Wardonia

[efsk]

Some years back already, I was looking around on a fleamarket, and the only shavingrelated items I could find were two Wardonia razors, which I then purchased. Forgot all about them, then discovered, earlier this year, mr Nigel Sharpe's bok on Wardonia Shaving materials, and now I have some more Wardonia.
Slight disadvantage with these razors is that apart from some of the early ones, which I haven't yet seen for sale, they take proprietary blades. Curiously enough, 1929 they started producing razors with the guiding posts further apart from normal, and in 1933 they switched to guideposts closer together. They wre smart though: theur Barrelhole blades fitted regular razors, as well as their own variations. Mr Sharpe distinguishes six different heads.
Wardonia named most of their sets, and several names have been re-used.

To start with, the first fleamarket acquisition. This is the Walnut-set, and has a bit of a luxury handle and widely spaced guideposts.

 

[efsk]

Second fleamarketfind was this Devon. Here, the guideposts are nearer together.

 

[efsk]

A very pretty shipper, otherwise simple version i this Pilot:

 

[efsk]

As noted in the first post, Wardonia reused set-names, and they did so with the Rugby-monniker as well. This is the final Rugby-model. Very interesting how the original "5" on the shipper was hand-corrected to "2", and the blade package indeed should hold two blades. Uncorrected versions with a five-blade-pack do exist, but I have yet to find one:

 

[efsk]

A more simple version is the Clifton. Available in red and blue "matchbox-case". Here is the blue:

 

[efsk]

Very nice case on the Rutland. Maybe a bit boring on the outside, although this silver scripted Wardonia lettering is unusual on other models, it gets real nice on the inside. Lift the lid and the fron falls down, showing a real nice display case.
This is the French verson, where they just glued the French text over the English.

 

[gvw755]

Thank you for showing the different variants. It saved me from making the mistake of bidding on a Wardonia that I thought was a regular holed one, but was actually one with wider holes. I also have second thoughts now as the blade does not look supported at all by the base.

 

[efsk]

 

[efsk]

Nice little travelrazor with a sleek variation on the two-piece handle. Note how the "divisor" in the case is thicker on the one side than the other, so the handle only fits one way and won't rattle too much.
The larger holes in the baseplate probably mean this razor is from the transitionary period, where Wardonia went from guiding posts further apart than ordinary DE to closer together than ordinary DE.

 

[benedetto]

It was not very easy to find a NOS of these razors but in the end patience always rewards.

WARDONIA DE CLIC VER. DE LUXE.​

Benedetto.

 

[efsk]

Very nice specimen with the metal handle. Thanks for showing!

 

[gvw755]

After receiving my Wardonia yesterday with extra 3D printed base plates, I immediately got a recently tossed blade and modified it so it would fit in the razor and shaved with it last night.

The Elios blade is one that I usually toss after 8 shaves, but I have used it for up to 15 shaves in the past and so I knew there were some good shaves left on it. I was just too cheap to try to modify a new blade and screw it up.

I don't know what it is about these designs that passes lather through the top of the base plate instead of the bottom, but the three razors I have of that design (Neo Luxe, Knockout, and this unknown French bakelite) are all exceptionally smooth shavers. This Wardonia took things to the next level by not having anything supporting the guide posts and only a middle portion where the screw post goes. WTG pass was very comfortable and very efficient and after getting done with that pass and touching up a little, I realized that I didn't do my ATG pass yet. Doing the ATG pass, I ended up with a comfortable and efficient two pass BBS.

Tonight I decided to try the 3D printed regular base plate. Originally, the seller sent me a standard Muhle cap, but I noticed that the cap from my Apollo propeller head seemed closer in shape and so I tried it out tonight using the same blade just to compare the shaves.

Tonight's shave also did not disappoint. I got similar results and a similar shave to the night before. I will say that this 3D printed cap was designed well and I could not tell the difference.

My only disappointment is that I waited too long to get this razor.

 

[pj3r]

After long search...

It looks like Walnut Set, but the razor is black.