Thread: Wapienica - Why is it so good??

I agree Sinnfein! I'm a pretty big guy with big hands. Some of my razors that i LOVE, like my king cutter, are TOO light in my hands. This razor has some meat to it! I won't ever rescale mine either!

Originally Posted by gssixgun

These razors were not even designed for the beard, they were made as surgical razors for shaving body hair before surgery.. This is another reason why they have SS scales so they can be autoclaved... They also have a pretty soft temper, which is why they hone pretty easy..
About 30% have some pretty bad steel deeper in the bevel, which can appear after the 3rd-4th honing normally at the heel..

When they were selling at $6-$11 they were a good buy, for NOS razors..


Many newer shavers like them as they handle easy, and the 1/4 grind plows through hair so it requires less finesse to get a good shave...


Not a bad razor

Thanks, your information helped me make a decision, not to buy a Wapi for a second time, I was looking for a 7th razor for my collectionI had one and it was fine, but In my opinion, now there are other razors one can get for a similar price. But like you said for $6 to $11, that was a super bargain.

I've honed and shaved with a couple.
The main reason I like them is that their factory grind is very good, they taken an edge very easily, and are at least as good as dovo in terms of edge quality and blade geometry. At least, the ones I handled did. Granted, the scales are a bit awkward, and they don't have jimps or nice spine decoration.

And for the original price at which they were sold, there was just no equal in price vs performance.

The problem is that they are not as cheap as they used to be and hard to come by on ebay. I think I' ve seen one going for 40$ recently and wondered is it worth it? Now I'm thinking I should have already bought one.

Originally Posted by Jock

The problem is that they are not as cheap as they used to be and hard to come by on ebay. I think I' ve seen one going for 40$ recently and wondered is it worth it? Now I'm thinking I should have already bought one.

imoo, no. They are good shavers. But you're not buying them because they are good lookers.
so then you have to wonder: if all I want is a good shaver, a second hand dovo or W&B or whatever is going to be just as good.

Originally Posted by Bruno

imoo, no. They are good shavers. But you're not buying them because they are good lookers.
so then you have to wonder: if all I want is a good shaver, a second hand dovo or W&B or whatever is going to be just as good.

I think that you can get a good shave with almost any razor when honed well. But the reason I was thinking of buying it is because I like to try new things (or you could just call it RAD). I could have 3 Ferraris in my garage, but when a 20 year old Jetta comes along, I would also like to take it for a spin.
But I get your point.

I bought 5 of the original sfk stamped ones back when they were first put out there, at 7 bucks each I think from the original Polish guy - wozniaka or something?

I have given all but one away over the intervening years to various people - all were good shavers. I still grab that last one out on occasion and always get a nice shave from it. Once you get used to the original scales' weight they are fine.

So my experience has always been a positive one with the Wapis. It is unfortunate that obviously some poorer quality ones hit the market later on. Or perhaps I just got a lucky batch of 5 originally.

James.

Just got my nos wapi and cleaned it up.


Looking forward to testing it out. I like the weight of the scales actually.
Reviving an old razor, might as well revive an old thread as well.

I still have more than a few NOS ones sitting in a box somewhere.

Dust em off and set them to stone sir.
The anti rust agent in the original package, while still there had long since lost its mojo on mine. Some pitting on the B side I will live with, but not a bad shaver. I like the French tip. Too early to tell if the edge will hold up, or be soft as some have described.