Wilkinson Sword Blades

These were my first blades. How much better than cartridges! How much lower-mediocre after trying other blades... Some cut just fine, some drag like hell which makes me avoid them - I hate things with variable quality :-(
 
The German made ones are very hit and miss (with more miss than hit) but the older UK ones or the Brazilian Falcon branded WS blades are far more consistent.
Basically if you buy a pack today from Boots its going to be German and probably quite naff, if you buy an older Made in England pack you will find far better shave consistency and blade longevity.

As A student nurse in the late 80's I could make my blade last a fortnight.
 
When I first started DE shaving in my early twenties (20 odd years ago) I used the British made Wilkinson Sword blades and did so for many years, my father used them along with pretty much everyone I knew who used a DE razor. To this day I still say that they where one of the best blades ever made, sharp, smooth, consistent quality, good blade longevity and no irritation.
Then Wilkinson Sword decided to stop UK DE blade production and switch it to Germany instead:icon_sad:
I don't consider the German made blades to be the worst currently available, far from it, but for me they are pretty low down on the list and certainly no where as good as the old UK made blades. When you come across a good German made WS it does give a pretty good shave, but for me this is the problem. I tend to find that the German WS blades are very inconsistant in quality, not just from pack to pack but also blade to blade, one blade may be sharp and smooth the next one out of the pack can be rough and dull (or maybe it's just me?)
I have really tried to like these blades time and time again, but in all my DE razors I eventually get the same results within a short time, which results in irritation and a generally poor shaving experience. YMMV
A real shame.
 
NTS kindly provided me with some NOS English Wilkies and they are the best blade bar none of those I've used. Martin (dodgy) also kindly sent me various vintage English Wilkies I am trying to keep those for special occasions although when they come round, I forget....:blush::icon_rolleyes:
 
No, Mr DE blade sheet scores man, I have indeed not. I'm trying not to get into hard to find blades in case I end up with a large blade monkey on my back, chewin' my ear off. It's hard enough when people post 2 pillars of English Wilkies in the acquisitions thread.....:icon_cry2:

Enablers, sheesh! :icon_razz:
 
Gairdner said:
. It's hard enough when people post 2 pillars of English Wilkies in the acquisitions thread.....:icon_cry2:

Enablers, sheesh! :icon_razz:
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I am sorry about that good job you didn't look at my other post in that thread...

But i will say that those english wilkies are really good give a good smooth shave and better than the german made ones which aren't that bad for me to be fair..
 
English Wilkies again! I remember when they cost 50p for 5 from a local hardware shop during my DE phase 1. And they were the best. The WS Classics in the yellow blister packs came in around 1992 and were made in Germany but were a lot better at that time. I tried them again around 18 months ago in DE phase 2, and I thought they were good until I tried other blades like Shark, Iridium, and some of the Gillette blades.

The WS Classic blades certainly have room for improvement, and I reckon if enough users contact Wilkinson Sword customer services that may get them to improve the quality.
 
Why are there several types of WS blades these days? White pack with a gold 5. Black pack with a gold 5. Black pack with just a big WS logo. Does anyone notice any differences (other than price which can vary wildly)
 
NotTheStig said:
Why are there several types of WS blades these days? White pack with a gold 5. Black pack with a gold 5. Black pack with just a big WS logo. Does anyone notice any differences (other than price which can vary wildly)
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I'm not sure why there are so many different WS blades/packaging, maybe it refers to where they are made or the quality of the steel?
I have seen the black pack on some vendors sites, but I have never tried them so it would be unfair for me to comment on them.
English made (white pack) WS - IMO brilliant, defo one of the best DE blades ever made always used them years ago.
German made (white pack) WS - For me not good at all, very inconsistent quality and shaves, although some may find them OK.
In my opinion it was a very sad day when Wilkinson Sword stopped making DE blades in England, just another cost cutting exercise I suppose.
 
We now go back to the realm of hearsay and rumour but the UK equipment which the WS blades were made was supposedly sold to the compan that produces Lord blades, the Crown Red Stripes supposedly being the closest thing to an old WS - however having bought 100 of them I can testify that they were not. Not by a long shot.
 
NotTheStig said:
Falcons must be one of the few blades I haven't tried. Doesn't sound like it would be worth me seeking them out though.
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Iv'e never heard of Falcon blades, but after taking to my father it appears that there were many fine DE blades available off the shelf years ago, that have sadly vanished over time as the cartridge razor became more and more prevalent.

Some may call it progress, I don't know so much.
 
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