps and shave test it. This gives you a starting point for comparison. Then I would adopt a cautious approach.
Perform a conservative pyramid followed by 30 laps on the chrome oxide and 30-50 laps on the plain leather strop. Then shave test. Perform this twice if necessary. From there you can decide if it needs any more honing, either an aggressive pyramid, a conservative pyramid or something less. What you are doing is finding out what effect the different levels of honing have on this particular razor. You will get there but it takes some patience.

Hope this helps,