Thread: Wade & Butcher recommendation

Hi all,
So at some point i would like to buy a Wade & Butcher SR. Now the fun part, i have no idea which model i want!?! All i know is i would like a Square Point minimum 6/8 maximum 8/8 Extra Hollow down to Full Hollow with Black Scales, oh and in as perfect a condition as possible!?! And again ideally i would like it to be somewhat of a sort after prized addition to own, basically something special!?!
Any Suggestions as what fits this bill along with pictures would be greatly appreciated and some info as to why it is sort after special??? at a pinch i would consider the Barbers notch point style.
Please forgive my ignorance on this subject as i am new to the world of SR's and SR shaving but know enough that Wade & Butcher Razors are renowned quality Razor makers and their Razors are an impressive acquisition!
There is no screaming rush to acquire this Razor as i am aware this is likely to cost some $$$ and i firstly need to up the Wife's Life Insurance and LOOSEN the hand rail on the stairs before i can start rubbing my hands!?! Then again i figure this is highly unlikely to be that easy to come across!?!
Again any help, advice or photos of what i should be looking at and considering greatly appreciated.

Cheers Andy

To the best of my limited knowledge an extra or full hollow, 6/8 or larger, Wade & Butcher is as scarce as hen's teeth.

I have a full hollow that has a damaged point. It is packed away somewhere.

Others with a lot more experience than me will chime in eventually.

Well you are not wrong in your appraisal of Wade and Butcher as a quality manufacturer but the good thing about them is that they were in production for a long time.and they made a tremendous amount of razors. However, this being the case the older ones are generally NOT full Hollow Ground as that was a more recent development. However, there are still plenty of good ones.

My personal favorite is the FBU (For Barber's Use) but they are a big ol' honkin' thing and quite expensive. Fortunately for you the ones over 8/8 are the expensive ones. All of them were at least that wide at the beginning and have worn down below it. That doesn't necessarily mean worn out though. I have a couple that have been reground and are 6/-7/8 and shave fabulously. Also they all came with buffalo horn as far as I know. They also all came as notched point. Here is a pic of three I restored; the trifecta: wedge grind; The Celebrated Hollow Ground and a factory reground wedge.



Another good one is The Original & Only Bow Razor. Here's one of those I restored.

They have a Hollow grind, a chisel ground point and a nice blade face etchings. They are a darn handsome razor overall and excellent shavers also.
If you are not stuck on the black scales there is always the Special


...which can be had inexpensively but are a great shaving workhorse. Then there's the Elite


Which is also complex ground with a chisel gound point but shoulderless. It like the Special is full hollow.

Then there are plenty that have no marked model name that fit your description. I have a number of those. Any and all of these are excellent shavers and can be.had for reasonable prices since there are so many of them made.

Andy, they made a wide variety of razors over the years. My favorites are the ancient wedges which have been expertly reground a a later date.
I understand that the factories even got in on it. Each to his own.
It's cool to get an old wedge going good. Heavy, smooth and easy.

You still need a wipe with a thin one to clean up on occasion. JMO

W&B has made them in sufficient quantities that anything you desire can be had with their stamp. Enjoy the journey.

Thanks for the feedback and information guys very interesting. Might have to reassess my choice of Blade!?! Not aversed to the idea of a WEDGE as this would for me be possibly a better time period to own ie older rather than newer!
@PaulFLUS I may have to consider prising one of those Razors out of your cold dead hands at some point

Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt me to thin the herd some. Although my paltry 200ish is chump change compared to what some of these guys around here have it wouldn't hurt some of my overflow to get more "face time."

@PaulFLUS That’s a very generous consideration on your part and thank you for such!.....As stated no mad screaming rush as I have finance's to consider like the wife her horse and the dog! You will notice I don't figure on that list!?!
The more I look at your 3 "For Barber's Use" the more appealing they become?
Maybe I could message you in the new year and we could discuss Wade & Butcher blade shapes and options???
Cheers Andy

Just out of curiosity I went through the drawers and took a W/B headcount. I have at least 34 not including ones in the junk drawer. I have several that fit the bill of what you are looking for. After the new year I need to get back to some restoration and I have some pre-order new razors to complete. I am WAY behind so it might be a while but I think I can put together something that will make you warm and fuzzy. I'll PM you with some details.

@PaulFLUS Sorry I had no idea you wherein the restoration of SR business!?! And feel totally honoured that you are prepared to give my goal your time and consideration! As for that "WARM & FUZZY" feeling, it's started! Needless to say that is one HELL OF a Wade & Butcher collection you have there!!! I have spent time looking on the Internet at various W&B razors and to be honest most are BUTCHER'D!?! Then the few that look half decent, on closer inspection it seems the edge has be honed on the side of a brick house!?! Hence why I came here really, I thought if I was going to find a nice example with a good honed edge this would be the place as I find these kind of communities tend to look out for each other and steer members in the right direction at least!

Wanting to learn restoration, was my whole reason to coming to this forum. It's why I and others here, have large amounts of razors. They can be bought for next to nothing, and gives u a chance to try different grinds and styles of blades.

Learning what's salvageable, and what's junk, takes a bit of trial n error. Wedges are about the only ones with abuse, that can be brought back to their, near former state.

I much prefer the older wedges and uniquely ground razors from the late 1700s throughout the 1800s. Like this Wolf.





Frederick Reynolds





With time and practice, you'll have more than you'll know what to do with.