Wolfman Production Pushed Back.

My main point is that every additional razor purchased by a single person means that the next person on the waiting list will have to wait that much longer for their name to be called.

Since James is not against running the waiting list this way (it's his waiting list afterall), there really isn't anything I can do about it other than sit and patiently wait for my name to be called. Hopefully sometime in 2016.

My main point is that every additional razor purchased by a single person means that the next person on the waiting list will have to wait that much longer for their name to be called.

Since James is not against running the waiting list this way (it's his waiting list afterall), there really isn't anything I can do about it other than sit and patiently wait for my name to be called. Hopefully sometime in 2016.

But, that makes sense. If I'm going to already be on the list, why not order everything I want at once when the number comes up? It would be stupid for me not to order everything in one shot if I can afford it. I'm sure it doesn't make too much of a dent on the next person on the list.

I remember the many months I had to wait for my loot, without complaining, and like you said, patiently. It is hard, but worth the wait IMO.

I think that was a very interesting article on its own but would caution drawing parallels between Rockwell and Wolfman production challenges.

Hi Sleeper , I wasn't really drawing a parallel as I don't think there is any comparison to be made between the two. What I was referring to was the comments made earlier in the thread asking why James doesn't hire apprentices or other employees to do the non-production work. James' response was that he prefers to do it himself and that the wait time is what it is because he's not changing. He said it a bit more tactfully but thats the gist of it. Rockwell went the sub-contract route and essentially delegating every aspect of the build / package / ship to contractors and his QC went out the window even when he found a skilled machinist to fix the messed up razors and the guy proved he could do it properly,once he got the contract to do the fixes he delegated the work to less skilled people and they got screwed up again. My point was that James won't allow this to ever happen to him because he alone is responsible for every aspect of the design, build, sell ship etc. Who knows whether James had bad experiences in the past with sub-contractors that led to his current business model.

I think that was a very interesting article on its own but would caution drawing parallels between Rockwell and Wolfman production challenges.

Hi Sleeper , I wasn't really drawing a parallel as I don't think there is any comparison to be made between the two.  What I was referring to was the comments made earlier in the thread asking why James doesn't hire apprentices or other employees to do the non-production work.  James' response was that he prefers to do it himself and that the wait time is what it is because he's not changing.  He said it a bit more tactfully but thats the gist of it.  Rockwell went the sub-contract route and essentially delegating every aspect of the build / package / ship to contractors and his QC went out the window even when he found a skilled machinist to fix the messed up razors and the guy proved he could do it properly,once he got the contract to do the fixes he delegated the work to less skilled people and they got screwed up again.  My point was that James won't allow this to ever happen to him because he alone is responsible for every aspect of the design, build, sell ship etc.  Who knows whether James had bad experiences in the past with sub-contractors that led to his current business model.

It's important to note that Morgan and Gareth never had any bad experiences in such a respect prior to Rockwell. Also worth noting is that their intent to outsource was never to eliminate their responsibility. They were/are in school. They needed partners who they could trust that would allow them to maximize their time to interact with customers, finish assignments, study, and take exams.
Plenty of businesses outsource, all the time, with no problem. There are plenty of people who "make" a product and never see a single production-run item; and they don't have the challenges Rockwell did. The scenario is unique to Rockwell, not to the idea of outsourcing.

I think that was a very interesting article on its own but would caution drawing parallels between Rockwell and Wolfman production challenges.

Hi Sleeper , I wasn't really drawing a parallel as I don't think there is any comparison to be made between the two.  What I was referring to was the comments made earlier in the thread asking why James doesn't hire apprentices or other employees to do the non-production work.  James' response was that he prefers to do it himself and that the wait time is what it is because he's not changing.  He said it a bit more tactfully but thats the gist of it.  Rockwell went the sub-contract route and essentially delegating every aspect of the build / package / ship to contractors and his QC went out the window even when he found a skilled machinist to fix the messed up razors and the guy proved he could do it properly,once he got the contract to do the fixes he delegated the work to less skilled people and they got screwed up again.  My point was that James won't allow this to ever happen to him because he alone is responsible for every aspect of the design, build, sell ship etc.  Who knows whether James had bad experiences in the past with sub-contractors that led to his current business model.

It's important to note that Morgan and Gareth never had any bad experiences in such a respect prior to Rockwell. Also worth noting is that their intent to outsource was never to eliminate their responsibility. They were/are in school. They needed partners who they could trust that would allow them to maximize their time to interact with customers, finish assignments, study, and take exams.
Plenty of businesses outsource, all the time, with no problem. There are plenty of people who "make" a product and never see a single production-run item; and they don't have the challenges Rockwell did. The scenario is unique to Rockwell, not to the idea of outsourcing.

I don't disagree with you - they likely hadn't had any bad experiences prior to Rockwell because at age 21 they likely didn't have any prior experience with this sort of thing at all. You have to start somewhere and good on them for persevering and making it right.

My point wasn't to slam the outsourcing model but rather to point out that if you go this route it's rarely a recipe for success if you just make some calls and get contracts signed and hope for the best. You could luck out but generally a little more hands on involvement is required, at least initially. I think the story is basically they were inexperienced, they made mistakes and they persevered and overcame their early mistakes and now have a chance at building a successful company. I think it's a testament to their integrity that they didn't just bail when things got really bad like many, many others would have in the same circumstances.

From another lens, these are both stories of significant wet shaving demand that can overwhelm the owners.

Paladin, Mongoose, Rockwell, Wolfman, Wolf Whiskers... I'm sure I've been on other waiting lists. We're a voracious community and gravitate towards high quality which tends to also take longer production times. All in due time...
I know I'll get another Wolfman eventually. I just hope he doesn't get burnt out and walk away. Sometimes a talent can be bled dry.
Another example is RazorRock. For all the demand Joe had with the Stealth, he was getting thrown under the bus. He decided it wasn't worth the hassle and stopped making them. We just need to respect that most of these people are doing this on the side as a labor of love. Once the love is lost, what's left but a job?

I'll wait 5 years if I have to. I'm on James schedule, not mine.

I understand the frustration. I do think it's worth the wait. Mine is flawless. As far as performance, I can't say it outshines my ATT or even my Merkur 34c, though the Merkur is far milder than the Wolfman and the ATT. But, in terms of the quality of the build and the tolerances, the finish and the quality of the steel, the Wolfman is really perfect.

Let's not hammer on this wait too much. James makes his living by machining items that are NOT razors. Making super fine finished razors is his hobby as you can see in the attention to detail in an item, which let's face the fact that it doesn't need to be to cut stubble well. Once it stops being his hobby and it becomes a way for him to make a living you can bet the cost of these Wolfmans will be costing even more (look at the price of custom straights which don't even take machines as expensive as a safety razor to make).
I look at him selling a razor as I am benefitting from an artisan machinist putting his passion into doing a hobby. I sure hope he doesn't get bombarded and pressured to the point of stopping this altogether. I've seen it happen with other items.

This razor is like a Gillette President NEW in rhodium. You don't need one to get a great shave but it sure is a thing of beauty to own.

Bottom line, nobody is been made to wait. Don't want to wait, buy something else. Big boy rules!

Let's not hammer on this wait too much. James makes his living by machining items that are NOT razors. Making super fine finished razors is his hobby as you can see in the attention to detail in an item, which let's face the fact that it doesn't need to be to cut stubble well. Once it stops being his hobby and it becomes a way for him to make a living you can bet the cost of these Wolfmans will be costing even more (look at the price of custom straights which don't even take machines as expensive as a safety razor to make).

This is now my full time job.   When I began making razors, I was still working a regular job.   I went from full-time to part-time, and then eventually I quit the other job and now I'm at my shop every day.

And yes... prices have gone up as well after James made this his full time gig. No longer a hobby.

But he says he may be hiring another machinist to help him make razors. This should help.