Thread: W. Gilchrist razor

Originally Posted by MikeB52

Damn, if you read those articles above, won't need to see the stones again till I'm in my 60s if I start using a good strop, haha.
Be sending a stern note to W Wilson challenging that claim if I only get 9 years out of it.

To the OP, congratulations. You will love that one.

Nice spotting, that's a tall claim by any stretch of the imagination.
Probably why the examples here are so pristine, no-one dared hone them for fear of making their warranty null and void...

Originally Posted by Grazor

Nice spotting, that's a tall claim by any stretch of the imagination.
Probably why the examples here are so pristine, no-one dared hone them for fear of making their warranty null and void...

Its not so far fetched after all, I did an experiment with 2 razors, used them both weekly, regular stropping and pasted strop, lasted about a year, got bored with it, shaved just fine a year later.

William Wallace Gilchrist lived a few blocks from Robert Wade, son of the Robert Wade who founded W&B. Wade was William & Samuel Butcher's main US salesman.

Whether Gilchrist's razors were 'made by Wade & Butcher' or not is an unanswerable question. Robert Wade was undoubtedly one of the vendors who provided him with custom-stamped razors, as well as Joseph Elliot (see the examples above), but that isn't quite the same thing as being 'made by Wade & Butcher', since no razors after 1828 were made by Wade & Butcher, as the company was defunct. It existed purely as a brand, in the same way Chrysler exists now, and has.

His earlier 'Ramapo Razor Co.' razors may have been produced domestically before he managed to burn down his workshop.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Its not so far fetched after all, I did an experiment with 2 razors, used them both weekly, regular stropping and pasted strop, lasted about a year, got bored with it, shaved just fine a year later.

Just two razors for a year is a serious dedication to an experiment. I think these experiments are more suited for people with more modest selections. It's nice that people have done these, I don't think I could.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Its not so far fetched after all, I did an experiment with 2 razors, used them both weekly, regular stropping and pasted strop, lasted about a year, got bored with it, shaved just fine a year later.

Did pretty much the same experiment a while back. 70+ shaves each on a Puma and a Bengall with just leather, no paste.
Got bored, started to lose count. Shaved with the Bengall a couple of weeks back, was fine.
I guess in the right hands it's plausible.

Hello! What's the width of this razor?

Mines about a 9/8 still..
May use it today actually.

My experiment was with a Tanifuji, 37 shaves in when I had it re-scaled and the fellow lightly glasses razors he scales for safety reasons. And I did not have him re-hone it. I was using leather only, 30/60 Kanyama suede/cordovan, with 20 on the canvas once a week. It wasn't quite freshly honed good, but it was shaving very well indeed and not going downhill.

Cheers, Steve