Thread: Wade & Butcher Comeback

$500 would still be a little steep for me, but at $1800 bucks! what kind of market do they think exists?
Stay Sharp

I have followed Mike from way back and have been patient but at $1800 that is way out of most shaver's range so by it costing almost 3X's what a Damascus cost and 6X's what a normal high quality straight cost they are really cutting out a huge market base but I do wish them the best is there endeavor and sadly I won't be involved in any first issue.

I was all excited too and had been saving up in my acquisition fund, but when I heard the price, I decided that I'd use my funds to set up and try my hand at restoring my own razors, starting with some W&Bs which was very gratifying. I wish the endeavor well though and look forward to some other resurrected blades that come in at a lower price point.

Meh. No matter what they call it, it's not a Wade & Butcher and never will be. I hate to see them exploit the name like that. Just my opinion.

At $1800 I could buy 60+ vintage ones in the wild at the price I usually pay. I know it's very cool and brand new but I personally couldn't/wouldn't pay half that much for a new one

Call me a hater but this is not the direction I want to see the WB name go.
..for the 1800$...you can get a used car...the new iphone and a handgun...@4 custom Ali's blades...or any other custom made razors for that matter...
The most important thing is the market always has and always will self regulate...

I remember people used to pay high $$$ for Hinderer knives and Strider knives once they made it to the market...but the competition offered similar or better quality for a smaller price so they eventualy had to drop prices to keep business going...
I predict this is going to happen eventualy if they somehow manage to survive and deliver quality products...
Buying a 1800$ limited edition/first production is a gamble...if they manage the pressure and keep the lineage going maybe the razors will keep the value in time and they will be remembered as the ones that resurected a legendary brand...
If they fail to seduce the market...and survive...you're stuck wuth an overpriced piece of steel that you wont ever get your money back on.

For this maney I belive you can have any custom maker make a design of your choise in any steel and material no matter how valuable...
get a proffesional engraver to decorate it...have it gold plated and scaled in mamuth ivory.

Heck at 42$/gr of gold you can have a solid 24 k gold scaled one and still have $$$ for a high end custom blade to put it in...

The options are endless ... what they come up with has to be mind botling to be worth it.

But what do I know ... i'm just a hater with a few choppers in my collection.

Maybe a little perspective is in order.

$1800 in today's money would have been about $65 in say 1890, when you could have bought an original W&B. That was astronomical, a good razor would have been around a dollar, and we've all seen those early 20th century boxes marked with prices from $1-3. And Thuringians and coticules also for around a dollar. The only razor that would have been worth that much would have been one with jeweled scales or perhaps that belonged to a famous person, but none on their merits as a razor.

But it isn't unheard of. A NOS Iwasaki Western tamehagane will routinely fetch considerably more, $2800-3200. I don't have one of those either, and don't plan on buying one unless one shows up at the flea market, lol. The most expensive non-collector, non-custom (IOW production) razor I've seen other than the Iwasaki has been a NOS Le Grelot 14 in original ivory with box and papers that sold for around $900. Would either be a good investment? In a word, no, because you can't hone them, the collectors value would plummet.

If we limit our field to razors that can be honed without losing value, we're likely talking about a boxed pair of antique used decorated scale razors made for the upper crust of society, but still they're not a lot more than say a pair of new high-end Thiers-Issard razors. A year ago I saw a new TI in ivory at Planete Rasoir in Paris with papers, 900€ I believe, and a TI damascus is also in that range.

So if he gets the price down to $900, he's at least competing with the high end of 'normal' razors.

Cheers, Steve

If e.g. Joe Edson can do what he does for under $1000 (his range varies but he produces some FINE pieces for that or much less), I can't imagine what can really drive the price of these up to $1800 standard. And I think the best tribute to the WB brand (production pieces) would be to make modern production pieces, which can be done in interesting original-inspired blade shapes. But that's just my two cents...

Yeah, no way a modern "Wade and Butcher" will sell for even half that price. I think the market will speak on this idea...

Hi Guys,

So as to keep this thread updated on our progress I just wanted to point out a quick video we just added to our FB page showing the deep engraving for the makers mark on the Irontusk razor (some adjustment still ongoing with some of the letterforms, leading, kerning etc.) but it shows off the general quality of the engraving that one can expect on the final razor. I know many may not care much about a makers mark, but I really believe it needs to be done properly.

https://www.facebook.com/wadeandbutc...6203903520830/


Then in terms of pricing, it really is a bit premature to discuss as we haven't yet launched the actual razor - but I do understand the need to chat about cost etc. I think though that this will always be quite a subjective thing.. For our part though, the suggested pricing for the Irontusk razor at around $1800 is for the complete package as we envision it right now, and we believe that it is quite commensurate to what is actually being offered.

Let me do some points as I find it easier:

1. The razor will come standard with a handcrafted hardwood presentation case, brass-inlayed, with premium Alcantara fitted interior. It's a premium product in and of itself, and it is pricey to create..
2. The materials used for each razor are expensive right off the shelf just as unworked raw materials. We have Zirconium for the wedges for example..
3. The number of hours of labour going in to each razor to ensure the absolute highest level of fit-and-finish are far in excess of what is needed to just 'make a working razor', even in excess of a good few current custom makers to be honest.
4. The packaging and accompanying paperwork, as simple a thing as it may seem to highlight, is again in itself quite costly (hand letterpressed and foiled certificates, done one at a time for example).
5. The pivot system is a custom designed and micro-machined titanium bullseye pivot, with custom Maltese cross interface and custom accompanying driver tool. (you see the pricing might make more sense once viewed against the complete package..)

That is just some of what is going into each product.

But can everyone swing close on $2K for a razor, no matter what they are getting in return? No, and again the 'value' of any item is always going to be subjective.

But I want everyone to know that I do hear you, and I do appreciate that the suggested pricing for this first razor is 'expensive'. So this has given me quite a bit to think about. As I said, the vision was for the complete package, and for the output to always be highly limited especially for this first razor... But perhaps by separating out the presentation case as an optional extra and also making some clever concessions in material choice and even packaging, we can likely bring the cost down quite a bit and thus open up the market.

Remember also, that in due course we are bringing out various other models, all at differing price points, as well as various other shaving goods.

Bottom line: We are trying to make the very best razors possible, bearing a legendary name, but it means nothing if they aren't in the hands of the people that matter the most. So please hang in there, and know that we are listening.


Cheers,
- Mike