Weber "wavy" blades?

I'm a bit confused on this issue of Weber razors somehow generating a wavy blade. I didn't find a comprehensive discussion on this topic, maybe didn't know how to search properly, but could someone post a factual outline of the problem?

Follow up; has anyone talked with Weber about this? What did Weber say and/or do?

I want to buy a Weber but not if it's a crap shoot for quality.

I'd just order one. If it's defective, send it back. Mines perfect and shaves the best of all my razors
Ps: I used the "contact us" button on their website to ask a question before I bought mine. They responded within a day.
If you are worried, talk to them about it. Maybe they had an issue that they corrected (ie fired the QA guy who let wavy ones through).

I looked for a Contact Us button on http://www.weberrazor.com but couldn't find one, so I started this thread. Perhaps there is another Weber site?

Their email address is under "About Us": [email protected]

My advice is to go ahead and order it. The Weber is a great razor.

I think this was an isolated issue. I think a few people got a Weber that had a manufacturing defect that caused the blade to warp. I had a Weber, and it was just fine. As I recall, it was at least a year ago that this issue came up, and I have not seen anything about it since. I wouldn't worry.

I have one from when they became available again about a month ago and it is my favorite DE now. Their service is excellent and I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.

I have recently purchased one polished head Weber with the Bulldog handle. I have got no problems with the blade alignment or wavy blade. The blade is perfectly straight and this razor is giving me wonderful shaves.

Bought mine in June - fantastic razor and no problems whatsoever

I bought mine 6 moths ago, and mine does not have any issue with blade-waviness.

I think it was a problem with some razors from one batch, and has now been sorted out. I bought a Weber PH from a fellow member and he was honest enough to inform me that he could see a very tiny "wave" on one edge of any blade in the razor. However, I must admit I've never been able to detect this, and certainly the shave it gives is excellent.

Thanks to all, I'll consider the issue a short term production glitch. I did finally find the Contact Us button, it doesn't appear until the Purchase/Customer Service window is opened.

I received my new Weber PH with Classic handle two days ago (purchased from Weber's Amazon storefront) and was immediately impressed with its quality. The knurling on the handle is without flaw. The finish on the head/cap is smooth and bright. I also own an iKon Standard and the Weber could easily pass for a polished version of the former (my iKon has a matte finish). I've heard the Weber described as "industrial" and potentially not the best for fit and finish but my sample is every bit as refined as the (2 x the $) iKon.


However, my new Weber does exhibit the "wavy blade" condition. It is very subtle, but it's there. It's caused by the two rails on the baseplate, which support the blade, not being perfectly flat. This is readily seen by placing the baseplate upside down (on said rails) on a flat surface. My baseplate rocks slightly and light can be seen under different areas under the rails. When the blade is clamped down onto these uneven rails, it distorts slightly. Does it matter? I popped a new Astra SP into the Weber and it performed brilliantly! Perhaps if it were more pronounced, it might start causing problems. If you're picky, it might bother you, too, even if its performance isn't compromised.


I sharpen my chef knives on Japanese waterstones and I'm certain I could flatten the baseplate rails to perfection in seconds on one if I felt the need. This would void the warranty, though note that Weber specifically excludes "...defects that have a negligible effect on the operation of the razor." so it's unclear I would even have coverage by the warranty. (Not saying I doubt Weber's customer service - they might very well exchange heads with me if I pursued it.)


Wavy blade, if present, can be easily remedied by a file, waterstone or no doubt through warranty exchange. I'm super glad I ordered the Weber and its performance is absolutely on par with my iKon.


(Given the necessity of a perfect baseplate "bed" to ensure a straight blade edge presentation, I'm surprised we don't hear about the issue more often, regardless of manufacturer or vintage...)

I had exactly the same problem with mine, and the same cause - it's the baseplate rails. I've given mine a run on my Spyderco Sharpmaker rods and virtually eliminated the wave. It could still do with a bit more to get it perfect, but at the moment it's good enough. It's certainly reached the point where it's difficult to tell it's still there.

The Sharpmaker rods are quite a fine grit so it takes a while to do something like this, but I wanted to go at it very gradually so as not to ruin it. It's also worth noting that I got my Weber second hand so the warranty probably doesn't apply, and also that I'm in the UK, so even if it did sending parts back and forth to Weber would be time and cost prohibitive.

I'm not 100% whether it's actually affected the shave, but it has calmed my OCD and made me feel a lot happier with the razor.

It is a great razor at a fantastic price. You won't be disappointed.

pyronut said:

It is a great razor at a fantastic price. You won't be disappointed.

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^^^This^^^

I had an issue with the wavy blade as well. It is the rails. Mine was at two different angles halfway through the razor so not really wavy but uneven blade gap. I contacted weber and they switched it out. They stated it is a rare occurrence but the forums make it seem worse than it is. I will say that the blade is never as straight as any of my other razors (even a cheap RazoRock/cadet) which bothers me a little.

Here are pictures before I sent it back. Different gap left to right and on each side.

Both of my polished Webers have had the wavy blade, either it's not as rare as they make out, or I've been *very* unlucky.

On the upside, we have a confirmed cause and it's pretty easy to fix.

chris.hale said:

I had exactly the same problem with mine, and the same cause - it's the baseplate rails. I've given mine a run on my Spyderco Sharpmaker rods and virtually eliminated the wave. It could still do with a bit more to get it perfect, but at the moment it's good enough. It's certainly reached the point where it's difficult to tell it's still there.

The Sharpmaker rods are quite a fine grit so it takes a while to do something like this, but I wanted to go at it very gradually so as not to ruin it. It's also worth noting that I got my Weber second hand so the warranty probably doesn't apply, and also that I'm in the UK, so even if it did sending parts back and forth to Weber would be time and cost prohibitive.

I'm not 100% whether it's actually affected the shave, but it has calmed my OCD and made me feel a lot happier with the razor.

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I bought and sold two webers but just ordered another today to experiment with. I know the blade won't be perfect so what do you think of running it on some super fine wet sandpaper? Like 800 grit. Laying the paper down on a hard flat surface and running the baseplate parallel to the rails. Will that keep it even? I would hate to sand not flat. Also if you keep going you could make the razor more mild lol. Custom aggressiveness weber.

I guess I'm lucky, as my Weber is very straight and true. Just got a BBS with it this morning.

Jinx18 said:

I bought and sold two webers but just ordered another today to experiment with. I know the blade won't be perfect so what do you think of running it on some super fine wet sandpaper? Like 800 grit. Laying the paper down on a hard flat surface and running the baseplate parallel to the rails. Will that keep it even? I would hate to sand not flat. Also if you keep going you could make the razor more mild lol. Custom aggressiveness weber.

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That is exactly what I would do (except using a flat waterstone in lieu of the sandpaper since I'm comfortable with those). I would color the top of the rails with marker to show you where you're making contact as you sand. Gradually work the high points smooth (ie first areas of marker sanded away) until you're finally hitting all surfaces (tops of rails) equally. You're done when you've removed the marker everywhere and, if your sanding surface was flat, you should have improved, flatter rails. Hopefully a minimum amount of material needs to be removed to even things out and the head geometry isn't materially altered.