Just happened to see this today on another forum and I was smitten by the looks of it. I'm not the biggest aluminum razor fan but, I do have 2 that perform quite well for me. Plus, for the price of $135US & available like right now with no wait or getting on a list. Offered in 4 different gap sizes and 3 different metal alloys. Couple pics below of the Aluminum Black Anodized version. Yes, one is on the way...
Well, I need another razor like I need a hole in the head... That being said... I remember reading briefly about the new version of the Guerilla razors when they first came out, I think early this year. I wasn't up on these things when the first version was released in 2017. Based on this thread, I did some reading. My understanding is that SS and Titanium were the first to be released this year, but in only one gap. Then they added 2 additional gaps first, and then a 3rd (4 total). Now they make them in Aluminum as well in all 4 gaps. Gaps: .54mm, .69mm, .84mm and .99mm. The first version introduced early this year was .54mm gap, correct? The reason I ask is that many reviewed it, but since there was only one gap available, the reviewer didn't specifically mention the gap size. Now, the $135 questions: 1. Are there any comparisons for each gap to well-known razors, including other Wolfman razors. (Not that I own a Wolfman.) 2. Other than it being a razor from the Wolfman brand, what does the Guerilla offer shave-wise that other razors, both more and less expensive, do not? (1 and 2 are variations on the same question, actually.) My guesses: 1. There are probably some out there already. In time there will be more. 2. Not much. YMMV, etc.,. etc., etc. I did read that the 2017 Guerilla was too mild for some. The 2023 (I assume the .54 gap) is less mild (Or more aggressive/efficient, if you prefer.) Figuratively speaking, are corners cut with the Guerilla that make then somewhat less expensive (for SS and Titanium) than a WR1 or WR2? Obviously the Aluminum version is a LOT LESS. Since I have fair, sensitive skin, milder razors appeal to me more than aggressive ones, unless I desire my face to turn crimson. I have learned to use "a bit more aggressive than mild" razors successfully, though. For reference, I get great shaves from a Feather AS-D2, Henson AL13-M (Medium), Rockwell 6s plates 3 and 4 (haven't tried 5 or 6 yet), Greencult V1.1, Fatip Lo Storto Originale (OC) with a grande handle, Fatip Originale (OC) with a grande handle. I do have to be extra cautious with the Fatips, however. I find a Parker OCs, SB, Semi-slant, and TTO a bit harsh, to varying degress, but can use them without incident if I really take my time. I've liked every vintage Gillette I've tried. I've used the 3 Gillette adjustables no higher than around the mid-point settings. I found the Maggard V3 to be a monster. Did I mention that I need another razor like I need a hole in the head???
You pose questions that are well thought out, direct and to the point. It would be my pleasure to try to answer them as intelligently as I can with lucid and clear statements. Unfortunately, I can not fulfill your request at the moment. Reason being is that I haven’t shaved with one of these fine razors from Wolfman. Though I have sampled a couple of Wolfman WR1’s, I can’t in all honesty tell you how those razors compared to some of the ones you mentioned in your question(s). The Guerilla from my understanding has a bit different geometry from either the WR1 & WR2 line ups and shares practically nothing with them sans that it’s made by Wolfman. However, I did receive tracking information from Wolfman Razors earlier today with a tentative date of arrival set for October 2nd. Hopefully, I can get a couple of shaves in and see what the Guerilla in the .99 gap size compares to. Stay tuned amigo…
It showed up today. Can’t use it as I’ve already shaved this morning but, it’s in the batter’s box for tomorrow morning for sure. Mr. Dufour is world class in both creation and packaging. Superb shipment of a $135 razor. He gets it….
A very nice first shave from the Aluminum Guerilla on its first outing. As some of you have seen from the photos of another shave member & those that I posted, quality, finish and fitment is world class. The quality of the anodizing is of premium status with no deviation in shading of color and is fully complete on every millimeter of this razor. Blade alignment is precise with nearly zero wiggle fore & aft nor side to side. Exposure is equal on both sides of the cutting ends and there is the slightest in blade tab reveal on each end. Just enough to be able to remove the blade when one is done. The clamping and support of the blade is top notch and exhibited no flex or chatter during my shave. It’s very lightweight yet, it still feels substantial in the hands and the thickness of the handle gives it a more robust and solid feel. It exhibits good overall balance and offers nice tactile feel once one gets down to business. How was the shave? For a first time out and me not being the biggest fan or proponent of lighter razors, this shaved very, very well giving a BBS finish with little work required. I had a real good shave with my Brass General yesterday so whiskers were at a minimum (Feather Pro Supers are viciously good) and I just performed an XTG & ATG passes with no touch ups or buff work involved. From the first stroke on it was obvious that there is positive blade exposure on the Guerilla which I always welcome. Not in an intimidating way as there is enough curvature to the blade where one doesn’t feel an initial bite or that the blade edge can potentially dig into the skin if one is not careful. I adjusted pressure slightly adapting to the lighter weight and just experimented with angles just to get a feel on what this lightweight whisker reducer was made of. Quite frankly, the cutting window is broad and easy to achieve plus maintain at every stroke. Ride the guard slightly, it cuts almost with a bit of a muted scraping sound. Ride closer to the cap and one gets a similar effect but, with a slight increase in audible effect. Find the sweet spot somewhere in the middle or neutral land and this pup sings with some really nice high notes. If you like blade music, this one delivers in that category in spades. I attribute that audible feedback somewhat to the razor itself. Aluminum alloy is much less denser than Stainless and Brass and acoustically the Aluminum alloy absorbs less sound effect or doesn’t mute it as much as the other more denser alloys do. Whipping this thing around one’s face and neck is really nice yet, with that positive blade exposure you can’t get to lazy or reckless because it can draw blood just like any other razor. Better than average smoothness or comfort of feel on the skin. Can’t give you an estimate yet on what razor or razors it assimilates to as I‘ve only this one shave but, it reminds me somewhat of the Timeless Aluminum. The Guerilla though offers better cutting ability thanks to its higher gap and exposure. One thing I thought about that could be a potential negative was on the anodizing itself. My experience in the past with using anodized products always had this micro abrasive feel to it and I was afraid that I was going to get that with the Guerilla and that somehow might affect the glide or smoothness that the razor could provide once on skin. No worries at all on that end as you can tell from the pics the finish is superb and the feel on skin is slicker than Llama snot once it hits lather & skin. One shave does not nor should it tell a story of a razor. But, call me impressed with a very efficient performing razor and I look forward to putting in some more shaves with it and experimenting with some different blades in the coming days. Great shaves to all…
Wanted to give the Aluminum .99 Guerilla a solid test today and I let the whiskers grow out a bit from my last shave on Sunday morning. So, that gave me at least nearly 3-1/2 days of some tough wirey whiskers to deal with. As an added bonus, I went with the sharpest steel blade in DE land, the Feather. I know, light weight razor with positive blade exposure & a Feather. You only live once and I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do technique wise. First stroke and it was evident that this was going to be an awesome shave but, some care was going to be required. Not Zen like focus, just be mindful at the task at hand. Feather’s are a bit harsh for me almost always on the first shave. But, on the 2nd & 3rd they come into play beautifully. WTG was the first pass and the Feather worked really well with the Guerilla and I just made a slight adjustment on the angle just to take a bit of the harshness & bite out of this combo. Superb first pass that brought the whiskers to skin level without much fanfare nor any struggles from this lightweight contender. Slightest increase in pressure with the angle slightly geared towards neutral and it was on to pass 2. ATG is where this thing really showed its pedigree from the Wolfman stable of razor thoroughbreds. Upward strokes were precise yet even with no chatter nor skipping of the blade & razor. It was just a fluid and smooth action where the razor never needed to be lifted nor repositioned on a well guided glide over the skin. Cleared it and a quick rinse and I noticed 3 tiny dots, one on the chin and two near the corner of the stache. A new Feather will practically always give me a weeper or three and it’s just the nature of this blade beast. Another cold water face splash and all 3 dissipated quickly. I could have honestly called it quits here as I was DFS at this point with just a couple of stragglers around the Adam’s Apple area and a couple of small tight patches around the chin and left jawline. You know me, I’m a BBS chaser. On to pass 3. XTG from ear to nose on both sides and the clean up at Sir Adam. Excellent audible feedback from every single stroke at every stage of all 3 passes. Another thing I haven’t mentioned is this razor clears lather & hair with ease and rinsing is a 2 second splash or run under the water. Great channels that give excellent drainage & exit for everything cut and removed. Cold water splash and face rub gave no doubt of what was accomplished. A quick alum run proved to be nearly useless as there was no heat or discomfort except for a tiny spot under the chin. That’s on me for being overzealous and not an iota of fault on the razor. Superb shave when all was said and done. No blood after those 3 tiny dots from the 2nd pass and 98% calm and relaxed skin on both face & neck. This pup has teeth but, in a real nice way. Nearly 4 days worth of whiskers and the Alum Guerilla went through it like a bunch of 5th graders running through a wall of wet paper at recess. Am I surprised? Absolutely. This is going to be fun. Great shaves to all….
Nice review. I like razors on the mild side, but am not opposed to positive blade exposure. If I were to try a Guerilla, I think I would go with a lower gap, though. Perhaps the lowest? I don't like mild razors to the point that after 3 passes and some buffing, I can still feel stubble on my cheeks and chin. I always go easy on the neck though -- any attempt with any razor, mild or greater, on the neck to get BBS results in irritation. Despite others' opinions, I do find the Feather AS-D2 to be efficient for me. And I haven't used Feather blades - but instead Nacets, Perma-sharps, and Gillette Light Blue Plats. If I were to try this razor, I'm wondering how the .54mm would work for me? I would, however, be looking for an experience a bit different than the Feather AS-D2, or any other of the razors I mentioned above. I come from the school of thought that once blade exposure is positive, a close shave is attainable if one maintains the proper angle, and should not require "over-buffing" or a 3rd pass. I've wanted for awhile to experience the Wolfman "mystique". You do mention above "ATG is where this thing really showed its pedigree from the Wolfman stable of razor thoroughbreds." Perhaps, for me, this will be a cost-effective entry-point to the Lon Chaney, Jr. club?
Two shaves in so far with the Aluminum Guerilla with this one being the 3rd and to be quite honest, this razor has shown me everything that it can offer in a lightweight package. I felt like getting another one in with the same Feather blade on its second use just for my own interest and to see if there is a difference in shave feel. The other two base plates won’t be here for another week or so and I have a couple new to me vintage Gillette’s that I want to try out in the meantime. Today was a 3 pass affair WTG, ATG & XTG. The Feather still felt nice and sharp but, there was a subtle increase in smoothness as the initial harshness from the first shave with the Feather was practically nonexistent here. Simply controlled easy strokes from every pass as the razor cuts through the whiskers with ease yet still giving an authoritative audible sensation to the ears that’s like listening to the great composers like Beethoven, Bach & Mozart (I’m not a big follower of classical compositions but, I have a few in my music library). If you like sound, this one delivers in huge helpings to one’s shave delight. An excellent finish that left no disturbance anywhere on the skin except for two tiny weepers under the chin. The Alum pass gave zero feedback on heat/irritation and the splash from RR’s X was a finishing touch that Zeus & the Olympians from their watchful perch on Mt. Olympus would approve of. Tremendous shave, tremendous shaver. Sounds good right? Yes, it does and the Aluminum Guerilla .99 delivers in every aspect in terms of efficiency and total shave performance. However, if one is expecting that efficiency to be wrapped up in a bed of melted butter smoothness say like a Timeless Ti/SS .95, you will be slightly disappointed. The Guerilla is not a rough feeling shaver and is far from that. It delivers positive blade exposure coupled into a lightweight package that for some who traditionally enjoy a heavier razor may find some difficulty in balancing that lighter weight and applying the appropriate amount of pressure to find a happy balance between cutting and comfort. A great lather helps immensely as that goes for any and all razors but, dialing in the suds gives this razor a nice medium to help it deliver at its best. Pressure and suds can make this razor a stud or a dud. I’ll put it this way. If you’ve ever shaved with a Muhle R41 post 2013, the Guerilla will give you somewhat that relative shave feel (in the ballpark) in a lighter package with better face feel and a broader range of angle adjustment. It also offers better forgiveness if one makes a slight miscalculation during the shave process. I’m also saying this while using a Feather blade in the last two shaves. So, finding a blade to match with your cutting ability and skin tolerance will help substantially in mitigating any harsh or semi-aggressive feeling of the razor & blade combo. More blade experimentation on my end will obviously tell a better story down the road in the long term and I will eventually get to that but, those other plates with their smaller gap sizes will definitely bring a softer or less aggressive feel (and by no means is this razor aggressive, mid level and a tic above at best) to the Aluminum Guerilla package. The .99 is great but, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that is perfectly fine. Those other gaps though might just do it for many others. Stay tuned…..
Thanks! Great info. I can already tell that if I were to try one, I would go for one of the lower plates. I look forward to reading your review when you get them.
Oh man…now i am so curious about this Wolfman. I looked at the Website from time to time, but these reviews… Thank you for these reviews. Is there a comparison possible with the RazorRock Lupo .95 SS? This is my most loved razor when it comes to blade feel, skin feel, BBS etc.
I've been tempted for awhile to buy a Stainless Lupo as well -- I have the aluminum version, and I like it. The reason I haven't is that the best one for me would probably be close to the gap of the Aluminum, and it would be redundant for me. I don't mind aluminum, but I find the handle slippery, unless you want to grip it high where the knurling is. I don't like to be forced to grip it in just one spot. I've thought about trying my Henson handle with it.
Well, Aluminum Guerilla is back on the throttle after a small shaving expedition with a newly acquired razor. As my previous posts have denoted, I ordered & received 2 more plates and decided to test out the .84 base plate gap for this mornings shave. Not heavy whiskers today but, enough for a 2 passer and maybe even 3 full passes. I had high hopes for this gap size as I just wanted to see how smooth it can get and yet still be nicely efficient and it delivered in spades. Loaded a Gillette Minora on its 2nd use, some Cedarwood shave cream by The Old Taylor, whipped up some nice suds and had at it. From the first stroke it was apparent that this was going to be a very smooth shave while still having some blade feel to give good feedback to my ears & eyes. The blade feel is toned down ever so slightly but, you still get a nice friendly and calm helping of it. The .99 gives excellent feel with very good smoothness at every stage of the shave regardless of what pass your on, ATG, WTG & XTG with relative ease. The .84 provides just as good a feedback to the ears but, picks up the smoothness and comfort aspects a notch or two and really brings home the comfort with efficient feel to a real nice level for such a light razor. The ATG pass is where this set up really proves itself to be a champ with lightweight razor enthusiasts and myself. No skipping or deflection as it just mows through stubble with relative ease. I cleared both face & neck with solid passes and felt a DFS finish but, still felt very light patches of stubble around the chin, Sir Adam and along both sides of the sideburns. Relathered for a 3rd pass and the .84 Guerilla mopped up the rest of the stragglers with authority merged with excellent smoothness and overall great comfort. BBS finish that left nothing to look at except meself in the mirror with a poop eating grin. Irritation? Zero. Weepers? Nada. Heat from the alum pass? Zilch. A great, great shave with skin that felt uber smooth, relaxed and clean. This was nice by the .84 gap. Still can cut with a bit less feel than the .99 but, it gives an extra level of smoothness & comfort over the .99. Feedback is more direct with the .99 at every level of a shave on both feel & auditory senses. It’s a sweet sound but, if you have a slight mishap go a little to hard with it, it can make one pay. The .84 takes that risk and tones it down substantially while still achieving efficient cutting prowes and increasing the comfort level with this set up. James at Wolfman did his homework here and did it very well. Another shave or two with the .84 to confirm my first shave experience and then onto the .69 gap base plate to see what it can deliver. Great shaves to all….
Wonderful shave this morning with the Aluminum Guerilla .84 set up. This one here is looking to be the go to for the daily shaver that wants a near perfect balance of smooth operation and feel on the skin while still delivering a consistent and efficient/effective cutting shave. No disturbance of any kind on the skin and the smooth feeling skin is simply marvelous. I can’t say enough how nicely balanced a shave this set up has given me in just two shaves. Lightweight and maneuverable with just a slight increase on pressure on my part to get the full action and capabilities with this tool is excellent. I’m big on heavy razors with more substantial feel as Stainless & Bronze will bring that to the shave table. But, I will admit that this little razor that could has changed my way of thinking on the old standard of more weight is key to a successful and comfortable shave outcome. This razor works, period. Great shaves to all…
I was thinking of opening a new thread for the Wolfman Bronze Guerilla but, thought against it as this forum is geared more towards vintage razors and on the more economical side of shaving. I picked up the Bronze version recently and all I can say is this version takes an already great shaver in the aluminum to another level of performance & feel.
Looking forward to a shave report on the new bronze 0.69 Wolfman Guerilla compared to the 0.84 especially. Also curious how it will compare to the Aluminum versions. Would a Bronze 0.84 perform the same as the aluminum version reported above? Specifically, does the additional razor weight make it more aggressive or aid smoothness? Debating a Stainless or Bronze version in 0.69 or 0.84 flavors. Perhaps a comparison shave with the brass razor and aluminum 0.84 baseplate would be insightful?
Came back to the Bronze Guerilla after some shaves with the Osprey. Picked right up where I left off. Just an excellent 3 pass shave with the .84 that borders on near mindless strokes of easy smoothness yet plenty of efficiency to tackle a few days worth of whiskers. Quite a few consider the Guerilla as an entry level razor from the Wolfman ranks for those that want to test the waters before jumping all in. I can tell you with definitive opinion & experience having sampled a few WR1’s in my journey, this is no 2nd tier razor regardless of what anyone tells you. Looks might be a bit simplified with a sort of retro industrial vibe going on but, rest assured that this razor shaves as good as any Wolfman offering that is comparable to this razors shaving attributes & qualities within said house. In my opinion from the .69 - .99 gap base plate options there is more than enough range to satisfy the far majority of wet shavers out there minus the high performance shave chasers that need & prefer absolute blade feel and efficiency over comfort and smoothness but, the kicker here is that the Guerilla delivers better than average efficiency especially once the .99 gap plate comes into play. Is the Guerilla a potential workhorse for the Wolfman name & brand? More importantly can it be the workhorse for the everyday shaver that can give a rats a** about bling, shiny and “Oh! I can see my pearly whites off of the top cap and everywhere else” on their high polished WR1/2? Absolutely and without reservation. This is a damn good razor in whatever alloy (or color in Aluminum only for now) tickles your fancy. A little more $$$ than some of the other artisan brand makers but, in my humble opinion worth every single penny spent. On the fence about a Wolfman product and don’t want to wait until the next passing of Haley’s Comet? The Guerilla is as good a place as any to get your Wolfman curiosity fed as one will feel the quality and receive a world class Wolfman shave. From there, all hell can break loose by the Wolfman RAD bug if one is bit by it. I’m cool with both my Guerilla’s and need not go any further. But, YOU might have a problem. Then again, it’s only money. Great shaves to all…..
I never pulled the trigger on one, and instead bought 1.5 razors, combined for less $$$: Shield titanium razor, and a Yaqi stainless steel Sentinel head. I've yet to try either. I just can't get myself to spend $135 on a single razor -- especially in Aluminum.
