Well… I guess it’s better late than never.
I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this new thread, but I figured that it would call upon the attention of the Straight-Razor-placers… So if the Moderator feels this is the inappropriate place for this thread, please, move it to where you find it’s a more suited place.
This not a real review, in fact. I will not post a review on a product but I will do so on a service. This is on The Invisible Edge (
Introduction to razors) owned and operated by our good friend Steven Dempster (Blueprinciple here in the forum).
Recently I purchased from him 2 magnificent little vintage razors: the first one being a very classy Shumate 5/8, spike point with mock-tortoise celluloid scales; the second one was a Wapienica, the trusty and robust Wapienica. The prices I paid for the razors were absolutely fantastic, especially when you realize that you purchased 2 little gems. The Shumate is, according to Steven’s own estimate, around 70 years old. It immediately caught my eye and I fell in love with it, under the influence of a massive RAD attack. It had to be mine… The Wapi was a must have, I mean, after all I read here about it, I had to have one.
I reached for the credit card, paid for them and then emailed Steven as to make sure that everything was ok. Smooth operation. And the great thing is that there were no hidden fees: shipping is included in the price so there are no surprises. Steven answered my email immediately assuring me that the razors were mine and in 3 workdays they would be in my mailbox. And indeed they were.
Now, the real story is about to start. On a happy Thursday there they were and I was just like a little boy on Christmas morning! I opened the package and the 2 razors were there, even more beautiful than on the site. I was very pleased. I then proceeded into the tricky part of examining the razors and their edges. The Shumate was impeccably restored and there were no flaws whatsoever other than the age patina and some pitting that comes with age and that Steven warned about on the site. Perfect! The Wapi concerned me a bit, though… my girlfriend noticed 3 very small dents on the edge. I needed a magnifying glass to see them and, still they were very small… but they turned the edge into a less than perfect one. I emailed Steven telling him that the razors arrived safely, that I was very pleased with the Shumate but that the Wapi had a less than perfect edge; I told him that I would shave with it the day after that and that, if after some stropping the dents were still there and the effectiveness of the blade was not compromised, I would keep it, but if the performance would be less than expected I would also email him so we could work everything out. Gentlemanly Steven agreed, suggesting precisely what I had written.
So, I tried the Wapienica. The shave was very smooth but it was not what it was supposed to be. Not even near a close shave and I needed several passes to achieve that less than perfect shave, applying some pressure, even. I reported back to Steven and he instructed me to send the razor back to him so he could re-sharpen it or do whatever needed. As you might imagine, Steven was not happy with this and apologized very much. No problem, I thought… He is a true gentleman. He even offered to pay for my postage… that I vehemently refused. We are both gentleman and there was no need for such drastic measures. I shipped the razor, informed him and waited.
The razor was back in his hands in 3 workdays time. He informed me of its arrival and told me that he would take the razor back to the one and put a new edge on it. Hours latter he wrote me again. Something had gone wrong… when he took the razor back to the hone the edge, where the little dents were, the edge “rippled like driven sand”. That was bad news, he said. But he had good news also… Steven decided to send me a new one to replace the ruined one. I was shocked by this information… was it something I had done? Bad stropping or something, I didn’t know. Apparently the very small dents were the result of bad heat treatment. Nothing would cause such a thing to a razor… not even dropping it, Steven said. I felt bad for Steven… one of his razors was less than perfect and being a Wapi made things worse because (as stated in the website) Steven is very fond of these razors and utterly attests it’s quality. But I also felt good because I was enjoying some of the best, most polite and gentlemanly and effective customer service I had ever experienced. The contact with Steven Dempster was nothing other than civil, polite and effective. I trusted him completely from the very first email. And we know how Internet purchases can be tricky (to say the least…).
So another razor was sent. Steven assured me that he would put a tiptop edge on my new razor and that he would search for a very good one for me. I know he did. The razor arrived in 3 workdays time (apparently that’s how long mail takes to travel the distance between the UK and Portugal…) and it was a beauty! Christmas all over again! This one was perfect and it shaved supremely. It was one of the most comfortable and closest shaves ever. Silent, smooth as a butter knife and very precise. The Wapienica is a favourite and I finally understand why there is so much fuss around it: it is a supreme razor. Steven was very glad I liked it and that we got along just fine during the days spent trying to figure out what was wrong. I was also very glad… and I hope that Steven solved the problem on is own part of the deal.
So… long story short: Steven Dempster provided me with the best service I had ever experienced. I was treated like a gentleman by a true gentleman. Everything went smoothly and the crisis was over in no time. His service is worth waiting for and it’s now on the top of my resources for RAD. I am sure that pretty soon I will knock on his door for more business. The razors he sells are very well restored, have great shaving edges and are a treat to look at. I am so very happy with my purchases. But in the end razors are razors. But gentlemanly service is a rare thing these days. And Steven also provides you with that. He sells razors, but offers politeness, respect, honesty and effectiveness. I highly recommend The Invisible Edge for your RAD, newbies and veterans alike.
Thank you for reading.
And thank you for everything, Steven.
The Invisible Edge - a review? More like a praise...
And Spike has one too, now if only he could get his hands on the perfect CR......................
