Any of the modern day razor manufacturers or craftsmen make a 5/8 or 6/8 quarter hollow ground razor? I know Wacker does but, there seems to be some QC issues I've been reading about. I know Bill told me he dabbled in them but he doesn't have anything at the moment I can see.
I'm not aware of any manufacturers offering 1/4 hollow ground blades. If you want a production razor the closest is 1/2 hollow. TI Super Gnomes come in this grind and Dovo do a 1/2 hollow as well (not sure of the model name but it's on page 20 of their catalogue.) Other than that your only choice is to get one made especially for you. As for the Wackers the quality control issues seem to be mostly aesthetic rather than having a direct effect on performance. Mine's a pretty nice shaver after a lot of work on the hone. Regards, Alex
I have found out on SRP that a couple of custom makers do the occasional 1/4 hollow. I have a Dovo 1/2 hollow and I'll check out the TI Super Gnome. I see where some are saying the problems are cosmetic on the Wacker razors and I have contacted John Crowley to get more information. Although the person who had the most complaints about the Wackers, who shall remain nameless, was being called a bit whiny in their reviews recently. Not my words.
I emailed John Crowley, who sells the Wacker razors, and he was very helpful in clearing up some concerns about QC issues with the razors. He was pretty passionate in his response. He assured me if anyone was in any way unhappy with the razors he would do his best to make it right. So, my research into 1/4 hollow continues.
The Polish Wapienica NOS razors on ebay are 5/8 quarter hollow, at least mine is. They're pretty inexpensive (~$15), and though the scales are simple steel and need to be replaced the blades are quite good. They're similar in character to vintage sheffield steel. Accd to the seller they were made in the 70's and early 80's.
I've got two "dippers" and 5 straights on my workbench. A few are already spoken for. I just have to get some time to get to them. I must finish up with customer obligations regarding restorations first. The ones I have are in various stages of completion. I will also try to keep the straights under $300 as a personal protest over some inflated prices I've seen on custom razors these days. In the meantime, check with Joe Chandler. I haven't seen his stuff in my hands, but the pics I have seen of his work look very good.
Robert Williams makes custom 1/4 ground razors. I do not personally have one but the pics look very nice.
This is what I ended up with My Most Cherished Razor Bill Ellis Custom Razor It's a quarter-hollow 7/8 Irish point with yellow heart scales and a couple tiny embellishments.