Wilkinson "The Blade" stainless?

Shave4Fun · Post by **Shave4Fun** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 4:50 am

Morning guys,

Question about Wilkinsons: Is "The Blade" stainless? I know it has the billed "Chromiun Edge", but it appears to be stainless. If not, do any of you know when Wilkinson switched to stainless as their main blade?

Thanks,

Roger

Aztecface · Post by **Aztecface** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 5:51 am

Roger, it's stainless. At what time they switched though is something someone else will have to answer.

beyboo · Post by **beyboo** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:00 am

In India we get Wilkinson Sword - Stainless as well as Chromium plated. The brand belongs to Gillette. The chromium is a super smooth shaver too.

Shave4Fun · Post by **Shave4Fun** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:15 am

What I am talking about here is the Light Brigade "The Blade" made in the 1970's or so.

Shave4Fun · Post by **Shave4Fun** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:17 am

Aztecface wrote:Roger, it's stainless. At what time they switched though is something someone else will have to answer.

Jani,

Are you speaking about the ol Light Brigade blades?

Best,

Roger

Straight Arrow · Post by **Straight Arrow** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:50 am

Roger, it's a fair enough question. I just checked my Light Brigades and the word "stainless" is not to be found on the packaging, wrapper, or the blade. I have to believe that they are indeed stainless. I have tried several different carbon steel blades, coated and uncoated, and the LB is just too smooth and sharp to not be stainless.

These are the blades to which I refer:

desertbadger · Post by **desertbadger** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 3:21 pm

Rich, just seeing that pack of blades really brings back the memories....

As Gordon would say...(sigh)

Aztecface · Post by **Aztecface** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:07 pm

Roger, yes.

Rufust445 · Post by **Rufust445** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:22 pm

Chromium is the main alloying agent in stainless steel. The stainless steel used in making blades is anywhere from 9% to 14% chromium.

The marketing weasels use the term chromium because it sounds fancier than stainless.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:22 pm

Roger, Wilkinson INVENTED the stainless blade for heaven's sake! ( chuckle ). Well, not technically perhaps because supposedly Gillette originally did some work on them but convinced themselves that they wouldn't sell. Then Wilkinson zapped them ( and as a result ultimately led to Gillette looking elsewhere and eventually coughing up the Trac II ). I've read that the stainless Wilkinson blades made their first appearance in Britain in 1958, but I don't recall them showing up in the US until the early '60s. The 'Light Brigades' were sold mainly in the '70s and '80s and are, IMO, the pinnacle of DE blade technology and quality.
Regards,
Gordon

brz90 · Post by **brz90** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:37 am

This is a little nugget from a contributor to a UK discussion forum I check out from time to time - money saving expert - which confirms what I've long thought that the reason the old Wilkinson - and probably Gillette - blades were so much better was because they used a rather higher grade of stainless steel than their competitors and quite possibly a grade better than anything else around today:
'I once worked for Wilkinson Sword at their Cramlington, Northumberland factory. They made Boots own brand razor blades, using thinner steel made in Sweden. Quality control was the same. This was ages ago, though.'

Straight Arrow · Post by **Straight Arrow** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:17 am

Thanks brz90 for that post. It confirms something that I have suspected for awhile. I have some old stock Boots blades and they shave just like a Wilkinson. Now I know that they are actually Wilkinson blades.

hamelfarm1 · Post by **hamelfarm1** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:57 am

Straight Arrow wrote:Thanks brz90 for that post. It confirms something that I have suspected for awhile. I have some old stock Boots blades and they shave just like a Wilkinson. Now I know that they are actually Wilkinson blades.

I think the current Boots blades (in the orange pack) still are made by Wilkinson - certainly the last pack I bought (in the new year) were made by Wilkinson. Of course, they're not the same quality as the old Light Brigade blades, but they're still pretty good.

Aztecface · Post by **Aztecface** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:13 am

Steve, they are the exact same blade as the German Wilkinson's with the golden 5 below.

Ecosse · Post by **Ecosse** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:30 am

How do these blades compare with the German made Wilkinsons? I stopped by a local grocery store and saw 5 packs on sale, when I looked on the back of the package it stated 'Made in Germany.' Wasn't sure how they were.

desertbadger · Post by **desertbadger** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:56 am

Ecosse wrote:How do these blades compare with the german made Wilkinsons? I stopped by a local grocery store and saw 5 packs on sale, when I looked on the back of the package it stated 'Made in Germany' Wasn't sure how they were.

Gary, that ones a crapshoot. Personally, I've tried the German Wilkies and found them to be rather harsh and not nearly as smooth as the English version. However, there are guys on the forum that do like them.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:17 pm

Gary, They have nothing to do with the Light Brigade Wilkinsons, any more than the US sold Gillettes have anything to do with the 'Swedes', The current, German made, Wilkinsons are harsh and mediocre at best.

Well, I have no reason to doubt that a higher grade of steel was being used in those days, and I also think that the coating process was more sophisticated and done more carefully, as was QC in general. You can see that even in how the blades were wrapped and in how the plastic dispenser was made.
Regards,
Gordon

Pauldog · Post by **Pauldog** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:29 pm

Have there been any sightings of Chinese Wilkinson (or Schick) double edge blades? Since Schick and Wilkinson have been combined, and Schick now makes injector blades in China, it's possible that Wilkinson and Schick double edge blade production would also be moving to China.

beyboo · Post by **beyboo** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:35 pm

These are 3 Wilkinson Sword blades from Gillette India. They are middle-low category blades.

The chromium are super smooth blades, followed by the stainless and finally the saloon which is good for a shave or two only.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 11:17 am

Yes. These also have nothing to do with the old 'Light Brigade' Englsih Wilkinson blades. In fact, curiously, although the 'Wilkinson' name is owned by Enegizer in most of the world, in India it is owned by P&G/Gillette.
Regards,
Gordon