Member
Greenville, SC USA
So was I, so I emailed both Stan (ATT) and James (Wolfman) and asked why they chose what they did for their high end razors. Below is the email that I sent them and their respective responses. They both replied within an hour of each other and within a couple of hours from the time I wrote them. Make no mistake, these are class guys and their responses have convinced me to ultimately BUY BOTH! They're just plain good for the industry!
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Hi (Stan/James)
Those of us who have already bought into, or are considering buying into the modern, high end, stainless steel, double edge razors are often confused by the choice of types of stainless steel offered.
With the subject market ever expanding, the choices are becoming more numerous, but certainly Above The Tie and Wolfman Razors represent the two that are most conspicuous in your choice of which stainless with which to work.
I frequent the B&B and DFS boards and am sure most of us would like to know why you chose to work in the alloy that you did, the alloys being Type 303 and Type 316 respectively.
Your comments will be appreciated by we who are stuck in the decision making process. I’ll post your comments in both boards, so the exposure to qualified buyers will be great.
Sincerely,
Roger Beamon
rbeamon1@cox.net
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Hi Roger,
Thank you for your question regarding the choice of stainless alloy. For me, it was a choice between 304L and 316L. I have experience in industry with both of these alloys.
In my experience, 316L is considered an upgrade over the other common grades of stainless. A general rule is, if an engineering drawing requires 304 stainless, you can substitute with 316 if needed. If the drawing requires 316, you cannot substitute with 304. Both of these alloys (304 and 316) have higher corrosion resistance compared to 303.
Aesthetically, since I have polished both 304 and 316, I have gotten better results from 316. I have not tried polishing 303.
The price of 316 is a bit higher than 303 and 304 - about 15% more according to my supplier. It's also known that 316 is more of a challenge to machine. These two points don't make enough of a difference. If I was producing higher volumes I would need to consider the material costs much more.
If you have further questions, feel free.
Regards,
James
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Hello Roger,
Thank you for your question. The decision to use 303 stainless vs 316 stainless was based on the fact that while both are great materials and either can last generations the 303 it is a bit easier for us to fabricate. This difference means lower production cost which results in a lower retail price. Also, it helps to reduce the manufacturing time which helps us keep a steady supply of razors on hand. This leads to greater customer satisfaction since our products are available for sale without any back orders or waiting list. At Above the Tie we just want our customers to have a great experience when they shave with our products. 2016 is shaping up to be another busy year as we look to roll out a stainless three piece SE razor and reintroduce our popular shaving brushes. I am working on a stainless version as well as brushes with exotic wood handles. These "woods" were very popular in the past and we want to get back to offering them again.
Hope this helps.
Stan
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Still hard to choose, don't you think?
************
Hi (Stan/James)
Those of us who have already bought into, or are considering buying into the modern, high end, stainless steel, double edge razors are often confused by the choice of types of stainless steel offered.
With the subject market ever expanding, the choices are becoming more numerous, but certainly Above The Tie and Wolfman Razors represent the two that are most conspicuous in your choice of which stainless with which to work.
I frequent the B&B and DFS boards and am sure most of us would like to know why you chose to work in the alloy that you did, the alloys being Type 303 and Type 316 respectively.
Your comments will be appreciated by we who are stuck in the decision making process. I’ll post your comments in both boards, so the exposure to qualified buyers will be great.
Sincerely,
Roger Beamon
rbeamon1@cox.net
****************
Hi Roger,
Thank you for your question regarding the choice of stainless alloy. For me, it was a choice between 304L and 316L. I have experience in industry with both of these alloys.
In my experience, 316L is considered an upgrade over the other common grades of stainless. A general rule is, if an engineering drawing requires 304 stainless, you can substitute with 316 if needed. If the drawing requires 316, you cannot substitute with 304. Both of these alloys (304 and 316) have higher corrosion resistance compared to 303.
Aesthetically, since I have polished both 304 and 316, I have gotten better results from 316. I have not tried polishing 303.
The price of 316 is a bit higher than 303 and 304 - about 15% more according to my supplier. It's also known that 316 is more of a challenge to machine. These two points don't make enough of a difference. If I was producing higher volumes I would need to consider the material costs much more.
If you have further questions, feel free.
Regards,
James
*****************
Hello Roger,
Thank you for your question. The decision to use 303 stainless vs 316 stainless was based on the fact that while both are great materials and either can last generations the 303 it is a bit easier for us to fabricate. This difference means lower production cost which results in a lower retail price. Also, it helps to reduce the manufacturing time which helps us keep a steady supply of razors on hand. This leads to greater customer satisfaction since our products are available for sale without any back orders or waiting list. At Above the Tie we just want our customers to have a great experience when they shave with our products. 2016 is shaping up to be another busy year as we look to roll out a stainless three piece SE razor and reintroduce our popular shaving brushes. I am working on a stainless version as well as brushes with exotic wood handles. These "woods" were very popular in the past and we want to get back to offering them again.
Hope this helps.
Stan
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Still hard to choose, don't you think?
Does Mean I Must Buy High End Shaving Gear?
--Roger--
--Roger--
I have an ATT set my wife gave me for my Birthday this past year and love it. Just got the "Wolfmen" in this week and they are another remarkable piece of workmanship. They each are at the top level of quality and I am sure you would [
