Wolfman Guerrilla 2023 Version

Wanted to give the Aluminum .99 Guerilla a solid test today and I let the whiskers grow out a bit from my last shave on Sunday morning. So, that gave me at least nearly 3-1/2 days of some tough wirey whiskers to deal with. As an added bonus, I went with the sharpest steel blade in DE land, the Feather. I know, light weight razor with positive blade exposure & a Feather. You only live once and I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do technique wise. First stroke and it was evident that this was going to be an awesome shave but, some care was going to be required. Not Zen like focus, just be mindful at the task at hand. Feather’s are a bit harsh for me almost always on the first shave. But, on the 2nd & 3rd they come into play beautifully. WTG was the first pass and the Feather worked really well with the Guerilla and I just made a slight adjustment on the angle just to take a bit of the harshness & bite out of this combo. Superb first pass that brought the whiskers to skin level without much fanfare nor any struggles from this lightweight contender. Slightest increase in pressure with the angle slightly geared towards neutral and it was on to pass 2. ATG is where this thing really showed its pedigree from the Wolfman stable of razor thoroughbreds. Upward strokes were precise yet even with no chatter nor skipping of the blade & razor. It was just a fluid and smooth action where the razor never needed to be lifted nor repositioned on a well guided glide over the skin. Cleared it and a quick rinse and I noticed 3 tiny dots, one on the chin and two near the corner of the stache. A new Feather will practically always give me a weeper or three and it’s just the nature of this blade beast. Another cold water face splash and all 3 dissipated quickly. I could have honestly called it quits here as I was DFS at this point with just a couple of stragglers around the Adam’s Apple area and a couple of small tight patches around the chin and left jawline. You know me, I’m a BBS chaser. On to pass 3. XTG from ear to nose on both sides and the clean up at Sir Adam. Excellent audible feedback from every single stroke at every stage of all 3 passes. Another thing I haven’t mentioned is this razor clears lather & hair with ease and rinsing is a 2 second splash or run under the water. Great channels that give excellent drainage & exit for everything cut and removed. Cold water splash and face rub gave no doubt of what was accomplished. A quick alum run proved to be nearly useless as there was no heat or discomfort except for a tiny spot under the chin. That’s on me for being overzealous and not an iota of fault on the razor.

Superb shave when all was said and done. No blood after those 3 tiny dots from the 2nd pass and 98% calm and relaxed skin on both face & neck. This pup has teeth but, in a real nice way. Nearly 4 days worth of whiskers and the Alum Guerilla went through it like a bunch of 5th graders running through a wall of wet paper at recess. Am I surprised? Absolutely. This is going to be fun.

Great shaves to all….

Great review Sir
Happy to hear that the ATG razor worked properly...often with aluminum and not very efficient razors I have problems switching to ATG
Now my indecision is a Guerrilla 0.84 or a 0.99?! I'll think about it

Thank you.

Good question. Depends on what one is looking for. As a daily, for most or a majority of shavers, the .99 may be a bit much. The .84 may be a more viable option and if one prefers a Gillette Tech type feel or just an easy mild daily tool, the other two lower gap options may be optimal. Tough to truthfully say as I have no data nor first hand experience with those lower gaps. I don't know if Wolfman offers just the base plates purchase only option. Might inquire as it doesn't hurt to ask.

Happy shaves amigo...

Base plates can be purchased additionally and at a discounted price of $60CAD if purchased simultaneously with a Guerilla razor. If not, each base plate is an additional $80CAD after the fact. That is if you purchased just the razor itself then decided to order more plate options well after your original purchase.

Just a heads up for those that are looking into a potential purchase of an Aluminum Guerilla. It is what it is….

Two shaves in so far with the Aluminum Guerilla with this one being the 3rd and to be quite honest, this razor has shown me everything that it can offer in a lightweight package. I felt like getting another one in with the same Feather blade on its second use just for my own interest and to see if there is a difference in shave feel. The other two base plates won’t be here for another week or so and I have a couple new to me vintage Gillette’s that I want to try out in the meantime. Today was a 3 pass affair WTG, ATG & XTG. The Feather still felt nice and sharp but, there was a subtle increase in smoothness as the initial harshness from the first shave with the Feather was practically nonexistent here. Simply controlled easy strokes from every pass as the razor cuts through the whiskers with ease yet still giving an authoritative audible sensation to the ears that’s like listening to the great composers like Beethoven, Bach & Mozart (I’m not a big follower of classical compositions but, I have a few in my music library). If you like sound, this one delivers in huge helpings to one’s shave delight. An excellent finish that left no disturbance anywhere on the skin except for two tiny weepers under the chin. The Alum pass gave zero feedback on heat/irritation and the splash from RR’s X was a finishing touch that Zeus & the Olympians from their watchful perch on Mt. Olympus would approve of. Tremendous shave, tremendous shaver.

Sounds good right? Yes, it does and the Aluminum Guerilla .99 delivers in every aspect in terms of efficiency and total shave performance. However, if one is expecting that efficiency to be wrapped up in a bed of melted butter smoothness say like a Timeless Ti/SS .95, you will be slightly disappointed. The Guerilla is not a rough feeling shaver and is far from that. It delivers positive blade exposure coupled into a lightweight package that for some who traditionally enjoy a heavier razor may find some difficulty in balancing that lighter weight and applying the appropriate amount of pressure to find a happy balance between cutting and comfort. A great lather helps immensely as that goes for any and all razors but, dialing in the suds gives this razor a nice medium to help it deliver at its best. Pressure and suds can make this razor a stud or a dud. I’ll put it this way. If you’ve ever shaved with a Muhle R41 post 2013, the Guerilla will give you somewhat that relative shave feel (in the ballpark) in a lighter package with better face feel and a broader range of angle adjustment. It also offers better forgiveness if one makes a slight miscalculation during the shave process. I’m also saying this while using a Feather blade in the last two shaves. So, finding a blade to match with your cutting ability and skin tolerance will help substantially in mitigating any harsh or semi-aggressive feeling of the razor & blade combo.

More blade experimentation on my end will obviously tell a better story down the road in the long term and I will eventually get to that but, those other plates with their smaller gap sizes will definitely bring a softer or less aggressive feel (and by no means is this razor aggressive, mid level and a tic above at best) to the Aluminum Guerilla package. The .99 is great but, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that is perfectly fine. Those other gaps though might just do it for many others.

Stay tuned…..

Well, Aluminum Guerilla is back on the throttle after a small shaving expedition with a newly acquired razor. As my previous posts have denoted, I ordered & received 2 more plates and decided to test out the .84 base plate gap for this mornings shave. Not heavy whiskers today but, enough for a 2 passer and maybe even 3 full passes. I had high hopes for this gap size as I just wanted to see how smooth it can get and yet still be nicely efficient and it delivered in spades. Loaded a Gillette Minora on its 2nd use, some Cedarwood shave cream by The Old Taylor, whipped up some nice suds and had at it.

From the first stroke it was apparent that this was going to be a very smooth shave while still having some blade feel to give good feedback to my ears & eyes. The blade feel is toned down ever so slightly but, you still get a nice friendly and calm helping of it. The .99 gives excellent feel with very good smoothness at every stage of the shave regardless of what pass your on, ATG, WTG & XTG with relative ease. The .84 provides just as good a feedback to the ears but, picks up the smoothness and comfort aspects a notch or two and really brings home the comfort with efficient feel to a real nice level for such a light razor. The ATG pass is where this set up really proves itself to be a champ with lightweight razor enthusiasts and myself. No skipping or deflection as it just mows through stubble with relative ease. I cleared both face & neck with solid passes and felt a DFS finish but, still felt very light patches of stubble around the chin, Sir Adam and along both sides of the sideburns. Relathered for a 3rd pass and the .84 Guerilla mopped up the rest of the stragglers with authority merged with excellent smoothness and overall great comfort. BBS finish that left nothing to look at except meself in the mirror with a poop eating grin. Irritation? Zero. Weepers? Nada. Heat from the alum pass? Zilch. A great, great shave with skin that felt uber smooth, relaxed and clean.

This was nice by the .84 gap. Still can cut with a bit less feel than the .99 but, it gives an extra level of smoothness & comfort over the .99. Feedback is more direct with the .99 at every level of a shave on both feel & auditory senses. It’s a sweet sound but, if you have a slight mishap go a little to hard with it, it can make one pay. The .84 takes that risk and tones it down substantially while still achieving efficient cutting prowes and increasing the comfort level with this set up. James at Wolfman did his homework here and did it very well.

Another shave or two with the .84 to confirm my first shave experience and then onto the .69 gap base plate to see what it can deliver.

Great shaves to all….

Forgot to mention that I did order two additional plates that came in last week. The .84 & .69 just too see how mild it can get while still exhibiting efficiency.

When you ordered, I wished he had more color options. Depending on the level of aggression, you may receive different colored plates.
I'm surprised, that Wolfman now just sells baseplates.

When you ordered, I wished he had more color options. Depending on the level of aggression, you may receive different colored plates.
I'm surprised, that Wolfman now just sells baseplates.

Well he does but, it’s not offered on the Wolfman Website as there is no option or drop down box to add multiple plates. You have to email them, Tara basically and tell her what configuration you’re looking for + any additional plates you may want to add. I did not know this prior to ordering the Aluminum Guerilla and ordered them post of the original purchase. The optional plates are cheaper as well if bought simultaneously with a full razor. Why? I don’t know. I guess because they can. Color options are coming just don’t know when.

They don't advertise the fact that you can order two baseplates with a regular Wolfman either - and two handles if you wanted to. Makes the gap choice less of a risk or gives the option of an open comb and solid bar with your WR1, 2, 3 or 4. Baseplates can be from different razors also.

Wonderful shave this morning with the Aluminum Guerilla .84 set up. This one here is looking to be the go to for the daily shaver that wants a near perfect balance of smooth operation and feel on the skin while still delivering a consistent and efficient/effective cutting shave. No disturbance of any kind on the skin and the smooth feeling skin is simply marvelous. I can’t say enough how nicely balanced a shave this set up has given me in just two shaves. Lightweight and maneuverable with just a slight increase on pressure on my part to get the full action and capabilities with this tool is excellent.

I’m big on heavy razors with more substantial feel as Stainless & Bronze will bring that to the shave table. But, I will admit that this little razor that could has changed my way of thinking on the old standard of more weight is key to a successful and comfortable shave outcome. This razor works, period.

Great shaves to all…

James is going to be offering the 2023 Guerilla in an OC and DC baseplates very soon as well as titanium.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here are a couple pics of all of the colors he has just completed testing on.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk