Prep: Shower ; Prosaro pre-shave cream. Martin de Candre soap. I
adore this soap. It lathers beautifully and easily. Smooth, dense and textured. Forgiving and has an elegant, subtle scent.
Brush: (not pictured): Tony Forsythe badger from Charity Auction 2019
Blade: Feather.
After: Dermalogica toner ; MooGoo Eczema cream (it's mostly aloe vera and moisturiser -> Great for razor burn)
One side OC ; one side SB. 3 passes (WTG, 2x across in different opposite directions)
There is a noticeable difference between the OC and SB. The blade slots right in. I usually pick up the blade by the corner/sides and found the WR2 head different. The thickness, flat top-cap of the Wolfman head has always seemed thinner than I am used to for such a quality (and expensive razor).
As expected, the OC has more blade feel but remains efficient. It shaves marginally closer than the SB. Gentle enough for a 3 pass. I would grade this as a moderately aggressive but highly efficient razor. It requires no buffing. There was faint razor burn which is not unusual with a Feather. My first shave with an Astra wasn't as pleasant.
SB: Smooth, felt safer. I actually preferred the feel of the SB. It is what I am used to. At the end, the closeness of the shave was only marginally noticeable. Had I bothered going ATG I am confident it would have been a BBS.
This felt
safe.The angle was intuitive. I had every confidence with both the OC and SB with a feather blade and shaved as I would normally without trepidation.
Comparisons
My daily is a Timeless 0.95 SB titanium. This is a much lighter razor. I would be splitting hairs discussing the efficiency and closeness between these two superb razors. The Timeless is less aggressive and has less razor burn. The quality of the shave is comparable. The WR2 has superior heft and smoothness though the latter is dependent upon the quality of prep (as always). I prefer the thicker Astra blade in the Timeless and the Feather in the Wolfman.
The Guerilla? I never really took to it. It reminded me too much of the Rockwell 6S that I never really agreed with. The Timeless Bronze was similar. I suppose when you're used to the Timeless Titanium 0.95, I ended up buffing more with the 6S resulting in razor burn. It just wasn't as good. Nor as smooth. The manufacturing quality is also much different. There's something in the shape design of the head(s) and the way it holds the blade that didn't quite work for me. I got okay or good shaves, but not fantastic shaves. I just prefer a more aggressive razor. I have a Timeless 0.68 head and it just hasn't been used since I got the 0.95 for the same reason.
Blackland? The Blackbird has similar aggressiveness as the OC Wolfman. But is a lot less forgiving. The Blackbird bites if you don't pay attention. I didn't get that with the Wolfman. The face feel is different. The Tradere (Gen2 OC) I don't have enough experience with it to make a fair comparison but I remember enjoying the shave. The Tradere and Wolfman are fabulous razors. I am hard pressed to say that the Tradere wasn't comparable.
Would I want to try the 1.25 Wolfman? Yes I would. There is no scalloped option so I would likely go the dual comb again but feel I would prefer the Straight Bar.
Is it my favourite razor? Too early to tell. But it was a superlative shave.
My timeless has already got a dent in the top-cap when the cleaner dropped it. At least I can replace the cap. The Wolfman? It is nearly unobtainable. The shave
is superlative. The workmanship, especially the handle near top tier. The price? Well,
@Blackie was exceedingly generous. The current retail price from Wolfman Razors for WR2 handle and head is $400US. Thank you for paying it forward. This is one that I won't let go.
