Perhaps I should say, so sought after. I'm assuming they are good because of the prices they fetch. What makes one straight better than another and are there any other straights that are very good quality, that you know of? Thanks.
I thought the same, at first. But after honing a lot of straights, there are two answers. 1. The steel is top notch. It isn't too hard, or too soft. It takes, and holds an excellent edge. 2. The edge and spines are straight as an arrow. This makes it easy to hone and get a very good edge. There are several manufacturers that produce excellent blades, that are consistent with their quality. W&B just happens to be well known and produced blades for a long time. You can get some junk W&B razors, especially when they are worn out from improper or over honing. Or, if some idiot over polished the blade, heated it up in the process, and ruined the temper.
I'm a fan of old Sheffield razors — many fine makers of which Wade & Butcher is one. Most are made of good quality steel and they come in a broad variety of shapes, sizes and grinds. Over the years, I've owned more than two dozen W&Bs of various sizes and have found many to be of good quality— but not any 'better' than other Sheffield makers of the same era. My favorite W&Bs tend to be their 'full-sized'(7/8 or larger) wedge models. The majority of the other razors I found, although quite serviceable and decent shavers, rather ordinary. I've one W&B in my daily rotation. The appeal of the brand to today's shavers? I believe much of the aura around W&Bs stems from the popularity of their larger FBU 'chopper' blades (8/8" or larger). High demand +limited number = high asking prices. Some Other Sheffield Makers: George Wostenholm & Son Joseph Rodgers & Sons Mappin Brothers/Mappin & Webb Thomas Turner & Co. Joseph Elliot & Sons Joseph Wostenholm & Sons George Butler & Co. Frederick Reynolds Brookes & Crookes John Nowill & Sons William Greaves & Sons Joseph Allen & Sons Marsh Brothers & Co.(Marshes & Shepherd) Wheatley Brothers Herbert Robinson & Co. Thomas Turner B.J. Eyre & Co. The majority of W&Bs, according to some sources, were exported to the US. This could possibly explain the relative large number of this brand (compared to other old Sheffield makers) found on US auction sites. W&Bs are less frequently found on European auction sites.
Thank you very much. That was a great answer. It's nice to have a list of other manufacturers; I didn't realise there were so many.
Sheffield was, and to an extent still the UK knife,sword,razor etc center. If you think makers of straights numerous try collecting something as simple as a service issue rigging knife.
I really don't know, I have yet to own myself. I certainly don't believe they should command the price they do, but to those who are willing to pay for it go ahead. Are they better than today's steel with modern metallurgy and heat treat, I doubt that, however I can't dispute they are beautiful works.
Wade & Butchers have been Popularized in Forums..They Also Made a Lot of Big Blades which are Also Popular in Forums..Sheffield, Solingen, Swedish Steel Etc are All Good Steel.My Own Collection is Mostly SRs that were Made in the 1920s & 1930s..That Just Seems to be the General Period of SRs that I Like on My Face. . Billy..
People who embrace "modern metallurgy and heat treat" as innately superior to the second description in your reply "beautifull" are too often suprised, embaressed and educated by vintage tools ranging from Sweet Iron horse bits and drill bits to said razors. We have lost or discarded an awfull lot ranging from the legendary true damascus steel and machinist tolerances done by eye and feel no modern computer driven unit can approach with,again that magic word beauty. Spend time on knife forums and countless contemporary wonder steels and processes have been abandoned like so many old cars ( eventually to rust in spite of that claim.) Turn on a cooking show and Jaques Pepin is still using carbon steel. View a YOUTUBE of some master creating a straight from raw billets on an old triphammer and a coal fire with the only cyrogenic quenching a refrigerator keeping his lunch cold and you want one, or a vintage example.
I think vintage is the way to go, for me. I have a few new Chinese razors, and they are for fun, but most everything else is vintage. I can buy 10 vintage razors for the price of a modern one. That's a plus for me.
Another thing to remember is that Wade and Butcher and many, many other Sheffield razor manufacturers didn't actually make the razors with their name stamped on them. There were hundreds, if not thousands of highly skilled men who did nothing but make straight razors day after day, just as their fathers and sons did. A skilled blademaker would make a hundred or more razors a day. These men were more or less contract laborers, and the same man who made W&B blades one day, could be making blades for Allen and Sons the next day. The ore used to make British razors from the early 1800's through the early 1900's came from Switzerland, and the British refineries are what produced the famed Sheffield steel. Modern refining methods changed the way steel was made, making better steel, at a cheaper cost, but the modern steel isn't as good for razors, despite being "higher quality" and "purer." The ore is also sourced from other places, and the source of the ore is important too. (Edit: That's not to say that modern steel cannot make very good straight razors, but the steel of that time, from that place, made very good razors.) For example, the ore that made Wootz steel, the so-called "Damascus steel" of the ancients, came from a specific mine in India. When that mine was played out, Wootz steel ceased to exist, though smiths continued to make pattern welded blades that resembled Wootz steel. Angelfire blades makes a modern recreation of Wootz steel using cryogenic processes to develop the crystalline patterns unique to Wootz steels. That crystalline pattern in ancient times was created by the unique mixture of elements in Wootz iron ore. Well, I strayed off topic there a bit.
For my face, Sheffield steel just works. I enjoy honing it as well as it seems very well mannered. I would say that I find the French framebacks are a tight second being a good old Sheffield. My two Wade and Butchers are special to me for different reasons. The first W&B was my wife's great grandfathers. He was a barber so who knows how many faces that blade traversed in its history. It's still in wonderful shape and feels like butter! The other W&B is a wedge that nearly took half of my finger off when I was done honing it.
