(01-05-2022, 04:41 PM)riverrun Wrote: Shaves five to eight

All with the WR-3 SB. Lovely shaves. Nothing new to report.

Conclusions

I have had enough shaves now with the Wolfman WR-3 to come to a conclusion.

Here is what I like:

- The build quality. It is a well-built razor with an excellent finish. Both
  the head and the handle are flawless. I can see why those razors are
  expensive.
- The shaving experience. I can't put my finger on the reason, but shaves with
  the Wolfman WR-3 are very enjoyable. The feel on your face, the weight, and
  the sound it makes all contribute to a fantastic experience. Every shave
  oozed quality and was incredibly smooth. That's what I'm going to miss most.
- Angle. The angle is easy to find. The head is designed correctly, so that
  riding the cap will give you the perfect shave.
- Manoeuvrability. Even under the nose, I found that using the same technique I
  learned with my first 1912 works fine. The head is however big. Having the
  threaded post behind the blade is an odd choice. I haven't tried the
  Blackland Sabre yet, but their solution seems a bit more clever.
- The shaving result. I received perfect shaves from the Wolfman every single
  time. My MMOC gave the longer-lasting result in the shave-off, but the
  difference was slight. You wouldn't notice without paying close attention.

What I don't like:

- The open comb prototype. Not for me. The smoothness of the close comb head
  had completely disappeared.
- Changing blades. You have to completely disassemble and reassemble the
  Wolfman every time you want to change or just rinse the blade. Careful! The
  plastic washer might disappear down the sink. Compare this to a 1912 or
  Micromatic and you'll spot the difference. Come to think of it: any of my
  vintage SE razors beats the Wolfman when it comes to changing the blade.

I was initially blown away by the Wolfman WR-3. I even put myself on the
waiting list. However, there are two elephants in the shave den:

- The waiting list. How long do I have to wait? @Scorpio93 mentioned that the
  wait is about one year? Go away. During that year I will have spent the funds
  put away for the Wolfman on other stuff. That leads us to elephant #2:

- The price. This razor has the basic finish. This makes the head CAD350 and
  handle another CAD150 for a total of CAD500. In other currencies the numbers
  looks less frightening: USD274 + USD117 = USD391, EUR242 + EUR104 = EUR346,
  GBP203 + GBP87 = GBP290. Still expensive. But the buck doesn't stop there.
  Let's consider the UK. Postage is CAD20, total cost CAD520, that's GBP301.
  The import duty on razors is 6.5% of the price of the goods, that's GBP19.
  VAT will need to be paid as well. That's 20% of the total cost including
  postage and duty. 20% of GBP320 is GBP64. Royal Mail will charge GBP8 to
  collect duty and VAT, so the total cost is GBP392 (USD531, EUR470).
  As nice as the Wolfman is - that's too much for a single razor.

Alternatives:

- Modern: Blackland Sabre? I can't comment on that yet. I have never tried
  one, but one is on its way to me.
- Vintage: Despite my earlier comments - my Micromatic OC can achieve the same
  results at a fraction of the price and it's a design classic and engineering
  marvel. Other vintage razors should do just as well.
  You can buy 20 Micromatics for the price of a Wolfman.

TL;DR:

The Wolfman WR-3 (SB) is a wonderful razor, but the long wait and the immense
costs of purchasing one are prohibitive.

(01-08-2022, 11:51 PM)srqshaver Wrote: Your conclusions RE wait time and price is what makes this such an exclusive item. I honestly just can't be bothered to wait that long.

(01-08-2022, 11:51 PM)srqshaver Wrote: I also think that for my money, the Sabre is almost certainly the better choice. I prefer the look of it and, from what I've read, I'm almost sure it would be a great fit for me.

(01-09-2022, 08:40 AM)riverrun Wrote:

(01-08-2022, 11:51 PM)srqshaver Wrote: Your conclusions RE wait time and price is what makes this such an exclusive item. I honestly just can't be bothered to wait that long.

The same argument holds for, say, an 1880 Kampfe Star HR-1A.  
I've been waiting for years and it would cost more than the Wolfman. 

(01-08-2022, 11:51 PM)srqshaver Wrote: I also think that for my money, the Sabre is almost certainly the better choice. I prefer the look of it and, from what I've read, I'm almost sure it would be a great fit for me.

I have a Blackland Sabre (L1 and L2) with me right now. Three shaves in.
I might do a write-up next week.

(01-16-2022, 03:01 PM)Flintstone Wrote: I know this conversation has long since passed, but I truly enjoyed it!  Thank you, riverrun for posting your experiences and thoughts on this razor.  I don't have much to add -- I've never tried a Wolfman of any kind (although I did have a few "Dracula's" in my den before my technique improved  ) -- but something you mentioned earlier really resonated with me....that this razor did "open your mind" to trying some modern SE's.  I have to admit that I have tried only one commercially available "modern" GEM-style razor (the Starling) on a pass around (courtesy of Fuzzy), and while I didn't fall in love with it, the experience did make me wonder about some of the other "moderns" out there.  I decided to abandon the GEM style moderns (twhite's TNNSER-3D being the exception....that is an outstanding razor!), but I did try a couple of AC razors.  The two I tried were keepers to me (the RazoRock Hawk V3 OC and the General V2) and I just stopped trying more, since I think I'm now covered with modern razors.  

And while you've piqued my curiosity in the Wolfie, I think if I picked up a razor that cost that much, the LOTH would use a silver bullet on me (actually, she'd probably skip the silver and bullet part and just go for a 20 gauge with #3 buckshot -- you know, just to make sure she didn't miss).  Awesome review, and I'm glad you got a chance to try one out.  And if you do pick one up, there will be no judgement from me....envy? Yes.  Judgement? No.