Post by mbwhoosh on Jan 26, 2010 3:42:36 GMT -5
Razor Reviewed: Wilkinson Sword "Empire" 7 day set
Craftsmanship: This thing is beautiful and hefty a fine example of why we today are still able to shave with these razors from the past
Balance: The weight is concentrated on the back of the head piece making this razor top heavy.
Blade: A disposable wedge blade that according to the directions can be stropped but not honed. This blade is unique to the Wilkinson and much shorter in length than a standard wedge blade.
Accepts Modern Blade: No
Overall: A well made razor that adds a lot of style to the shave. The roller attachment gives a wonderful massaging action. Also while the disposable wedge blades may be hard to find they deliver a great shave.
Gentleman,
Wow what an experience! I was very hesitant about this shave because just as with the Rolls I didn’t know the condition of the blade. Luckily my guess was right and the blades were unused and factory sharp. I will go through each pass and explain my different trials and errors with you. Talk about the special feel of this razor and why it added something new for me. Then I will give the results of the shave as a whole and reflect on how it could have been improved before giving my final review.
Lather: As with every new razor or blade I try I use the same “Go-To” lather. A super lather of Tabac and C.O.Bigelow
Brush: So as to be unbiased with high grade brush (but mostly because it is the only one I have) I use a cheap tweezerman badger brush
First Pass:
I prefer an aggressive razor so I tuned the razor all the way counter clock-ways so the blade rested at the very edge of the spiral comb. I put the razor at about a 30 degree angle and did a WTG stroke on my right sideburn to test the blades sharpness.
It didn’t tug but it also didn’t cut, so I did a couple more strokes and the whiskers slowly began to reduce. I was happy the blade wasn’t dull or jagged but the razor didn’t seem right for some reason.
I turned the blade fully clock-ways (full mild) to see if it made a difference and tried the left cheek side. This time no hair was removed so out of frustration I adjusted the razor to a more extreme angle with it almost laying flat on my face (not quite as steep an angle used with a VAS though). Success it began to cut but very slowly, I turned it back counter clock-ways (aggressive) and tried my right side again.
Now we were getting somewhere! Started working just like a razor should, but there was something different something I couldn’t put my finger on. It was a sensation of some kind but I wasn’t really sure what it was at first. I took the razor away from my face and examined it to try and find out what was causing this weird feeling.
That is when I noticed that the comb of the razor was not only a spiral shape but actually spun. This was the delightful sensation I was feeling, instead of a bar stretching the skin this little cylinder was rolling and standing the whiskers up on end. I can’t really explain how this felt except to say it was GOOD. Like a face message while getting a shave at the same time, simply devine. This alone made the price I paid for this razor worth every penny. Heck I might take the blade out and just roll in on my face from time to time that is how good it felt.
I don’t really remember much else of the first pass because I was enjoying the message so much.
Second Pass:
I relathered and started my XTG pass with much the same result a great message feeling. This really helped take my mind of the unusual feeling of holding the razor at such a steep angle. Now I have dense whiskers in my soul patch and mutton chops area so I usually do a little blade buffing in these area on both my XTG and ATG pass.
I had no problem with the buffing action with this razor in fact the spinning comb made it most enjoyable. You do however have to be especially careful on the jaw line as the spinning comb will allow the blade to come at the skin with almost a hacking motion if you go to fast with it.
I finished my second pass without incident and relathered for my third and final pass.
Third Pass:
The ATG pass is the most important for me the other two passes are really just to make this pass more comfortable and the long hair will yank if you do this pass first. Now the weight of this razor is concentrated at the back of the head on this razor because of the stropping mechanism. This works perfectly on ATG because the weight at the back of the head aids in pushing the blade downward cutting through the whiskers.
It felt a little odd however going ATG with the weight where it was. Now remember we are talking ounces here not pounds so it wasn’t difficult or anything, but it did take a little adjusting. I didn’t have any problems though and finished the third pass with out incident.
Touch-up Pass:
After I got done with my third pass I rinsed my face and examined to see how I and the razor had performed. The majority of my face my BBS however there were a few areas that looked as though they had been missed entirely. Whether this was due to me adjusting to the razor or a deficiency in the blade will take a few more shave to figure out.
I loaded my trusty 1910 Gem LC with a blade and did a quick ATG touch-up pass. I could probably have gotten the rest with the Wilkinson but I didn’t want to risk getting razor burn after such a nice shave.
Final Thoughts:
My first shave with the Wilkinson was great not quite BBS but DFS for sure. I can’t call it BBS cause I finished up with another razor however the parts that I didn’t miss were all BBS.
I really like the style of this razor it is very classy and the heft of it makes me appreciate its quality. Whether it will become a staple in my shave routine remains to be scene, I first have to figure out if I can keep the blade sharp and attain a BBS shave with it.
The massage the comb gives is unlike anything I have experienced with other razors and was truly the high point of the shave. Seriously you guys got to try it!
In conclusion
Is this the best razor ever? No one razor is the best but this one doe’s give a good shave and massage and lets be honest looks really cool
Does it shave better than an LC? Hell NO, in fact I like the shave my MMOC gives better. It does give a great shave though and should be experienced
Was it worth the price? If you buy a razor than it is worth the price. That being said yes, the massage it gives alone was worth the money IMO.
Would you recommend this razor? Not yet, we still have to find out whether or not the blades can be honed or how long they can be kept sharp. If they can’t this razor is useless as soon as you run out of its hard to find blades.
Note: pictures are being uplaoded but taking forever so will be added at a later time
Craftsmanship: This thing is beautiful and hefty a fine example of why we today are still able to shave with these razors from the past
Balance: The weight is concentrated on the back of the head piece making this razor top heavy.
Blade: A disposable wedge blade that according to the directions can be stropped but not honed. This blade is unique to the Wilkinson and much shorter in length than a standard wedge blade.
Accepts Modern Blade: No
Overall: A well made razor that adds a lot of style to the shave. The roller attachment gives a wonderful massaging action. Also while the disposable wedge blades may be hard to find they deliver a great shave.
Gentleman,
Wow what an experience! I was very hesitant about this shave because just as with the Rolls I didn’t know the condition of the blade. Luckily my guess was right and the blades were unused and factory sharp. I will go through each pass and explain my different trials and errors with you. Talk about the special feel of this razor and why it added something new for me. Then I will give the results of the shave as a whole and reflect on how it could have been improved before giving my final review.
Lather: As with every new razor or blade I try I use the same “Go-To” lather. A super lather of Tabac and C.O.Bigelow
Brush: So as to be unbiased with high grade brush (but mostly because it is the only one I have) I use a cheap tweezerman badger brush
First Pass:
I prefer an aggressive razor so I tuned the razor all the way counter clock-ways so the blade rested at the very edge of the spiral comb. I put the razor at about a 30 degree angle and did a WTG stroke on my right sideburn to test the blades sharpness.
It didn’t tug but it also didn’t cut, so I did a couple more strokes and the whiskers slowly began to reduce. I was happy the blade wasn’t dull or jagged but the razor didn’t seem right for some reason.
I turned the blade fully clock-ways (full mild) to see if it made a difference and tried the left cheek side. This time no hair was removed so out of frustration I adjusted the razor to a more extreme angle with it almost laying flat on my face (not quite as steep an angle used with a VAS though). Success it began to cut but very slowly, I turned it back counter clock-ways (aggressive) and tried my right side again.
Now we were getting somewhere! Started working just like a razor should, but there was something different something I couldn’t put my finger on. It was a sensation of some kind but I wasn’t really sure what it was at first. I took the razor away from my face and examined it to try and find out what was causing this weird feeling.
That is when I noticed that the comb of the razor was not only a spiral shape but actually spun. This was the delightful sensation I was feeling, instead of a bar stretching the skin this little cylinder was rolling and standing the whiskers up on end. I can’t really explain how this felt except to say it was GOOD. Like a face message while getting a shave at the same time, simply devine. This alone made the price I paid for this razor worth every penny. Heck I might take the blade out and just roll in on my face from time to time that is how good it felt.
I don’t really remember much else of the first pass because I was enjoying the message so much.
Second Pass:
I relathered and started my XTG pass with much the same result a great message feeling. This really helped take my mind of the unusual feeling of holding the razor at such a steep angle. Now I have dense whiskers in my soul patch and mutton chops area so I usually do a little blade buffing in these area on both my XTG and ATG pass.
I had no problem with the buffing action with this razor in fact the spinning comb made it most enjoyable. You do however have to be especially careful on the jaw line as the spinning comb will allow the blade to come at the skin with almost a hacking motion if you go to fast with it.
I finished my second pass without incident and relathered for my third and final pass.
Third Pass:
The ATG pass is the most important for me the other two passes are really just to make this pass more comfortable and the long hair will yank if you do this pass first. Now the weight of this razor is concentrated at the back of the head on this razor because of the stropping mechanism. This works perfectly on ATG because the weight at the back of the head aids in pushing the blade downward cutting through the whiskers.
It felt a little odd however going ATG with the weight where it was. Now remember we are talking ounces here not pounds so it wasn’t difficult or anything, but it did take a little adjusting. I didn’t have any problems though and finished the third pass with out incident.
Touch-up Pass:
After I got done with my third pass I rinsed my face and examined to see how I and the razor had performed. The majority of my face my BBS however there were a few areas that looked as though they had been missed entirely. Whether this was due to me adjusting to the razor or a deficiency in the blade will take a few more shave to figure out.
I loaded my trusty 1910 Gem LC with a blade and did a quick ATG touch-up pass. I could probably have gotten the rest with the Wilkinson but I didn’t want to risk getting razor burn after such a nice shave.
Final Thoughts:
My first shave with the Wilkinson was great not quite BBS but DFS for sure. I can’t call it BBS cause I finished up with another razor however the parts that I didn’t miss were all BBS.
I really like the style of this razor it is very classy and the heft of it makes me appreciate its quality. Whether it will become a staple in my shave routine remains to be scene, I first have to figure out if I can keep the blade sharp and attain a BBS shave with it.
The massage the comb gives is unlike anything I have experienced with other razors and was truly the high point of the shave. Seriously you guys got to try it!
In conclusion
Is this the best razor ever? No one razor is the best but this one doe’s give a good shave and massage and lets be honest looks really cool
Does it shave better than an LC? Hell NO, in fact I like the shave my MMOC gives better. It does give a great shave though and should be experienced
Was it worth the price? If you buy a razor than it is worth the price. That being said yes, the massage it gives alone was worth the money IMO.
Would you recommend this razor? Not yet, we still have to find out whether or not the blades can be honed or how long they can be kept sharp. If they can’t this razor is useless as soon as you run out of its hard to find blades.
Note: pictures are being uplaoded but taking forever so will be added at a later time