Bartmann vs. Wapi (looking for an all stainless)

I'm looking for a very clean, sleek, industrial straight razor - the two that have caught my eye are:

5/8 Wapienica (5/8 Shave Ready Wapienica razor (Wapi's))

and

6/8 Bartmann with single bevel (6/8 Original Bartmann Japanese Style Single Bevel Square Point - stainless steel handles : Shaving Shop - luxury classic wet shaving products - straight razors)

From the photos, they seem nearly identical. Of course the Bartmann has a more impressive heritage, from what I know. But these will be used for daily shaving, in rotation, not for display.

In terms of the shave - what do you recommend?

Or, can you think of any other options that match these industrial aesthetics?

Thank you!

- Mark

I'd go with the wapi If it were me, those have a great track record at a very good price. I wouldn't bother with that bartmann surgical razor...you can do much better for that price, and it would add quite a bit of difficulty to actual use in my opinion (as far as I know these are not for shaving...but I'm no expert). What other gear do you have already?

The bartman is not a razor - at least I don't think it was made with that intention and looks like John more or less says the same thing.
I would strongly caution you to stay away from it, unless you know what you're doing.

Another option perhaps I know little about it but I think Seraphim has one maybe do a search. If your willing to go 100.00 anyway I would hold out for a Henckels Friodur.http://cgi.ebay.com/STRAIGHT-RAZOR-FIRST-CLASS-EISHARTUNG-INOX-ROSTFREI_W0QQitemZ320362298243QQcmdZViewItemQQptZL H_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9714bb83&_trksid=p328 6.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Thanks, everyone, for all the feedback. Sounds like the Bartmann is not for me. I normally shave with an Edwin Jagger - very straightforward, no complaints. But birthday's approaching, and I've been promised some new straight razors - but have been asked to pick out my wish list.

Vashaver, that ebay link you included pointed to a razor with what appear to be white plastic or celluloid scales, not metal ones. And I haven't seen any Friodurs available (i.e. shavingshop) with all metal scales or construction.

There's a Darrel Ralph custom that has a really great industrial appeal - but it's about $700, which is over my limit. If anyone has any other good suggestions, I'm certainly open!

I may just opt for the inexpensive Wapi, and then also get something completely different -- on the more ornate side of the spectrum...

I'm not entirely sure if there is anything stainless other than a Wapi currently in production.

Geneva pyramid brand is a good stainless and you can get one for pretty cheap. They're used though.

First of all, the blade of the Wapi is carbon steel not stainless. Only the scales are stainless.

Second, there are two models of all stainless steel razors currently made by Dovo and available from dovorazors.com (scroll down), one with polished scales and one with satin.

I do know of other razors with stainless steel scales but no others with a stainless steel blade.

The Dovo's are good. Like all the wapi's they suffer from odd balance, as the steel scales throw it off a little, but the No 41 blade they have is fantastic! Far more expensive than the wapi, but a true all stainless razor.

''industrial''!
Sorry I some how missed that one key word!

Bartmann is a great old brand but that looks to me like a microtome. It is used for cutting tissue for examining under a microscope. I have successfully honed one that I accidentally bought from an ebay seller who only showed the hollow side but I wouldn't recommend it. The Dovo is a good razor and Shaving Shop has some Wackers that are good.

I don't see any Wackers with metal handles listed. So far, the only 3 metal-scale options I've come across are the Wapi ($45), the Dovo ($95) and one old Dovo on eBay that has a metal handle decorated with perforations badly in need of restoration and probably a new or NOS blade.

WW2 GERMAN ANTIQUE MEDICAL SURGICAL RAZOR - eBay (item 250400817618 end time Jun-02-09 04:19:41 PDT)

here is another option.

as for the wapi's I dont know if anyone is selling them right now. invisible edge sold out and so did the well honed razor and ruprazor i believe...so the wapi may be harder to find than you think...

The well-honed razor has sold out? I didn't know that. They have them listed as for sale on the site (see link at top of this thread).

(Follow-up: just tried adding the item to my cart, and you are absolutely right - after trying to add to cart, THEN it informs you that they are not in stock). Oh well...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mrgad

The well-honed razor has sold out? I didn't know that. They have them listed as for sale on the site (see link at top of this thread).

(Follow-up: just tried adding the item to my cart, and you are absolutely right - after trying to add to cart, THEN it informs you that they are not in stock). Oh well...

---

I found out the hard way trying to buy one...luckily I snatched up Two from invisible edge last week when he happened to get a small lot in...he sold out in like 2 or three days i think.

Cant wait for them to get here.

Let's see stainless with stainless scales?

You could talk to Butch.

Harner Knives

Or I suppose you could contact him through SRD. Now that I think of it, That's probably the best way.

I kind of want something like this:
http://www.harnerknives.com/wp-conte...DSC05940sm.jpg

I am sure he could do something like it in stainless.;)

that is sweet...

how does that shave?

That's not my razor. It's the one I would buy if I had the money. I am guessing it went $600-$700.


This is mine:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...dsc05551sm.jpg

and it shaves great!

I see that is a nice razor also...but the one you posted a pick of above looks straight bad @$$.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pyment

Let's see stainless with stainless scales?

You could talk to Butch.

Harner Knives

Or I suppose you could contact him through SRD. Now that I think of it, That's probably the best way.

I kind of want something like this:
http://www.harnerknives.com/wp-conte...DSC05940sm.jpg

I am sure he could do something like it in stainless.;)

---

So not my style, but amazing nevertheless...:nj

Jordan

I went to Butch's site an ran across one where the scales were metal (I am guessing Titanium).

But we really shouldn't hijack this thread. My point was supposed to be, that he may want to consider commissioning one and Butch is here regularly( I could have used Joe Chandler). I don't know if anyone else here is taking commissions.

Getting back to the point, what kind of budget are we talking?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mrgad

The well-honed razor has sold out? I didn't know that. They have them listed as for sale on the site (see link at top of this thread).

(Follow-up: just tried adding the item to my cart, and you are absolutely right - after trying to add to cart, THEN it informs you that they are not in stock). Oh well...

---

The Well Honed Razor seems to be out of contact for some time now :(

At first when I saw the title of this thread I thought I was going to get to see Bart attack a wapi :) lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gugi

The bartman is not a razor - at least I don't think it was made with that intention and looks like John more or less says the same thing.
I would strongly caution you to stay away from it, unless you know what you're doing.

---

They were originally made as medical razors. Sometimes for tissue slicing and other times to shave you for a hernia operation. The Japanese razors everyone seems to love have a single bevel!

John

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Del1r1um

I'd go with the wapi If it were me, those have a great track record at a very good price. I wouldn't bother with that bartmann surgical razor...you can do much better for that price, and it would add quite a bit of difficulty to actual use in my opinion (as far as I know these are not for shaving...but I'm no expert). What other gear do you have already?

---

When I purchased these I did not realize they were single bevel razors. If I had realized that, I would not have purchased them mearly because of the current razor paradime that it has to have two bevels. Older prized genuine Japanese katana swords were single bevel. Even modern Japanese fixed handle style razors are single bevel.

As a side note - since I know there is going to be resistance to them; I have them priced for just about what I paid for them - so I can turn them over and purchase something new.

John

By the way, I ended up picking up a new Dovo with stainless blade and handle. And now, I see that in the SRP classifieds a member is selling some NOS Wapis with the steel handles. I'm wondering if I should pick one up to do a side-by-side comparison of the two. Has anyone else already done this? Comparing a 5/8 Dovo to the 11/16 Wapi? The designs are nearly identical. One complaint I have about the Dovo is that the handle is thin and the metal a bit soft and flimsy. It's very easy to squeeze the handle too tightly and nick the blade as you're closing the razor. I wonder if the Wapi also has "soft" squeezable handles... Anyone?

The Wapis certainly take some beating on the edge - at any price - but they do tend to be maintenance-intensive as the steel is a bit soft but WOW are they sharp! I'm out of the SS scaled ones, have a few plastic-scaled left but if you see SS ones buy them now - there are NO MORE!:chop:

(except those I get!)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mrgad

I'm wondering if I should pick one up to do a side-by-side comparison of the two. Has anyone else already done this? Comparing a 5/8 Dovo to the 11/16 Wapi?

---

if you care about how they compare on the shave you should do the comparison yourself. other people's opinion wouldn't necessarily match yours.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by blueprinciple

there are NO MORE!:chop:

(except those I get!)

---

Oh, I wouldn't go quite that far! ;)

Update: have now test-driven the three razors discussed in this thread: Wapi, Dovo and the Bartmann -- and posted a review here on SRP. It's at http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-bartmann.html if you're interested.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John Crowley

When I purchased these I did not realize they were single bevel razors. If I had realized that, I would not have purchased them mearly because of the current razor paradime that it has to have two bevels.
As a side note - since I know there is going to be resistance to them; I have them priced for just about what I paid for them - so I can turn them over and purchase something new.

John

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mrgad

Update: have now test-driven the three razors discussed in this thread:

---

Hey, I don't feel like any sacred cows have been slaughtered here... if it got you a good shave, I can accept that. I fully admit that I was making an assumption about the microtome without any personal experience. I was shooting from the hip, and that is all. In fact, now I'm a bit curious to try one out to see how my experiences mesh with yours... I'll have to think about that one. Thanks for the update.

I don't either. It IS a medical razor, it was NOT meant to shave with, and it certainly isn't like a japanese razor.

If it works for shaving, then great, I'd like to try my self - I enjoy variation - but I do think you were a little harsh with some of your sweeping statements, after all, the information they gave you was true and they didn't want to see a new guy slash 100 bucks up the wall on a bit of an unknown quantity. I don't think you should hold that against anyone.

gregs, I'm not aware of anything that I wrote that criticized any forum members; certainly nothing could be further from my intent. I always appreciate the opinions and body of knowledge here. I simply test-drove an off-beat razor and reported my happy results. My writing style may have been off-putting to you, but I didn't intend to take anyone to task. If I didn't value these fellow members, I would never have come back to spend the time to share my thoughts and experiences. - M.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chimensch

First of all, the blade of the Wapi is carbon steel not stainless. Only the scales are stainless.

Second, there are two models of all stainless steel razors currently made by Dovo and available from dovorazors.com (scroll down), one with polished scales and one with satin.

I do know of other razors with stainless steel scales but no others with a stainless steel blade.

---

Actually the gold toned ones that I have which are the 5/8 ones appear to have crbon steel handles that have been nickel plated.