Thread: Are FILARMONICAS that good ?

here it is

To me only the old ones live up the hype. Later models are not that special for me.

The width of the blade looks shorter than usual. I suspect it had a chip and the seller honed it out. This is quite common with Filarmonicas on eBay .

A 14 should be around an inch wide from my understanding. That one does look to have been fixed or something. This would mean it wont have as much flex. I bet it is still a singing razor, its just had a hard life. Guessing its a second generation. Its not a first gen. As said, that was when they were the best.

Here is the only Filly I own, had several but parted with them a few years back when cleaning house.

Yes, in general they are shavers, yours looks to have had a rough life and aggressively honed. Needs some heel correction and may be the cause of the aggressive honing.

It can still be made to shave.

Get her honed and shave away! In spite of all the faults mentioned it will be a great shaver that will outlast you.

Another Filly to compare with...
First Gen.


Compare the shape of the heals and you will see where the comment of fixing the heal comes in.

I own 2 13's. An older one and a later one.
Honestly, the difference eludes me. Both shave great.

They sure look nice. I've never owned one, largely because of their price so I can't speak to their quality but they are a wide singing blade from my understanding and every razor I've ever had that fits that description has been exceptional. They do bear a premium price though and I've never been sure if that was because of the quality or if it was clever marketing and market manipulation like De Beers used with diamonds. Although, as my father-in-law used to say they don't make penthouses on the first floor.

As far as consistency I have never had a bad Wade & Butcher unless it was damaged or worn slap out and even the big FBUs are not as expensive as a Filarmonicas even if they are restored to like new condition. Sometimes manufacturers who make quality merchandise become known for their quality and then charge a price beyond their quality because... They can. For example in my industry a Sargent 8 Line door knob has a list price of $820… for a doorknob. Now, they are arguably the best commercial grade doorknob on the market but when a Chinese import comparable grade doorknob has a list of $152 I think you can consider Sargent's price excessive. Is it a better door knob? Of course it is. Is it 5.4 times better, or last 5.4 times longer, or is it 5.4 times more secure or does it do it's job 5.4 times as well? No. But, their reputation and company success through marketing etc is so good that they have so many municipal, military and government contracts they could not even sell to the private sector. Subsequently they don't care if you buy it in the private sector or not.

There are many other examples but I think it's safe to say in a nutshell that they almost certainly are that good but you are going to pay a premium price for it. If it is worth it or not is subjective but If you can pay the price I'm sure you'll probably be satisfied with it. Personally I would love to have one. I just don't have that kind of disposable income.