Thread: Dubl Duck Wonderedge

The Dubl Duck Wonderedge is quite possibly the finest of the DD line. Forged from Carbon steel and cryo tempered, those guys in Solingen made a very nice razor. (A note on the cryo tempering: While deep freezing a stainless steel razor imparts some benefits to the steel, doing it to a carbon steel razor has little benefit. Its just a marketing ploy, in this reviewer's opinion.)

The razor takes a keen edge, about average on ease of honing. Its not incredibly hard or tough. The shave is very smooth, definitely a superlative shaver. It ranks among the top shavers I've shaved with. Right up there with Puma and other brands I will reveal later.

Ratings

Overall the razor received an 8 because of the price and the scales. Craftsmanship also received an 8, not for the blade, but for the scales. While the blade is excellently forged and well ground, with nice aesthetic etchings, the scales suck. I really can't cushion the blow. For a razor that can go for over $300 in near mint condition, the scales are horrid. All the cracked ice scales I've gotten from DD are mediocre at best. Much more is expected for something people are willing to pay so much for. In a lot of the Wonderedges, the pivot area has a crack in it. In a lot of the Goldedges, the pivot is very loose and the blade can wobble from side to side. Plus the scales are usually a little crooked.

The balance of the razor is very good. Not perfect, but pretty darn good, thus a 9. Collectibility is of course a 10 because people are crazy and they really want this razor.

The worst aspect of all DDs is the price. People are willing to pay way too much for these razors. There are much better brands out there. The price for a Wonderedge is simply not worth it. It is way overpriced and very over rated. Its not worth $300. A $150 Le Grelot shaves better and has better crafted scales. And for that reason, this razor is no longer a part of my rotation.

Pictures

Up next...Goldedge

Well I do have some things to add here, The DD's in general are probably the most consistent brand out there... Basically if the razor is undamaged it will hone easily and shave even better...

It has become slightly fashionable to knock the DD reputation... and the Wonderedge in particular but the fact remains that they are still after a minimum of 65+ years old still a top notch shaver and still command prices way higher than brand new razor in their size, speaks volumes for them... I mean honestly do you think the prices would still be so high if these didn't shave well..

Comparing a WE to a Grelot is comparing apples to oranges the grinds are not even close....
I do however agree with the above reviewer on the scale issues with DD's they have always been a problem, but hey they are sure pretty...


So yes I would rate the WE in the top 10% of razors out there right now find yourself a good solid example and judge for yourself.... But make sure you are a extreme full hollow razor type of shaver otherwise the super lightweight fine grind of the Wonderedge might not be for you....

So the overall rating of the razor is affected by how much money the ebay seller got for it?

I don't understand these reviews :(

But! thanks for reviewing it! It's all good

Well, its not like you can go to the razor shop and purchase a new Dubl Duck. And there is a price rating, so I had to put something there.

They are extremely rare, and as such, you must pay a very high premium for the right to own one. They are very highly regarded, and for good reason. Your pretty much waiting for someone to die or for his razor collection to become financially untenable (either through economic pressure or he just doesn't want them anymore).


The scales are very pretty. Very nice cracked ice.

I have also noticed that there is a trend towards knocking on the DD's. Whether its deserved or not, I don't know. What I do know is that DD is not the best shaver in the world ever made, so the wonderedge will never live up to that standard and buyers should not expect that. The DD is also not an average razor either. It is a very good razor, as Glen said, easily in the top 10% of production razors for their outstanding QC and aesthetics.
What I do knock is the overzealousness of some advocates and some of the hype. And definitely the price. But price is subjective and is always what 1 person is willing to pay if there is only one item. And since they aren't being made anymore....that is the price you must pay to get your grubby hands on one of these beauties.

Originally Posted by Leighton

They are extremely rare

I think a reaper, satin baby or C-mon cadillac are a bit more rare. Sure they don't turn up 20 a day like W&Bs but I would not call them extremely rare.

Originally Posted by AaronX

I think a reaper, satin baby or C-mon cadillac are a bit more rare. Sure they don't turn up 20 a day like W&Bs but I would not call them extremely rare.

I suppose that depends on our understanding of extremely and rare. I agree that those brands are more rare, but everything is relative.

Everyone play nicely now. Fair warning.

-Rob

Properly honed, the Wonderedge is one of my top shavers. Sure it feels different compared to a Puma or Grelot, but it has it's own character. I think it is the hard steel but when I use my WE, it feels like I am shaving with a scalpel. One mistake and that spike digs in deep. But wielded properly, it leaves my skin sticky smooth hours after the shave.

The scales tend to deteriorate over time with warping and cracking, but it is not much different from other celluoid scales in that way, I think. Beautiful to look at, though.

Prices are absurd. But that is because of the demand.

Well honed Wonderedge is my favorite duck and one of the best razors in its class.

I recently sold one of mine to a member who wanted one so the memories are quite fresh.

First, it honed absolutely straightforward - less than 10minutes from the usual normally abused edge to perfection. And I mean *perfection*, no need to tune it up, tweak the edge a bit or anything, it's right where I want it from the first time.

The shave is what a straight shave should be - there is zero hair behind it and the only thing my skin feels is the cooler air from the missing lather. Seriously, if anybody would shave me blindfolded I wouldn't be able to tell a blade is touching my face. This puts the WE in the category of the very best razors ever made.

I suppose that not everybody likes full hollows, the person who bought that razor actually liked better the shave from another razor they bought at the same time which has a bit stiffer grind. I raced the two head to head and the non-wonderedge razor was excellent, but not in the wonderedge category, I could most certainly tell the edge slicing through he hair. And I had to tweak it a bit to find the balance point between smoothness and sharpness, which alone puts it in not the same category as the WE for me.

The scales are plastic and while fairly decently made they are not the same quality as the blade itself, hence craftsmanship suffers a bit on my rating.

Prices on these most certainly vary quite a bit, just because that's how it works with collectible no-longer in production. While they are mass produced razor they are highly sought after, hence I think it deserves the highest rating on collectability.

Overall I believe this was the flagship duck model and it lives to its reputation.

Since when does the price of a razor and rarity and shave quality have anything to do with each other. There are some really rare razors that only collectors buy that go for astronomical prices because of true rarity. The fact is some of the most common razors are the best shavers.

As far as the old DDs go the Wonderedge is really pretty common. You want rare just try finding a Bresnick Napoleon or some of the old ones like the black diamonds and mandarin and some of the single ducks. Now those are truly rare. people just have this thing for the Wonderedge so the prices go through the roof. As far as I'm concerned they are not worth the price however if you want one you have to pay the going price.

I have probably about 25 or more ducks, all different and yes they are great shavers consistantly but those prices?