Contact with James Dufour at Wolfman

I'm one of those "very good shavers" described above. Very precise in my angle since using DE/SE's since 1990.

The Blackbird, just as an example, is equally efficient and then some, leaves no irritation and is a smoother razor. The Wolfman can leave irritation.

The craftsmanship of the Wolfman is beyond compare and unrivaled.

There are just better designed razors available today providing superior shaves.

I've been fortunate enough to acquire several of James' Razors. I waited for almost a year on the list at LASSCO for a BBS-1 (proud owner #287) and it's my favorite Razor. It's absolutely beautiful, but more importantly (for me) I get great shaves every time I use it. I would be embarrassed to admit how much time and effort I've spent trying to obtain a Wolfman Razor. I found out about them several weeks after he closed his original list (after the price increase), and watched and waited to try and get on his next list. The day of his new list opening I tried to get on the list and was in the original top 40 to make the list, only to find out he decided to select randomly. Since then I've been lucky enough to actually be on my phone on two occasions  when he announced that he had some stock available via Twitter. I was able to purchase a WR-1 OC .67 Blade Gap with WRH-2 Handle in Brushed Stainless Steel as well as a WR-1 SB .74 Blade Gap with WRH-7 Handle in Brushed Stainless.

I consider myself very fortunate to have acquired these, and I know that there are a lot of people that would love to have just one and don't. The Razors are beautifully made. That being said I don't get the best shaves with the Wolfman Razors that I own. Understand that this is ME that I'm talking about, I can't speak for anyone else. For me I tend to get a smoother shave with the .74 SB than I do the .67 OC. For some perspective I get fabulous smooth irritation free shaves with my BBS-1, Blackland SB Machined finish, Blackland OC Black Oxide finish, Above The Tie S2 Open Comb, and my Muhle R41 (2013) Razor. With my .67 OC Wolfman I always seem to get rough shaves with irritation. I've tried numerous blades in it and the results always seem to be the same. It very well may be poor technique on my part, but I am able to get great shaves without thinking twice with many other Razors. Ideally I would have the looks to go with a great shave, but for me the shave trumps looks every time.

On other forums I've seen numerous members that weren't happy with the efficiency level of their Wolfman Razors send them back to James and he would either make them more or less aggressive for the customer depending on their preference. I've emailed James several times asking if this is a possibility and have never gotten a response. I understand that James is a one Man operation and that he is very busy. That being said I wish I could get a simple response from him. I would like to keep my Wolfman Razor as I think it's beautiful and because I've spent so much time and effort trying to obtain it, but at the end of the day I still get rough shaves. I can't get a reply from James, so as I see it I can either sell it on ebay and try to get enough money to purchase the Blade Gap/Razor that I'm looking for, or post it on the BST and hope for the right trade. I personally don't feel comfortable selling it on eBay for far more than I purchased it for when I know there are a lot of people that would love to try one. First World problems, I know. I just wish I could get a reply from James to see if adjusting the Blade Gap on my Razor was an option. If James were able to reply to some of the emails that were sent to him he might be able to prevent some of his Razors being sold on ebay. Maybe I should take James own advice and look elsewhere- Timeless, Charcoal Goods for example...

I guess it's hard to find machinists to get on board with him. Sucks he is just a one man show. Maybe hire a couple of apprentices

I'm one of those "very good shavers" described above. Very precise in my angle since using DE/SE's since 1990.

The Blackbird, just as an example, is equally efficient and then some, leaves no irritation and is a smoother razor. The Wolfman can leave irritation.

The craftsmanship of the Wolfman is beyond compare and unrivaled.

There are just better designed razors available today providing superior shaves.

Thanks for the input! This discussion makes me want to try a Blackbird, as well as a Timeless. Guess I need to start saving up...!

I guess it's hard to find machinists to get on board with him. Sucks he is just a one man show. Maybe hire a couple of apprentices

You don't need to be a machinist to press "ENTER" on a computer keyboard. James is not a 1-man operation sitting at a lathe turning out 1 custom razor at a time. He is a 1-man operation with a computer programmed with several different head and handle configurations that has to load raw stock into a jet bed, and press a button.

Yes, it takes time for the CNC machine to cut the stock. Yes, it takes time to visually and physically inspect each razor. Absolutely it takes time to polish. It's a copout to say he can't hire someone to help him with this. He could easily hire someone to inspect quality and accuracy with a micrometer and checklist. He could easily hire someone to stand at a buffing wheel for 8 hours a day knocking out handles and heads by the handful.

Clearly he CAN make more razors than he is currently making, because he just mass-produced the Guerrilla for immediate sale. He has the ability, it's the desire he lacks...

TheHunter your story is the type of thing I see FAR too often in regards to Wolfman. Specifically, "I love how pretty the razor is, but the shave is just OK" All of the time, effort, and money you spent to acquire 2 average-shaving razors, and the artisan won't even acknowledge receipt of an email, let alone provide an actual answer to your very legitimate questions. That's unacceptable to me.

This is exactly the type of stuff that makes me really scratch my head in wonderment as to why, after countless examples of this very scenario, people are still willing to give this guy a break and say, "Oh he's just too busy to respond to an email..."

Hey...if anyone is willing to be treated like a second class citizen for a possible opportunity to shave with a really pretty razor that provides an average shave experience...go for it. Get in line, invest your time, spend your money, and wait....and wait...and wait...

Me...I'll spend my money with folks that appreciate the business and respect me as a customer.

I'm one of those "very good shavers" described above. Very precise in my angle since using DE/SE's since 1990.

The Blackbird, just as an example, is equally efficient and then some, leaves no irritation and is a smoother razor. The Wolfman can leave irritation.

The craftsmanship of the Wolfman is beyond compare and unrivaled.

There are just better designed razors available today providing superior shaves.

Thanks for the input!  This discussion makes me want to try a Blackbird, as well as a Timeless.  Guess I need to start saving up...!

not to get off track.... I think that whether or not a razor does or does not cause irritation to the skin after shaving is subjective to what blade is being used in juxtaposition to what razor it's being used in, the experience level of the person shaving and the skin type of the person shaving.  I do agree with vtmax that the Blackbird is a very smooth razor, but I also have equally as smooth (irritation free) shaves with the standard gap Wolfman dual comb head...  I think that's one of the coolest things about this hobby/life-style/culture of wet shaving is that there are so many different components to shaving (soaps, razors, different handles, brushes, blades, etc.) that we can always experience something new and challenging with our shaves.  I will agree that many reviews I've read regarding Wolfman razors have been 'average' and nothing outstanding when it comes to performance, but then again, nothing bad either.  The hype comes from the beauty in craftsmanship and the fact that they are what I would call almost "current production unobtanium"... I know that's sort of an oxymoron but it's true.

I just want a return email from James...that's ALL!!  LOL

That being said, YES Surfshaver (Alex), you should definitely try a Blackbird and a Timeless as well!  Both phenomenal tools!

He could easily hire someone to inspect quality and accuracy with a micrometer and checklist. He could easily hire someone to stand at a buffing wheel for 8 hours a day knocking out handles and heads by the handful.

Clearly he CAN make more razors than he is currently making, because he just mass-produced the Guerrilla for immediate sale. He has the ability, it's the desire he lacks...

Good point. I do agree, Chris. I don't run a machine shop but I have a great friend who is an industrial engineer and he heads a very high-tech machine shop here in the L.A. area.... with very few people operating it. It doesn't take an army to run a machine shop for sure. I would think that if a machinist's/manufacturer's product is in such high demand, then it can be afforded to hire other people to help in production so that quantity can be provided and in return customers can be serviced. I mean, it's not like the razors are $75.00.. they are many times that in cost. Metals being used aren't cheap but maybe aside from the Ti, they aren't breaking the bank either, and to me this means that with what you're charging for a one razor, your profit margin must be pretty darn good. Thus, hire other people to crank out a better production run and you can afford to pay them, you can service your customers and still make a hell of a profit. Don't know if that made sense.

It's interesting how the finishing is often stated the biggest differentiator. I've wondered how come more people don't take the time to hand-polish/finish their razors or take it to someone who can (maybe a jeweler?).

I owned a Wolfman, but preferred the ATT S1 over it. The finishing on the Wolfman was better, but I'm sure I could get the S1 to that level if that's what I wanted. The things I can't do are design, source materials, and machine.

It's interesting how the finishing is often stated the biggest differentiator. I've wondered how come more people don't take the time to hand-polish/finish their razors or take it to someone who can (maybe a jeweler?).

I owned a Wolfman, but preferred the ATT S1 over it. The finishing on the Wolfman was better, but I'm sure I could get the S1 to that level if that's what I wanted. The things I can't do are design, source materials, and machine.

Watson I'm a big fan of my ATT S2, I always get smooth and efficient shaves with that Razor. I'm hoping that Stan from Above The Tie will include his Slant Razors in his new highly polished design, I would definitely be one of the first in line to purchase one.

I'm one of those "very good shavers" described above. Very precise in my angle since using DE/SE's since 1990.

The Blackbird, just as an example, is equally efficient and then some, leaves no irritation and is a smoother razor. The Wolfman can leave irritation.

The craftsmanship of the Wolfman is beyond compare and unrivaled.

There are just better designed razors available today providing superior shaves.

Thanks for the input!  This discussion makes me want to try a Blackbird, as well as a Timeless.  Guess I need to start saving up...!

You might like it, you never know. Expanding our horizons a bit can also help us not to generalize and jump into conclusions about other people's technique and experience just because they didn't like what we liked.

Wolfmans are beautiful razors but they are not the Holy Grail or the Excalibur that must only be bestowed upon the worthy. It's a razor.
Either it works for an individual or not just like any other razors.

Like Max, I also enjoy my BlackBird a lot more. I also enjoyed the Timeless, ATT S1, Stealth Slants, Black Mamba, Baby Smooth, the iKon 102, X3 and the Rockwell 6s.

I didn't care much for the DE89, Merkur 34c, and the Muhle Jet.

As for customer service, I can't say anything about that. Some merchants are selective who to be nice to and who to not care much about, just like a few other merchants. It's human nature I suppose.