Wolfman WR1 vs WR2 - My Comparative Thoughts

I am not the type of shaver who wants to have a huge collection items in my den. I like to have a few things that I use on a very regular basis. I was lucky enough to be able to add a wr2 a while back. I already had a wr1. I wanted to compare the two to determine if I should keep both.  I typically like middle of the road shavers and I do not like super aggressive  razors with a lot of blade feel. Hence, my wr1 is a .54 blade gap and the wr2 I selected is a .95 blade gap. I had seen some prior comparisons between the two heads, in particular the one done by Dan Law, and read them with great interest. I wanted to provide my own thoughts since I was able to put the two head-to-head. I shaved one side of my face with the wr1 and one side with the wr2.  In addition to the same blade, I find that handle selection has a very big impact on the characteristics of a razor. Therefore, I wanted to use very similar handles in order to make the comparison. The handles I used were the wrh3 and the wrh3/7.  I  used a fresh Wizamet in both razors.  Cutting to the chase, these razors are more similar than dissimilar. I was a little surprised by that. I would say the chief differences are that the wr1 is more nimble with its smaller profile. It's easier to get under the nose and it just feels zippier and looks nicer aesthetically. I think this is a an advantage over the chunkier wr2. Both razors felt the same to me on my first with the grain pass as far as comfort.  I have no preference for either. Where the wr2 excels, is with the against the grain pass. It seems to be slightly smoother than the wr1 and is ever so slightly more comfortable.  As far as efficiency and effectiveness of the shave overall, both razors really wound up with the same result with the same number of passes. Both immediately after the shave and 18 hours later I could not tell any difference between the two sides of my face.  For me the difference between these razors really boils down to my feeling that the wr1 is a bit easier to maneuver and I think aesthetically looks a little better. The wr2, while it is bulkier and not as sexy, it is ever so slightly more comfortable on the against the grain pass. I want to emphasize that these differences are pretty marginal. Both heads are really excellent razors. I had thought that the wr2 would be significantly better than wr1. That is really not the case. They are both very good. I also believe that the wr2 .95 is exactly the same level of efficiency as the wr1 .54. So, my conclusion is that which ever head you choose, it will provide you with excellent results. They are both very good and each has its small advantages.  As I said at the start of my post, I am not a big collector of items in my den. These heads are too similar to each other and I will likely sell one of them on the BST.  

Excellent post. Thank you.

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I used a WR2 1.15SB couple of days ago and just did a shave with a WR1 86 SB side.

For me both provide excellent results with a Pol Silver. The WR2 enables the angle to be found
more intuitively while the WR1 has a slightly narrower range of effectiveness....I keep the handle
a little closer to the face with this one.

I found the smoothness on the WR1 86 remarkable for the blade feel it provides. I don't think I'd want to
experience more blade feel than the 86 gap in this particular head. I think the fact that JD does not go above
0.94 mm in this head bears that out to some extent. A 1.55 in WR1 would be murder!

Thank you for that comparison. I have a WR1 and have been contemplating getting a WR2. Now, maybe not. I do really appreciate the slim profile of the WR1 and agree that it is a very maneuverable razor. Not much to dislike. Your review is just the sort of thing I needed to read.

Thanks for the interesting comparison post. I like aggressive razors, and have nothing but that in my accumulation. I had a couple of WR1 .61 (OC & SB) but sold them after getting the same head in .74 & .86. I would have never considered a .54 because I would have assumed it was too mild. I tried to like an AS D2 Feather but sold it after 4 or 5 miserable attempts. Had a .68 Timeless and it was just ok ... sold it and went to the .95 Timeless. Saying that to say I like an aggressive razor.

What really intrigues ... and puzzles me, is how a head @ .54 can be comparable to a head @ .95 ? I'm not doubting your word, or your expertise ... just admitting my lack of comprehension of the mechanics of DEs, especially the WR2. I've been shaving with a 1.55 SB all this week thanks to a friend offering it to me to try out. I wouldn't have selected a 1.55 gap for love or money a week ago, and thought anyone who would must be a masochist ! Now I am absolutely in love with the gap, and think it is the best I've ever shaved with ... go figure. 

I agree that the lower profile of the WR1 makes for a nimble shaver, particularly under the nose. This was a concern I had in ordering my WR2 since I shave over my pencil mustache. I found the WR2 is fine, but I do have to sort of push the top cap against my nostril when making the down pass over the 'stache. Works though. I love both heads and if I can just get one more .... I'll be done ... 

I’m trying to figure out the same as what JimmyH mentioned and I’m also not doubting your own personal experiences with both razors. It’s just that I did a 3 way Shave Offs using the WR1 SS DC .61, a WR2 SS .95 DC and a BBS1 and the BBS1 was the most efficient of the 3 with the WR2.95 coming in 2nd ahead of the .61 so I’m trying to figure out how a .WR1 .54 would compare to a .95 WR2 in efficiency.

I shaved yesterday with my WR1 .74 and my WR2 1.05 - I'm only going to keep one, and I really can't tell much of a difference in smoothness and efficiency - I appreciate the sleeker head of the WR1.... both great razors!

First-world problem

I tried both the WR 1 0.54 and WR2 1.05 and they were so equal to me I couldn't discern any difference. Both gave me the exact same smoothness and same end result in my shave. The WR1 does win in maneuverability under the nose.

Thanks for that, Max - very helpful to hear - and I agree about the greater maneuverability of the WR1 - mine is a .74, so I expect with a few more shaves I will find it to be more efficient than the 1.05 with comparable smoothness...

mine is a .74

I tried the WR .74 and it was way too aggressive for me. Too much blade feel and weepers. The .61 was borderline. I settled on the .54 and have been super happy since. The WR2 1.05 did give me some weepers with my first trial shave however the shaves afterwards were perfect. I used fresh Wizamet blades on both razors and since this was my first trial with the Wiz I had to adapt to the sharpness these blades provide.