Wade and Butcher is a very well known brand in the world of straight razors, and it is quite a task to get one's hand on them at reasonable prices. This was a well rusted blade without scales, it took quite a bit of work to clean it up while preserving the integrity of the near wedge grind. We removed all rust and shined it up, but it did not look quite right to us, so we added some patina to the blade to give it a well aged appearance with some promise of shiny steel here and there. I suppose the new owner can shine this up quite easily, but we love it as is, the boat-like scales in African Blackwood suits the 'weathered blade'. The tang has got a slight offset, so the blade does not centre perfectly, but it does so without touching the scales.
The blade was made in 1855 to 1875, quite an 'oompie' this one! The shave was smooth as Wade's tend to deliver, but certainly not close as the near wedge grind and chunky blade prevents this. What I loved about the not-so-close shave from this razor is the uniform and consistent way my stubble returned the following day. The large blade may take some time to get to used to, but the large, rounded heel is a winner, and I made good use of it in the sunken parts of my face and neck where a long straight blade tend to miss some stubble.
The razor has 316L stainless steel, nickel and brass pinning, weighs 73 grams and has an 7/8 blade size. This chunky blade used two layers of tape to deliver a nice, even bevel, it has decades or even centuries worth of steel left on it, hone it up with a slight hand and lots of love.
This is a great straight razor for someone with sensitive skin or that is prone ingrown hair, and of course folks who love vintage stuff with 'houding' and obviously all straight razor shavers that are not hell bent on the closest shave out there. I loved using it!
Sharp and ready to deliver some great shaves!