Thread: Are there different Wapi's

Originally Posted by ganboyi

I actually just purchased this blade from ebay. Here is the link.

POLISH RAZOR FROM WAPIENICA WITH MARK ORIGINAL BOX NOS! - eBay (item 320480387488 end time Feb-11-10 19:55:00 PST)

I think for a pretty good price. Since this is my first ebay purchase and I've been looking for a 1/4 grind to try and heard good things about the wapi i am pleased. The stamp in the tang is a bit messy and I wondered whether those who do restorations etc would be able to tell me if there was a way to clean that up, it looks pretty permanent. What is it? (That corrosion on the bottom of the stamp. Thank you.

$35 for that Wapi is pretty reasonable, IMO. To my eye, that looks like oil on the tang, not corrosion, but you'll have to wait till you have it to see. Here's hoping for oil.

oil on the tang would be great!!!!! i will let you know

I ordered an unmarked Wapi from the same ebay seller a month or two ago. Mine has a few different characteristics, as can be seen here (I had a go at correcting for perspective differences based on the grid paper, so this is probably a fairly accurate comparison). Looking at the one you ordered, I'd think mine was a knock-off or something if it wasn't exactly the same as a marked version my friend has. From what I gather, there may have been either several product lines at different times from the same factory or several different producers in Wapienica (the town) who were contracted to make these hospital razors. This would explain the different tang stamps one can find, too.

The Good
Mine came in a very nice, pristine green box that I hadn't seen a picture of before. The razor had zero spine wear and looked to have never been sharpened whatsoever. I got it to take a killer edge, and it shaves very nicely (except for the heavy, clunky scales).

The Bad
There is a bit of discoloration towards the end of the blade that isn't visible in the animation I linked above. It doesn't bother me, but a collector probably wouldn't like it. There are also scuff marks on the tang caused by the scales, and the scales themselves have a few very light scratches. It's all still shiny and very new-looking, and none of this affects the shave at all.

Just an off side, it's driving me nuts...the only real "Wapi's" are Polish... Wapi being short for Wapienica...
Anyway, pretty sure these are all military or hospital razors (e.g. the steel scales allow for easier cleaning/sterilization)
Ok, since I've not posted in quite a long time, I'll step off the soap box.
I do remember when the Wapienica's started showing up there was a metal scale one and a "civilian" one with plastic scales. Haven't seen those in quite awhile. There was also a 5/8-ish version and a 6/8" one.
I've perhaps been lucky but like all the ones I have, as well as the French army razor. There is a Czech version in perhaps 3/8 that wasn't as enjoyable (to me).
John P