Wolfman WR2 Head Discussion

Gentlemen ... I finally 'grabbed the brass ring' !! I thought my order with James didn't go through, but it did. I didn't post about it because I didn't want to jinx it   So today ... sitting on the porch since 11AM @ 92 degrees Fahrenheit, when I got the "out for delivery notification" ...  so as not to chance missing the DHL guy ... he showed up at 5PM. 

The WR2 with WH7 98mm hollow handle & stand, brushed satin finish, and the WH3 96mm solid mirror polished handle. Sitting in a satin stand I already had, and a mirror polished .86 OC WR1 topping the WH3 which head I already had.

Tonight I'm going to try the WR2 on a 3 day beard growth, with 1.15 OC/1.25 SB. When I ordered I figured the smaller gap would be better with the OC, and the larger with the SB. Tonight I'll test my theory. The mirror polish is definitely shinier, but the brushed satin is also beautiful, and a nice variation if you already have mirror Wolfman razors. 

Quick shave report, for those interested.  Today's shave pitted the WR1 .94SB on hollow 7XL handle vs WR2 1.45SB (the first) on solid 101mm WRH1.  Both razors fitted with fresh GSB's.

On the first pass, the blade feel was very close.  After that, the WR2 loses 75% of it's blade feel.  It's still there, just not as prominent.  I'm a guard rider.  It works remarkable well for me.  The 1.45mm is easy to rotate a couple of degrees and completely lose the blade.  Then again, all of my WR2's behave similarly.  

Both razors have great audible feedback. The 94 was slightly higher pitched.

After the first N to S pass a quick face feel...not even close.  The 145 cuts closer and leaves skin smoother, even an hour post shave.  I would keep an eye on regrowth but I'm sure both sides will still be clean at bedtime.  Both are excellent razors, but for me, the WR2 is by far the more comfortable shaver. 

I asked the max gap question for the WR2 and didn't get a specific answer.  I do know for fact there is a 1.55SB SS on order, in which the owner asked for max gap and is getting the 155SS.  It is the first.  I also know there is a 1.55SB on order in titanium.  It is most likely the first 155 in titanium, I'll have to review Mr. DuFour's books to confirm, but I'm relatively certain. I'll let you know how it shaves when I get it in hand.

I share an affinity for the high gap options, so I thought I’d try to recreate the shave the grandmaster LOOT did above. So today I split my shave between a SS .94SB WR1 on a hollow 7XL and a SS 1.45SB WR2 on a hollow WRH1. GD preshave, Sandlewood, and rejuvenating serum. Paladin Chief brush and two fresh 7 o’clock yellow blades.

I’m far from an expert on these things, so take it all with a grain of salt. As always, YMMV. I know some folks think these gaps are excessive, but I get better, lower irritation shaves from the more aggressive razors, especially on my neck. I think a steep angle works well with that, but that’s just my theory.

I’m a two pass kind of guy, WTG and ATG. For me, I’ve always been most impressed with the Wolfman on the ATG pass and this shave was no exception. The WTG pass from both was great, but for my face, ATG is where they shine. Both razors gave me a BBS result, and 12 hours later only a couple of spots are DFS.

So if the result is the same, it really comes down to the shave experience. Between the two, I found the 145 to be noticeably smoother than the 94. That’s not to say the 94 is rough at all, but as some have called it in the past, it has a commanding presence. The blade feel is greater on the 94 than the 145, and angle errors present themselves more prominently. That said, the 94 feels more maneuverable and pairs great with the hollow handle. It’s a high performance sports car that lives right on the edge of breaking loose.

So if I had to pick between the two, I’d choose the 145, as it was a bit easier/more carefree to get the same result. I’ll be very interested in how folks like the 155 as in my experience, the WR2 handles the large gaps really nicely.

Huge thanks to all the folks that have helped me with the Wolfman hunt. Hopefully these thoughts might help someone else. Cheers!

I had my first shave with the WR2 1.15 OC/1.25 SB DC, with the WH7 hollow 96mm handle. I used a new Feather blade, MDC Vetyver with a Plisson HMW. With the blade loaded, looking at the gaps gave me a bit of trepidation. If I didn't have a BBS-1 I'd have probably been scared. The design of the head is quite similar, as far as I can see, and the BBS-1, with something like a 100 gap, looks pretty formidable by itself. 

I shaved carefully. With the grain using the 1.15 OC, and against with the 1.25 SB. The result was BBS after my standard two passes, and no irritation, no weepers nor nicks. I approached this shave as if I was using a 2011 R-41 Muhle. IOW gingerly. I have to admit I was intimidated by the blade gaps. Had I not started out by holding the head to observe the gaps perhaps I would have been more relaxed. 

I need to shave with this razor a few more times to get the feel of it, and try a few different blades in it. I've come to a conclusion awhile ago that I'm better off using a milder blade in an aggressive head, and a more aggressive blade in a milder head. Speaking only for myself. I know some guys can enjoy the sharpest blade in an aggressive razor. So the jury is still out ... but it was a helluva good shave, and like anything that comes out of James' shop, the workmanship was flawless.

Nice one, JimmyH....be interesting to see if you favour one side over the other eventually.

I use one side exclusively during a shave with my 86 SB/80 OC and it's working out well.

80 for a daily and 86 if its a 2-3 day growth.

Also, brushed satin looks great...I hope basic matte won't be too far from it, especially
on a heavily knurled handle that doesn't feature too many smooth surfaces.

Quick question for the WRH2 handle...I remember seeing some pics posted by a guy who
asked for a slight mod to the design, where the knurling extended all the way to the neck,
eliminating the smooth band on top. Wonder if JD still entertains requests like this...or
is it unwise to even bring it up.

Quick question for the WRH2 handle...I remember seeing some pics posted by a guy who
asked for a slight mod to the design, where the knurling extended all the way to the neck,
eliminating the smooth band on top. Wonder if JD still entertains requests like this...or
is it unwise to even bring it up.

Yes. He will at least entertain. He does not always accommodate though. I have a WRH7XL with WRH2 knurling that took several requests to get. I've asked for the same treatment to WRH3XL handle where the 3 bands of diamond knurling will be replaced with 1 solid patch of WRH2 knurling.

In short, it never hurts to ask once you have his attention. All he can do is politely decline.

Just finished my second shave with the WR2 and it was great. Last night's shave was great too, but I was nervous, tonight I loaded a brand new Personna Red, a blade I happen to hold in high regards, and I also started the shave WTG using the 1.25 SB. Of course tonight was stubble, last night was 3 days of growth. The SB 1.25 was smooth as silk, plenty of audible feedback, and I could've called it a shave with the one pass. The 1.15 OC on the ATG was also smooth as silk, and I'm BBS tonight. A great combo AFAIC. My thanks to DFS for all of the invaluable info I gleaned from this site to enable me to make the right choice from jump street.

Just finished my second shave with the WR2 and it was great. Last night's shave was great too, but I was nervous, tonight I loaded a brand new Personna Red, a blade I happen to hold in high regards, and I also started the shave WTG using the 1.25 SB. Of course tonight was stubble, last night was 3 days of growth. The SB 1.25 was smooth as silk, plenty of audible feedback, and I could've called it a shave with the one pass. The 1.15 OC on the ATG was also smooth as silk, and I'm BBS tonight. A great combo AFAIC. My thanks to DFS for all of the invaluable info I gleaned from this site to enable me to make the right choice from jump street.

Congratulations on finding a winner! This is exactly why threads like this are so important.

Just finished my second shave with the WR2 and it was great. Last night's shave was great too, but I was nervous, tonight I loaded a brand new Personna Red, a blade I happen to hold in high regards, and I also started the shave WTG using the 1.25 SB. Of course tonight was stubble, last night was 3 days of growth. The SB 1.25 was smooth as silk, plenty of audible feedback, and I could've called it a shave with the one pass. The 1.15 OC on the ATG was also smooth as silk, and I'm BBS tonight. A great combo AFAIC. My thanks to DFS for all of the invaluable info I gleaned from this site to enable me to make the right choice from jump street.

I love it when a plan comes together....then, you make a new plan.

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Oops, after some use of my 1.15 I found I went wrong direction ... from 1.25 to 1.15 …