Thread: Wacker Old Sheffield - JIT

JIT = Just in time. Yesterday morning, just as I stepped out of the house to head to work the mailman walked up, handed me a package. I knew it was my ordered Wacker Old Sheffield. I was afraid I'd be going on my next long load without my new razor, and have to wait another week. It came just in time.

Hat tip to John Crowley at shavingshop.com. The razor came shave ready and I had my first shave tonight at the Loves truck stop in El Paso, TX. Some here have urged me to get a pro honed razor. The shave was fine. No nicks or cuts. The blade was as sharp as my own honing would have produced. No disrespect to named proprietor. What that tells me is this 6 month rookie is doing an adequate honing job.

The razor is beautiful. I chose it for its traditional style and barber's notch. It is a 7/8" razor and only slightly smaller than my Thiers Issard Bijou de France 7/8 square point. A written description on Amazon describes this Wacker as extra hollow. It may be but you couldn't prove it by me. Below is another picture of my other razors.

My next purchase I intend to get the Wacker All round 6/8 Spanish point at the end of September, if we're not all standing in a soup line.

My new brushes should be in by the time I get home Monday night. A Plisson synthetic and a Vulfix 2235 super badger.

Y'all tell me what you think of this idea. I want to protect my new brushes as I travel. They won't be sitting on the bathroom counter. I'm thinking about getting some PVC pipe (1.5 or 1.75) with removeable end caps. After use, remove water, wrap in paper towel, slide handle end into PVC pipe. I suppose drilled holes in PVC for easier evaporation. They will be laying on their side's in my shave bag.

The razor is great. The other blades are too!
The PVC trick worked very well for my brushes. Holes are needed!
~Richard

Originally Posted by Geezer

The razor is great. The other blades are too!
The PVC trick worked very well for my brushes. Holes are needed!
~Richard

Thanks for the confirmation. I go over Milwaukee and oak creek, green bay from time to time. But you're out west.

I told my wife I've only got about a dozen more SRs identified I want to get. Hope supplies hold up. And US economy.

John Crowley at the ShavingShop has great stuff and I always have appreciated his help. You did well with that razor.

For traveling with brushes, I've always gone cheap, easy, and disposable by wrapping in a paper towel and then putting it handle first into an empty toilet paper roll.

Originally Posted by Longhaultanker

I told my wife I've only got about a dozen more SRs identified I want to get.

At the rate you are going, I suspect that you will find a few more along the way!

Very nice - Wacker is an excellent brand, love that old Sheffield.

Speaking of which, isn't it time to treat yourself to an old Sheffield blade, nice big hollow ground Wade and Butcher perhaps....nothing like a shave with a 150 year old chunk of Sheffield steel.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Very nice - Wacker is an excellent brand, love that old Sheffield.

Speaking of which, isn't it time to treat yourself to an old Sheffield blade, nice big hollow ground Wade and Butcher perhaps....nothing like a shave with a 150 year old chunk of Sheffield steel.

Yup, if that is not on the list of 12, then you should make that #13!

Originally Posted by Phrank

Very nice - Wacker is an excellent brand, love that old Sheffield.

Speaking of which, isn't it time to treat yourself to an old Sheffield blade, nice big hollow ground Wade and Butcher perhaps....nothing like a shave with a 150 year old chunk of Sheffield steel.

I wrote in another thread, the nice thing about this hobby is that there is a variety of facets that one can focus on. To be honest, the vintage angle doesn't interest me. There's only so much time and money. A vintage would have to leap out and sparkle for me to be remotely interested. But then there's that nagging question, is there something else this money could be better spent on.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Yup, if that is not on the list of 12, then you should make that #13!

You can see what I've already got from pix above. John Crowley at shaving shop has two other Wackers I want. Beyond that I want to get the TI Spartacus 7/8 Spanish point with festoon carved spine. I'm interested in the various grinds too. Hart Steel at classic shaving has a 1/4 hollow I've an eye on.

Let me ask, what might you folks recommend. Here's my general criteria: current production, must be decorative in some fashion, gold wash, etchings, carved spines, barbers notch; represent different points and grinds. Price range, up to $400. Might consider up to $500. My wife would flip if I went higher. What say y'all?

I'm looking at a couple of top brushes too. The Vulfix 40 and Kent BLK12. Both are big sized and expensive, but that ok.

The Kent BLK12 is a massive treat. You will never look at your puny other brushes the same way again. That said, it is not unwieldy in my hands but it sure speeds up lathering and it holds a LOT of lather. The bristles are great and in my opinion provide just the right stiffness for a badger--there is give, but not flop.