What's new

Wilkinson Sword from India - how do they compare?

AndyPanda

AndyPanda

I find it really confusing trying to figure out which Wilkinson Sword is which and which ones are the "good ones" ... India? Russia? China? And I'm looking for alternatives to buying Russian (even though I love the Russian blades)

I think these are from India but hoping someone with experience can tell me where these fit in the sharpness rating
1672099027621.png
 
bkatbamna

bkatbamna

They are excellent. Better for me than silver blue, permasharps, and Gillette Platinums. They are as sharp as those but smoother and last about to be shaving day more. So typically I get 3-4 shaves with the others I mentioned and 5 with the Indian WS.
 
R

RayClem

There are no Wilkinson Sword blades made in Russia, AFIK.

P&G Gillette owns the trademark for Wilkinson Sword blades in some parts of the world and makes the blades in India or China. Edgewell Personal Care owns the trademark in Europe and North America. They make the blades in Germany. Personna and Schick blades (other than the Personna blades made by Accutec Blades in Verona, VA) are in Germany as well.

For my tough beard and sensitive skin, I find the German blades to be better than the Gillette Wilkies made in India. I have not tried the ones made in China. The Gillette blades are similar in performance to several other Gillette blades including Platinums, Silver Blues, and both of the 7 O'Clock Greens. For those with an average beard and average skin, they will work well. The one thing I do not like about the German Wilkinson Sword blades is the price. You can purchase other blades that are just as sharp as the German blades for a lot less.
 
Alum Ladd

Alum Ladd

Reading this thread I thought I would try one again. It's been many months, lured away by other more lurved blades.

I bought 100 of them, my first large blade buy, and another 50 I think. I think £7.50 for the lot?

I recall getting a few dinks and weepers with them. So I have really neglected them

Found one in it's wrapper, I think one shave on it.

Loaded it up in an English 1953 Aluminium handled Rocket, some Palmolive Cream and a Yaqi Ferrari and got a superb, weeper free BBS for tonights shave.

A great, economic blade with absolutely no vices. A complete no-brainer of a purchase, as our US Friends say.

The blades had not got better, I had.

It is all about technique.

It is all about technique..

Did I mention it was all about technique?
 
Last edited:
BigJ

BigJ

Alum Ladd said:
Reading this thread I thought I would try one again. It's been many months, lured away by other more lurved blades.

I bought 100 of them, my first large blade buy, and another 50 I think. I think £7.50 for the lot?

I recall getting a few dinks and weepers with them. So I have really neglected them

Found one in it's wrapper, I think one shave on it.

Loaded it up in an English 1953 Aluminium handled Rocket, some Palmolive Cream and a Yaqi Ferrari and got a superb, weeper free BBS for tonights shave.

A great, economic blade with absolutely no vices. A complete no-brainer of a purchase, as our US Friends say.

The blades had not got better, I had.

It is all about technique.

It is all about technique..

Did I mention it was all about technique?
Click to expand...

For me, it is 95% technique! The other 5% is equipment and Karma!! :thumbup1::thumbup1:
 
ShavingPrimate

ShavingPrimate

velocityboy said:
Indian Wilkinson Sword blades are, I'm tempted to say, as good as any other. If that might be slightly too bold then I will say that they are definitely a top tier blade for me.
Click to expand...

I find them to be perfectly fine blades and are at least as sharp as any other DE razor blade.

Since they are 6-cents each (in lots of 100) they are about 1/3 the price as the German ones are. They are not that much different quality wise.

To the OP, the one on the photo you provided is from India. It has two chevrons on the box. The ones from China look similar but only have a single chevron.

proxy.php



The ones from Germany come in black plastic boxes, with black print on a white background.

proxy.php


These are currently $16 on Amazon, which is the we lowest price I have seen them. They had been selling as high as $22 (hundred) a year ago.

I managed 8-shaves out of both the Indian and German Wilkinson's. The German ones were still a bit better after this where the ones from India were finished at this point.
 
Last edited:
RenoRichard

RenoRichard

Read this thread this morning and I have a question as to the two tucks of Wilkinson Sword blades I found in my box of odds and ends. These tucks are marked Made in England and Packaged in the USA. Are they vintage blades? Thanks for any insights.
PXL_20221229_175858358.jpgPXL_20221229_175918218.jpg
 
AndyPanda

AndyPanda

Wikipedia says they closed the razor plant in UK in 2000

I found this link that says:
The Wilkinson Sword company has a full and colorful history dating back to Henry Nock in the United Kingdom (UK) back in 1772. They began by making guns and later expanded into swords, bayonets, typewriters, garden shears, scissors, and even motorcycles. If you like history I encourage you to check them out on Wikipedia as I found it to be an interesting read.

The original Wilkinson Sword stainless steel razor blade was manufactured in the UK around 1962. Though slightly more expensive than other razor blades available at the time it quickly gained a large market share as you could use them for a week whereby the standard carbon steel blades available from other manufacturers would rust quickly so most people only used those blades once. You can still find this legendary blade NOS (new old stock) on some auction sites but will cost you dearly. Couple of reviewers I saw on YouTube still had some from back in the day or bought them off an auction site and reported getting 10+ shaves per blade.
 
APBinNCA

APBinNCA

RenoRichard said:
Read this thread this morning and I have a question as to the two tucks of Wilkinson Sword blades I found in my box of odds and ends. These tucks are marked Made in England and Packaged in the USA. Are they vintage blades? Thanks for any insights.
View attachment 1579522View attachment 1579523
Click to expand...
Those should be the original blades they released in the late 60's before introducing chromium sputtered edges starting with the "New Blade." They shave nearly as well as all the ones made through the 70's, but don't last as long. I have some from nearly every era or have bookmarks to reference, but having them still on cardboard makes it a lot clearer. You should get at least 4 excellent shaves, but try to take a careful look at the blade before using since these are unsealed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

lak611
Wilkinson Sword blades made in Germany: what do you think?
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
Jens
Jens
Luc
Top blades
2
Replies
35
Views
4K
Quaznoid
Quaznoid
RAD patient
New Astra SP from India.
2
Replies
25
Views
5K
tzinc
tzinc
Canadaaron
Non-Russian alternatives to Ladas blades?
2
Replies
37
Views
3K
Hornace
Hornace
C
Test of Blades Made in India
2
Replies
26
Views
5K
Pinto90
Pinto90
Top Bottom