Compare Wolfman WR2 Gaps With A Gillette Fatboy ?

I have ordered a Wolfman WR2 DC with a 1.25 OC and 1.35 SB. Now the rage seems to be 1.55. 

I'm visualizing the old days when I shaved with a Gillette adjustable, and wondering if there can be any comparison ?

I have a Fatboy, and a Slim adjustable, so I suppose I could dig them out and see for myself, but I'd like to know if anyone has made this comparison ?

It is so difficult to acquire a razor from James, as we all know, and one would like to think that the gap they order will be 'the one'. 

I have a WR2 DC 1.15 OC and 1.25 SB. Shaves great. Why I'm looking for some sort of shaving nirvana by ordering increased gaps is a mystery to me, but here we are. 

So is there a comparison between the two ... Gillette adjustable, and a WR2, or is it a matter of geometry that will preclude the comparison ?

I remember using a Fatboy on 9 and while the shave was efficient, it had a certain rawness to it (no reference to raw rs-10)....nowhere as comfortable, enjoyable and smooth as a WR2 head. Even a W1 head feels smoother to me by comparison. Efficiency-wise, I think the 1.15 SB cuts closer than a Fatboy on 9.... with faaaar greater smoothness.

The only vintage Gillettes that have come close to wolfman levels of smoothness for me are third gen Aristocrat (#16/ #22 set), RFB (#77 set razor)
and the UK made Red Tip Superspeed.

You are right about blade gap anxiety. I will admit it, I know nothing about blade gaps. I’m aware of what it is and the geometry of the gap from looking at drawings and I know that it determines the “aggressiveness of a razor but I have no idea what the blade gaps are on any of my razors or what my preferences might be were I to order a razor. As a matter of fact, I went through James’ ordering process last week right up to the page where I was asked to select from approximately 1000 different blade gaps (kidding but it was lots). I stopped because I had no clue and figured it’s too much money to screw it up. Abort. 

I’d love it if a member or members who are well informed on blade gaps could post a thread with a primer on blade gaps and what the practical effect of gap is including blade gaps of the razors that they are aware of.  I have a Wolfman WR1 that I bought from James a few years ago. I never specified a gap and he never asked. I don’t know what the gap is. All I know is that the safety bar side is more aggressive that the open comb side and it gives me an excellent shave. 

If the blade gap experts out there could start a thread to enlighten the rest of us in this important aspect of razors, I’m sure that many members would be grateful.

Check out this guys site....he's done all the work on it

http://gilletteadjustable.com/misc-2/adj...lade-gaps/

Check out this guys site....he's done all the work on it

http://gilletteadjustable.com/misc-2/adj...lade-gaps/

Thanks Tester ... but ... this is emblematic of the problem I have deciphering gaps. The largest gap reads to be half the size of the WR2 gaps we're talking about. I guess there is nothing to do but follow the owners who get the larger gaps and post their results. With a Gillette adjustable, years ago, 5-7 was the level I usually found efficient for me. A 9 was not tried more than once.

I’d love it if a member or members who are well informed on blade gaps could post a thread with a primer on blade gaps and what the practical effect of gap is including blade gaps of the razors that they are aware of.  I have a Wolfman WR1 that I bought from James a few years ago. I never specified a gap and he never asked. I don’t know what the gap is. All I know is that the safety bar side is more aggressive that the open comb side and it gives me an excellent shave. 

If the blade gap experts out there could start a thread to enlighten the rest of us in this important aspect of razors, I’m sure that many members would be grateful.

AFAIK James listed the .61 as 'standard', so likely that is what you have. My first two were .61 SB and OC, and they were good. I sold them after I added larger gaps and found the .61 didn't 'do it for me' anymore. Next came a .74 DC followed by a .86 OC. All of these bought from ebay at inflated prices. The .74 is good enough that I'm keeping it.

The .86 is quite good, but I'm going to be selling it because I've since obtained a WR1 .94 DC, and a WR2 DC 1.15 OC and 1.25 SB from James. I'm a dedicated DC guy from here on out. 

So for me .74 and up is what I find works for me. The higher gap WR2 DC I have is smooth as silk, and efficient to the max. I probably could shave with those for the rest of my short life of trouble, but I'm going to experiment with even higher gaps given the chance.

I'm no blade gap expert, but I know what I've tried, and what worked and what didn't for me. The Feather AS-D2 was a razor I tried to like but no cigar. I shaved with it a half dozen times looking for the sweet spot and for me there was none. Not sure of the gap, but it isn't much. 

Another celebrated razor is the Pils. I loved the look of it and went for one on the bay. I tried hard to like it, but it just didn't deliver the goods for me. Better than the Feather, but not good enough to make the cut (no pun intended) and back on the bay it went. Now in the hands of a soldier in Iraq, and he loves the thing. Razors are so subjective as far as whether they work for an individual. 

Timeless OC & SB in .68 shaved well enough in a couple of passes, but I sold those because, for me, the .95 was so much more efficient. The Blackbird @ .58 IIRC, is a very efficient razor, equaling, or surpassing , razors with larger gaps.

This indicates to me that there is more involved than the blade gap. The geometry of the razor matters greatly as well. I've also got the 2011 Muhle R-41, and the Ikon 'tech.' Both formidable contenders. A bit too much of a good thing for me, unless I'm really in the mood. Anyway ... I told you if you had 30 seconds I could tell you all I know about blade gap 

Gap on its own is useless info, noise at best. Only time gap is useful is comparing identical razors, with gap being the only difference. I think the huge wr2 gap craze is beyond useful limits above 1.35 but ymmv and all that jazz.

If I want to feel blade, I’ll grab a straight.

Great thread—thanks, all y’all!

I bought my first Wolfman from James when he was selling only WR1s and .74 was the “aggressive” version. I haven’t used it much, as I found it less efficient than my favorite blade-forward razors. I dug it out of the drawer recently after about a year, and really enjoyed it. It’s very smooth, but with enough buffing, it works like a 17-4, Rocnel 2019 Elite Aggressive, Asylum Elite Model T, and a few others. Given my recent experience with the .74, and that I was able to access the online order form, I bought a WR2 1.35 OC in stainless, based on my suspicion (and reviews from others I trust like Frank aka Dragonsbeard) that this is the one that might be a minor step up from the Ikon Tech in smoothness, without losing efficiency. We’ll see!

P.S. To the OP, I’ve never used a Fatboy, but I tried like crazy to enjoy a Slim. Using it only at setting 9, I could never get a close shave. I PIF’d it to one of my grown sons. (Wait, a gift to a child isn’t really a PIF, is it?)

It would be good if his WR3 razor turned out to be an adjustable, covering all his major gaps...that would prevent so much
agony on deciding which to get.

It would be good if his WR3 razor turned out to be an adjustable, covering all his major gaps...that would prevent so much
agony on deciding which to get.

I still own a few adjustables (after PIF'ing the Slim to my kid). My problem with all of them is I'm paying for mechanics, even though each is used only at its highest setting (Parker Variant, Mergress, Rex). I'd rather buy a three-piece with proper geometry, rather than paying for and maintaining the sometimes fragile elements of the mechanics of an adjustable. (For example, the adjustment ring on my Rex recently got stuck. Lucky for me, Matt at Razor Emporium was able to walk me through a simple solution, but I've never needed help with my non-adjustable razors.)