Originally Posted by
Voidmonster
Thanks for the update, Michael! The deep engraving does look very good, and what you're saying about the custom, branded fittings is extremely appealing to me. The last razors I know of that used anything like that were John Fox's custom logo embossed washers in the 1780's.
I absolutely see the sense of targeting the inaugural product to the diehard collectors, but I feel like it's out of step with the history of the brand.
I have never seen a single Wade & Butcher branded razor that was as fancy as the fanciest Sheffield razors. Many of them were undoubtedly quite beautiful, and there were a wide, wide range of styles some of which were fancier than others, but none ever approached the ornamentation (and, let's face it, pure veblen flourish) of the highest-end Joseph Rodgers.
William and Samuel barely advertised. They didn't have a fancy showroom, or court royal appointments. The great majority of their sales came in through traveling salesmen. Robert Wade's son Robert wrangled those salesmen in America, and is a contributing factor to the incredible number of old W&B razors to be found here. But by and large, the razors of Wade & Butcher were aimed squarely at the lower-to-medium end of the market.
So it seems weird to me to have only an ultra-premium razor with the resurrected brand. It would make perfect sense to me as one of multiple options.
Is there any reason to not offer less expensive materials as well? Pewter, horn, and brass packaged in paper-mache can be very beautiful and last for hundreds of years.
Personally, I can imagine spending what's been proposed on a razor (I attempted to send that much on a pair of Joseph Rodgers razors, but was outbid), but it would have to be perfectly to my taste. I don't know that the Irontusk won't be, but I also don't know that it will be.