So I have been looking around for a wedge razor to restore but I cannot believe the prices that people are asking for these beat up razors. Can anyone let me in on the memo I didn't get on why these razors are so expensive?
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So I have been looking around for a wedge razor to restore but I cannot believe the prices that people are asking for these beat up razors. Can anyone let me in on the memo I didn't get on why these razors are so expensive?
Supply and demand. Theres not a lot of supply and theres a lot of demand. Those who are still making them are usually the custom builders and go for exorbitant prices and those that are vintage and in good shape are hard to come buy.
If you are talking about vintage "true" wedges 8/8 and larger it is supply and demand plus they are one of the flavours of the day.
Bob
Flavor of the day for sure - people gravitate toward widely trumpeted names. Do some research and find what wedges were made that you may like and look for those makes - and avoid W&Bs and similar ones for now. There are a few thousand guys out there looking for the same blades in the same places you are right now - so do something different until public interest shifts to something else.
Flavor of the day :) come on guys ...
More like the flavor of the last 7 years, at least since before I joined the forum, the bigger heavier Sheffield razors has always been popular going all the way back over 100 years...
The uptick in actual money value can be attributed to Supply and Demand when we had 2800 members here they were going for $30 dollars in Vintage condition, of course a sweet Wonderedge was $50 back then too and the #14's were about $75 in mint condition
Now just doing a numbers game, the membership of just this forum has increased by more than tenfold and there are many more new forums out there too, seems that it followed the price increase on razors pretty closely... :hmmm:
Imp wedges (#132) are still easy to find. Not the big and heavy type but still a wedge.
A "true" wedge where you place a straight edge from spine to bevel and see no daylight showing between the straight edge and blade is fairly rare, I think. A razor that shows some daylight between the straight edge and blade is not really a wedge but just some form of grind heavier than full hollow. The term wedge is really pretty elastic the way it is used today. A heavy grind, today's so called wedge, in a size like 5/8 is not too expensive but then neither is a 5/8 full hollow. Yea, demand is up across the board from a few years ago for nearly all razors too. More and more users chasing a shrinking pool of good product are driving the prices up and it seems in particular perennial favourites the most.
Bob
This is interesting.
10Pups answered a question about this for me earlier via PM.
I was looking at my DD Satin Wedge, just got it back freshly honed from Glen, it's really nice!
As I was looking at it, it appears to be a 5/8th, it looked to me more like a 1/2 hollow or even a 1/4 hollow. It certainly didn't have that defined V typical of a wedge. In fact, the DD looked a lot like my first Dovo Best Quality.
10Pups answered that it's not a true wedge, maybe a near wedge.
So I'd have to agree with Bob, there's a lot of difference between a true wedge, like a big 8/8 Wade and Butcher and some of the smaller near wedges?
As Spock says, "I find this fascinating."
:D
Let's toss the question back to you: Do you want a wedge razor to restore for your own use, or to then sell for a (large) profit? If the latter, then that's the cost of doing business, which you'll pass on to the buyer; if the former, then that's the buy-in cost for the privilege of building "sweat equity" and ending-up with your sweet razor.
Here's my suggestion: Find someone selling a "naked blade" -- a full or near wedge -- in the size you fancy, and buy-and-restore it. Then, if you're not into making scales for it, there are any number of SRP members who are.
+1 ... EXACTLY! There are plenty of wedge/near wedge razors to be had out there in the wild, and at very reasonable prices. I know...I have dozens and dozens of these old Sheffields. They're popular because they are GREAT shavers. But....if you want perfection on a hundred plus year old blade, you're either gonna have to do the work yourself, or pay someone else to do it for you.
It's really as simple as that... IMO.
WP34
I've never seen a "big 8/8 Wade and Butcher" that was a true wedge. I have over 30 big Wade and Butchers, from 8/8 on up to 19/16, and while some of them may be "wedgy", most of them are quarter hollows at best. I like wedgy blades, but I would much rather have a quarter hollow for practical purposes than a true wedge. There is no advantage to a true wedge in shaving or appearance, and true wedges just add to the difficulty of honing. Based on my experience shaving and honing, if I came upon a true W&B wedge at a good price, I would probably turn it down or send it to Max for grinding. In my experience, true wedges aren't worth the trouble at all, except perhaps as an oddity.
No I purely plan on this to be for personal use. The issue is even crap looking blades where selling for an arm and a leg. So I guess if I want one I will have to bite the bullet. If I want to make any kind of money, I would make my own razors. Yet that is still a little bit down the road
That being said I see very wedgey 1850's Sheffields 6/8 - 7/8 all the time in the 'popular' brands all the time on eBay- one that comes to mind are 'fine India steel' W&B that can be bought, had, cleaned and ready to go for under $100 if you have a good eye.
I have a couple of the above mentioned from Near true wedges to 1/2 hollow and the are all awesome in form and function. They are far from rare, but no ones giving them away.
Look at the pics to judge the grind. There are also numerous wostey's and jos. Rodgers and Fred Reynolds that sell for less then a W&B .
The Fred Reynolds are quite reasonable compared to some of the others and are still very good shavers. I see more of them out there than others so I am guessing they made a lot. The 6/8 are common and get less common as the sizes go up. If you can get out and roam around nothing beats hunting them in the wild!
I've had this 1840-60 W&B razor for awhile, it has the wedge like V for the blade, I believe it is a near wedge, some have called it a wedge, it's on the 5/8th side. It's a nice blade, all original, is the type of ?wedge? you a referring to i.e, not a true wedge?
Attachment 146666
Thanks!
I'm not sure where you live, but antique stores & malls often have straights waiting on dusty shelves for owners. If the store or vendor for that booth has not been paying attention to straights in particular, then deals are to be found, I have a few wedges that were beauties, after cleanup only, that were found on shelves all under $30.00.
Hunting for shaving equipment in antique malls is a rush for me.
Thanks! I've been given various dates for this razor, but the, "England" designation is the first definitive information I've got. So lots of these types of razors should be out there then?
It's not the most common blade etching though its far from rare- many time you will see this same exact razor with the 'you lather well ill shave well' etching- they are rather common. These razor were almost certainly made at the turn of last century- around 1900. They are truly a wedge though.
+1...I have several of the exact same razor with different etchings. I have a complete 7 days mint set with the 'You Lather Well, I'll Shave Well' etching. These 5/8-3/4 inch 'little wedges' were quite popular....probably because they are very nice shavers... so much so, that both Joseph Allen ('NON-XLL') and Wostenholm produced the exact same razors with slightly different etchings than the W&B.
For Instance, the Joseph Allen NON-XLL has the etching: "You Lather Well, I'll Shave Better"...the word BETTER differentiates it from the W&B. The Wostenholm is different as well...
They are actually some of my favorite shavers. Smooth Sheffield steel with a 'heftier' feel and balance when compared to most other light 5/8 hollow ground blades.
WP34