(This post was last modified: 11-05-2021, 03:52 PM by Stubble Daddy.)
Razor: Wolfman WR2 (1.25 shimmed up to 1.55 blade gap)
Brush: Trotter Handcrafts - "Bats in the Butterscotch"
Soap: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemeta
Soap: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemeta
Blade: New Feather with 3 shims under it.
As mentioned in my previous Journal posts, I really want the WR2 to work for me. I've never fully bonded with the 1.25 gap. It requires a lot of touch-ups for me and has never really given me a perfect shave. My name recently came up on the list for a new Wolfman and I have strongly considered ramping up to a higher gap.
So, for my last 2 shaves, I "shimmed" the WR2 up to a 1.55 gap to see how a high gap WR2 performs for me. To do this, I found 3 of my least favorite new blades to sacrifice for this experiment. I used a sharp pair of scissors to cut about 1/16" off the sides of each of the 3 blades. It doesn't take much... basically just need to cut off the sharp edges as evenly as possible and not leave burrs. We want these guys to stack flat and not scratch the razor. I used 3 shimmed blades since each blade is .10mm in thickness... so 3 shims = .30mm and that brings my 1.25 WR up to a 1.55 gap. The 3 shims are placed between the bottom plate and new Feather blade to increase the blade gap. So to be clear the order is: Top-cap, Blade, 3 shims, bottom-plate, handle.
On to the shave....
The change was immediately noticeable and I had no problem finding the correct blade angle (something I struggle with on the 1.25). There was obviously way more blade feel and audible feedback. While the 1.55 gap is aggressive, it was also very controlled. At no point did I feel I was going to cut myself or lose an ear. I did give it the respect of a very light touch and to my amazement, after 4 quick passes realized I didn't need any XTG touch-ups. Don't think this has ever happed with a razor for me. The shave was smooth and irritation-free with no weepers or cuts. Color me impressed.
Here's some pics of the adventure:
Before (1.25 gap):
After (1.55 gap):