#1

Member
Greenville, SC USA
So was I, so I emailed both Stan (ATT) and James (Wolfman) and asked why they chose what they did for their high end razors. Below is the email that I sent them and their respective responses. They both replied within an hour of each other and within a couple of hours from the time I wrote them. Make no mistake, these are class guys and their responses have convinced me to ultimately BUY BOTH! They're just plain good for the industry!
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Hi (Stan/James)

Those of us who have already bought into, or are considering buying into the modern, high end, stainless steel, double edge razors are often confused by the choice of types of stainless steel offered.

With the subject market ever expanding, the choices are becoming more numerous, but certainly Above The Tie and Wolfman Razors represent the two that are most conspicuous in your choice of which stainless with which to work.

I frequent the B&B and DFS boards and am sure most of us would like to know why you chose to work in the alloy that you did, the alloys being Type 303 and Type 316 respectively.

Your comments will be appreciated by we who are stuck in the decision making process. I’ll post your comments in both boards, so the exposure to qualified buyers will be great.

Sincerely,

Roger Beamon
rbeamon1@cox.net

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Hi Roger,

Thank you for your question regarding the choice of stainless alloy.   For me, it was a choice between 304L and 316L.   I have experience in industry with both of these alloys.  

In my experience, 316L is considered an upgrade over the other common grades of stainless.  A general rule is, if an engineering drawing requires 304 stainless, you can substitute with 316 if needed.   If the drawing requires 316, you cannot substitute with 304.    Both of these alloys (304 and 316) have higher corrosion resistance compared to 303.

Aesthetically, since I have polished both 304 and 316, I have gotten better results from 316.   I have not tried polishing 303.

The price of 316 is a bit higher than 303 and 304 - about 15% more according to my supplier.   It's also known that 316 is more of a challenge to machine.   These two points don't make enough of a difference.   If I was producing higher volumes I would need to consider the material costs much more.  

If you have further questions, feel free.

Regards,
James

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Hello Roger,

Thank you for your question. The decision to use 303 stainless vs 316 stainless was based on the fact that while both are great materials and either can last generations the 303 it is a bit easier for us to fabricate. This difference means lower production cost which results in a lower retail price. Also, it helps to reduce the manufacturing time which helps us keep a steady supply of razors on hand. This leads to greater customer satisfaction since our products are available for sale without any back orders or waiting list. At Above the Tie we just want our customers to have a great experience when they shave with our products. 2016 is shaping up to be another busy year as we look to roll out a stainless three piece SE razor and reintroduce our popular shaving brushes. I am working on a stainless version as well as brushes with exotic wood handles. These "woods" were very popular in the past and we want to get back to offering them again.

Hope this helps.

Stan

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Still hard to choose, don't you think?

hawns, kwsher, Freddy and 3 others like this post
Does Mean I Must Buy High End Shaving Gear?
--Roger--
#2

Member
Austin, TX
Nice thread and thanks for sharing beamon. I agree with you, James WolfmanRazors and Stan are both great artisans and a credit to the shaving community- an example all should strive for IMHO.

I do agree that you simply need both Smile I have an ATT set my wife gave me for my Birthday this past year and love it. Just got the "Wolfmen" in this week and they are another remarkable piece of workmanship. They each are at the top level of quality and I am sure you would [will] enjoy both!


Related to your information I wanted to consolidate this from another thread on Wolfman as it seems related.


Good job!


(11-21-2015, 02:27 PM)kwsher Wrote: I do know that the Wolfman is 316L SS vs. 303 used for ATT. The 316 incorporates molybdenum and is more resistant to corrosion/pitting (it is "marine" grade but harder to machine). The standard blade gap of the Wolfman is essentially the R series of the ATT (.61mm vs. .58mm) but it is my understanding that the Wolfman does not incorporate as much "bow" in the blade.
Kevin
#3
Stainless steel razors are like Pokemons...you have to catch them all Smile

Here are some of mine but I've added a couple since this photo was taken:
[Image: 30kf4bc.jpg]

hawns likes this post
#4

Member
Greenville, SC USA
Nice, Darkbulb. 2 more added to the 8 in the picture makes 10! You do have it bad.

Do you think there's a future for a 12 step program for RAD?
Does Mean I Must Buy High End Shaving Gear?
--Roger--
#5

Member
Austin, TX
(This post was last modified: 12-03-2015, 06:20 PM by kwsher. Edit Reason: blackbird )
Great and likely the definitive SS razor collection darkbulb!

But I now have to ask: is your camera broken? Let's see the Full Monty! Wink

PS I didn't even know the Blackbirds were shipping yet!
Kevin
#6
(This post was last modified: 12-03-2015, 06:36 PM by darkbulb.)
(12-03-2015, 06:19 PM)kwsher Wrote: Great and likely the definitive SS razor collection darkbulb!

But I now have to ask: is your camera broken? Let's see the Full Monty! Wink

PS I didn't even know the Blackbirds were shipping yet!

I'll snap a new photo in the days to come Smile
The Blackbird is a pre-production razor that Shane was kind enough to offer me and I reviewed it over here back in June
#7

expert shaver
Panther's Stanley Cup Champs
Great responses from James and Stan. Darkbulb you have them all. It would be nice to also hear from Greg at iKon because as far as I know he started the whole stainless steel craze.
#8

Super Moderator
San Diego, Cal., USA
A very interesting and informative thread.  Thanks for starting it beamon. Smile
#9

Member
Greenville, SC USA
(12-03-2015, 07:01 PM)slantman Wrote: Great responses from James and Stan. Darkbulb you have them all. It would be nice to also hear from Greg at iKon because as far as I know he started the whole stainless steel craze.
Agree, slantman. I just sent the same email (adjusted to show only Ikon Razors as the named entity), so we'll see what he has to say. Stay tuned.
Does Mean I Must Buy High End Shaving Gear?
--Roger--
#10
Thanks for sharing I am really curious to see where the market goes from here with new manufacturers and better materials being used every day.
Thanks agin


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