Wardonia razors - why so aggressive?

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by cpool222, Feb 6, 2022.

  1. cpool222

    cpool222 Well-Known Member

    I have an old bakelite Wardonia razor, and I like the looks of it, but does anyone know why they're so aggressive? Were they made for a certain blade or what? Any info?
     
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  2. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Depending on which model you have, they were made for the old thick 3 hole blades, so yeah, they will be perceived as aggressive with a modern thinner blade.

    And yes, Wardonia made blades. If it's one of the old bakelite ones, just watch your pressure when shaving, a light touch will reduce some of the aggression.
     
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  3. cpool222

    cpool222 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the reply. I did modify a modern thin stainless blade to fit my white bakelite Wardonia a couple of years ago and it was VERY aggressive. Significantly more aggressive than a red-tip SuperSpeed for example. Any time that I've tried to use an old thicker carbon steel DE blade, they've been so rough that I just couldn't use them, so I'd expect that the thick Wardonia vintage blades would be rough as well? I have seen that some people do use their Wardonia razor, so I'm wondering if there's some trick to make the razor less aggressive or the Wardonia blades more usable? Just curious, thanks!
     
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  4. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Anytime you find an old three hole blade, unused, rare as those are, it must be honed and stropped.

    I have yet to find an old carbon blade that isn't covered in micro pitting and rust either from the environment, or from the acid in the papers they were wrapped in. Invisible to the naked eye, it is clearly visible when inspected through a 10x loupe.

    Stropping on a pasted strop would probably return 99% of these blades to a usable state. I can't promise you will enjoy the shave. Modern blades are much keener than the old blades, and the old blades feel dull by comparison.
     
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  5. cpool222

    cpool222 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks... I'll have to look around and see if I have any of the 3 hole blades, I'd like to try it out. Thanks!
     
  6. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    I don't think seeking out an old blade is going to be much help. I'm perfectly fine with the Wardonia, indeed it's a real favorite.Sure it takes a light touch. You might experiment with a shim and see if it changes your experience for the better.

    Sent from my Pixel 5a using Tapatalk
     
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  7. Rob72

    Rob72 Member

    I've honed quite a few old blades, wedge, half wedge, French Traveler, Prima, KRISS Kross. It really is not worth the effort if a Moderna blade will fit.

    I would try a comparatively "middle of the road" blade, Voskhod works well for me, and ride the cap. Wardonias are comparatively aggressive, but are by no means severe.
     
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  8. cpool222

    cpool222 Well-Known Member

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    I'll have to try mine again. Maybe they vary according to the model, but mine was the most aggressive DE razor I've ever tried, and I've used dozens of different DEs. I'll try it again, thanks.
     
  9. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Perhaps it was a blade fitment issue becuase generally speaking I don't see reports like yours popping up. Make sure you punch out enough of the blade so that it sits properly and ensure it's aligned properly. I know it sounds like well duh advice but I'm baffled as to why you'd otherwise have such problems.

    Sent from my Google Chromebook Pixel (2015) using Tapatalk
     
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  10. cpool222

    cpool222 Well-Known Member

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    That's good... now I'm looking forward to giving it another try.
     
  11. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    My experience with a Wardonia is the lack of blade support causes it to be much more aggressive than it should be.
     
  12. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Hmm . How aggressive should it be? If that were true a shim would help considerably by increasing blade rigidity.

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  13. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    I don't know. All I do know is the blade flexing because the ends are not held stiff causes some serious blade chatter on the face which causes an aggressive shave.
     
  14. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    I hear you, I don't experience any chatter. What the patent refers to as the "abutment" serves to torque the blade such that it has considerably more rigidity than one would expect in my use (and I'm very biased in favor of rigid designs when shaving my head). I use the early silver Wardonia and it's one of my favorite razors.

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  15. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Dug mine out, smooth. Go figure ¿?

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    [​IMG]
     

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