Snagged two Wade and Butcher's at the antique shop today.... can't wait to hone/polish them up and give them a go.... see what all the fuss is about...
Printable View
Snagged two Wade and Butcher's at the antique shop today.... can't wait to hone/polish them up and give them a go.... see what all the fuss is about...
We want pictures:-)
FreyGrimrod you have some interesting timing on this post! After a single shave with a W&B just today I'm a believer!
Allow me to set this one up a little. I have about 60 or so straight razors that are in shave ready state. Another 50 or so in various stages of cleaning or restoration. I've spent a fortune on new razors as well, and have a ton of Dovos, TIs, and many German, British, US, and Swedish razors - even a few from France and a handful of Wapis from when I first started. In a nutshell I'd been an elitist and it seems I'd decided that "modern" Dovos, TIs, and even Henkels were the only real option for a good shave. My beard might as well be horse hair in the area that would cover a very large Van Dyke, and a bit less stubborn along where sideburns are as well as cheeks.
Today I finally finished a hone and strop of a 6/8 Wade and Butcher and a Filly 2x Temple #12. Having never shaved with anything more stout than a half hollow blade I decided to use the W&B and to try the Filly on the second pass. So, hot shower, some pre-shave oil, a nice soap from Olivia, and then on to the shave.
From the very first stroke I could tell the W&B was something seriously special! When I got to my jaw near my chin (where nothing has so far been able to slice through the stubble in anything less than three passes) I was amazed with the ease with which the W&B vaporized my beard. Smooth, no tugging at all, no nicks, and an amazingly smooth and easy shave!
On the second pass - I'm not totally sure I needed it after the fist pass with the W&B - I used the Filly and again I was stunned at how easily it cut the little stubble that remained. After I was done and hit my face with the cold water, aftershave, and some balm, even my wife commented on the smoothness of my face! BBS indeed! I'd thought I was getting a good close shave before - not even close!
It seems that somewhere along the line I'd fallen for the "pretty" looks of the more modern steel and the idea of a full hollow ground blade as the only real option. I have to say that the W&B and the Filly are the absolute best I've used to date, bar absolutely none. I can't tell if it's the ground, the edge angle, the weight, or what, but I've been converted to a W&B believer.
So - It looks like I'm going to switch out my entire stable to W&Bs, Fillys for cleanup, and a few other heavy blades. There's going to be one helluva lot of my razors coming up for sale in the classifieds here and on the bay! Hope there's some folks looking for some 5/8 and 6/8 Dovos, TIs, and other "modern" razors. FreyGrimrod once you get those two W&Bs honed and stropped properly you're going to be absolutely amazed!
Congrats and welcome to the club, they are special.
Pictures.....
Been running around with work and only have one shaving nicely thus far and I took the smile out of it (wanted to get back into fresh steel) that seems all to common with the WB's hopefully not a sacrilege... I still don't have it shaving as smoothly as my CMon Blackie when it was at its absolute peak but its close.... my honing skills will continue to improve though and we'll see how it holds its edge!
Whenever possible I'd leave the smile on a razor,as smilies seem to shave better to me IMHO. They must be honed with a "rolling X", but it is worth learning.
Welcome and yes we need pictures:-)
There's no reason to swap out your old ones... Simply add to the collection and you'll have everything you want.