Wilkinson Sword

I want a close shave with no irritation, anything milder than an IP doesn't really give a close enough shave and anything sharper than an Astra is too likely to cause burn.

A Wilkinson has the sharpness of an IP and the aggressiveness of a Derby, but a Derby is sharper and an IP is milder.

Wilkinsons are good blades with a nice combination of mildness and closeness so I don't have a problem with them they're nice and I'm happy to use one. But they're just sub optimal compare to other blades I can use milder blades which are just as sharp or sharper blades which are just as mild.

I think they'll always be readily available in the UK so I'm glad they're a blade that I find perfectly acceptable but whilst there are better available I won't be using them.

I got a pack of UK made WS with a Slim that I bought on Ebay. I loved those blades, so when I ran out I started looking around for some replacements. That is when I found out that the UK factory had been shut down and you could only buy the German made blades. I figured I would try them out and see if they were as good. They are not. I got 2 awful shaves out of the blade before I threw it away and grabbed a Derby. The blade seemed very dull and I needed more passes than normal to remove the hair. After many extra passes, I was left with a shave that I would rate as tolerable. Seriously it was about as good as an electric razor shave. The only positive I have about this blade is that the aftershave didn't burn at all when I was done. Granted this was probably because the blade wasn't sharp enough to do anything to my skin, but still I'll say that's a positive.

Not for a strong beard, just feels like piece of metal dragging across your face.

I have tried 3 packs of 5 blades (white package), so I think i's enough.

Some of the blades are exceptional: sharp, smooth, long lasting (I get 3 consistent shave of my 3-4 days beard), the finest shave ....

... and others are horrible: nicks, cuts, dragging and pulling.I really don't know why this behavior, but I do not want to prey each time I pull out a new Wilkinson blade.

Recommended for lucky guys !

Well, this was my introduction to DE shaving. I bought the cheapo Wilkie razor on amazon and it came with five of these blades. Not knowing how long a blade was supposed to last, I bought couple of 10 packs at Wal-Mart for $1.78 a pop. Seeing the "made in Germany" tag got my expectations up as I have been a knife collector for quite some time, and most German cutlery is excellent. Well, I was let down to say the least. I stuck with the general N/S strokes with NO pressure to minimize any chance of screwing up and while it did cut, it felt almost like I had road rash on my face afterwards. I bought a Gillette blue tip SS and a Hoffritz Slant at a pair of antique shops and figured maybe the would do better in those razors. WRONG!!! The slant just scares me as I can feel it grab no matter what the angle I use. The SS is about the easiest handling razor I've ever had and it did nothing to change the experience. One thing I noticed on most of the blades is that the grind is inconsistant. Having sharpened cutlery of all types since I was a boy, I know what a consistent edge looks like. I'm hoping maybe it was a bad run as these are the most available blades for me. I did find Personna USA made blades in Sally today. But they cost the same for half as many blades. I am toying with the idea of opening the other packs to see if they are any better. The Personnas worked quite well and I have ordered a 10 pack of the IP's to try out. YMMV, but so far, not so good.....

More of a reactionary short term test this. I have been used to bloodless smooth shaves with my favoured Lord Superchrome. I have not tried too many but seemed to have dropped lucky quite quickly with these.

Anyway, purchased some Wilkinson Sword Classics and my
Shave yesterday was a little tuggy, but most significantly drew blood in three spots. Didn't like that. Will give them one more chance but if more blood is shed they are off to a good home.

Bought 6 5packs in January for~7.60, and forgot them until today, I had my first shave with the German version, Black Dispenser & plain White wrapper.

The first pass was fairly smooth, a little tugging at the base of the neck on a growth of ~38 hours. The second pass was Totally Smooth no tugging at all, zero irritation and pleasant.
No rating on longevity, 1st shave, and I rarely use a Blade more than 3 times so N/A. Price ~1.35 per pack of five, costs more than Astra SPs which I rate better.
Quality looks wise, too many glue spots. Sharpness above average about equal to Derby Extras which I like. I like the Plastic dispensers and completely fill them with used blades before taping and tossing.

I'd probably would buy again when they are on sale.

I bought three 5-packs of these for .99 a pack (.20/blade).

Package says "made in Germany".

As soon as I put the blade to my face I knew it was going to be a rough ride. No nicks, cuts or weepers but I really had to be careful. I won't buy these again. I'd stick with DORCO, ASTRA, or Super-Max.

ETA:After using this blade once I decided to hand-stop it and use it again the next day. After stropping it four times on each side I got an admirably nice shave. Hmmm... Let's go for a third shave. Hand-stropped it 10 times on each side. As good a shave, or a little better than the second.

This morning I went for a fourth shave. Each end of the blade was stropped on my jeans a total of 40 times. This shave was as good as the 2nd and 3rd but a bit of tugging was discernable so no fifth try for me.

But I am impressed with the blade after its initial use (plus hand stropping). I have redone my ratings number to reflect this. This is the most uses I've gotten out of a blade.

Price: They can be had locally for $1.59, not to mention it seems like every CVS and other local grocery store seems to have it in stock. It saves me shipping costs, so the price really can't be beat.

Quality: The blades are okay. Very mediocre. They do the job, but I wouldn't recommend them to anybody. A totally no-frills blade experience.

Sharpness: The blades are initially very sharp, but the edge seems to deteriorate very quickly and steadily each shave. The first shave is comparable to that from a Derby, but after that it gets much worse.

Longevity: The blade suffers here too. It only lasted me 4-5 days on average, and on the 4th day there was significant pulling and irritation.

Smoothness of shave: I can't deny that the first shave is rather enjoyable, comparable to that of a derby in smoothness as well. But after that first shave, the blade seems to drag across my face, causing razor burn and red patches.

Packaging: Eh, standard, works well. The blade holder is a little plastic heavy, which is why I knocked it down a few points.

Bottom Line: Works if you run out of blades and are waiting for some to come in the mail, but other than that I wouldn't use them. Better blades are had elsewhere.

wiliinson swords blue label;

found theese at bed bath & beyond

used in my futur

3 passes + touchup pass

very smooth feel
i didnt experience any dragging / skipping of the blade like i have been w/ the dorco 302's;

bbs w/ trumper's violet soap;

no weepers or nics;

definite rebuys

Nice packaging. This was the 2nd brand of blades I have tried after initially shaving with Merkur. I would rank Wilkinson slightly above Merkur (price point and quality).

These in the white package are my everyday blade. I have been using these for about 3 years now. I have tried others now and then but I keep coming back. I don't know what the price is everywhere else, but a Brookshires here where I live a 5 pk is $1.25, this seems fairly cheap to me. Most of the the time I will change the blade every Monday morning sometimes on Sunday but really don't need to. I 2-pass shave every day with my gold Merkur HD, first N/S then blade buff S/N and have minor clean up with no problem so sharpness and longivity are good and I rarely cut myself. And smoothness!! A babies butt aint got nothin on my face every morning. The packaging is about as good as any so why complain or brag, it holds the blades and they are individualy wrapped, what more could you want or need? These are my favorite and do a great job. My overal rating is 5 BIG STARS and 2 thumbs up!! But remember, this is just "My" opionion, to each his/her own.
In Jeasus name we pray........ amen

Superspot

I bought mine from Boots for about £2 for the 5 pack only to discover they were 99p in Savers and yes i'd buy these again. I put my first Wilkinson blade in my 1930's Gillette new style razor and it provided a decent shave comparable to a Merkur DE but not as good as the Gillette 7 O clock blades which are my favourite but perhaps its an unfair comparison to compare 99p blades to £2.50 blades.

I got these when I bought a razor so I didn't have to pay for them. They have a very nice blade holder, and the papers were easy to remove from the blade. Though when I started shaving it felt like my feathers do on their 4th or 5th shave. It had a surprising amount of "pull" but I ended up with little irritation and a decent shave. So accounting for what they cost and their performance, I will not be buying any on my own.

bit pricey for what you get, i've been usig them for a long time, and i find them a bit inconsistent... 1 shave good, then second and third bad, then another good one. some blades in the pack seem better than other ones, and i've been using them for entire summer, so i used at least 15 - 20 blades...

IMO..I've tried the Wilkinson Sword blades from the UK and those from Germany and the Blades from the UK, if you can find them, are some of the best blades ever made. Like everything else, you have to read carefully when looking at the package. I came across a "mother load" of Wilkinson, made in England, a while back and everyone of these vintage blades are nothing but great. I guess the only way to get the Great Wilkinson's of the past are garage sales, estate sales or as a gift from someone from back in the day.

I use the english ones and before i found sample packs used these 90% of the time and i find they always give a decent shave and can sometimes get 5 good shaves from 1 blade, always have a pack at home and use in rotation with my samples to judge how they shave.

I got these as part of a trade for a DE. These blades give me smooth, weeper and irritation free shave. They are forgiving to boot. Definately a keeper. The only downside is sharpness. They are not as sharp as a Feather or Astra Superior Platinum. Overall a good blade for me, but as always YMMV.

Bought these on business trip in Guyana cost 1 dollar so bought pack to try well difficult to get out of pack should have stopped trying and just thrown them away there and then. after 2 good bleeders and a nick had reasonalble shave ,will stick with merkur blades

I am considering purchasing a bulk lot of Wilkinson Classic Blades made in Brazil.
Has anyone got any prior knowledge on Brazilian made "Wilkinsons" and how would they compare quality wise with the German and U.K. product?