Are there any UK based blade manufacturers left?
- Thread starter smegal
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- 55
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- UK
It seems, after some on line research, that there are no longer any (shaving) DE razor blade manufacturers here in the UK. It appears that the last manufacturer was Wilkinson Sword until they switched production to Germany in or around 2000. It also appears that Wilkinson Sword is now just a 'trade name' here in the UK, and that all their products (including military ceremonial swords) are made by other companies which are then branded for them.
Its very sad in my opinion that a great British brand name such as Wilkinson Sword (among others) have gone down this road.
Its the same with a lot of British industry, Iv'e got a friend who used to work in an engineering factory, when the factory closed a few years ago all the lathes, milling machines etc etc were sold off and shipped to a company in India for a knock down price, who are now happily using them to produce goods which are then shipped back to the UK.
I guess its just a sign of the times :icon_sad:
Its very sad in my opinion that a great British brand name such as Wilkinson Sword (among others) have gone down this road.
Its the same with a lot of British industry, Iv'e got a friend who used to work in an engineering factory, when the factory closed a few years ago all the lathes, milling machines etc etc were sold off and shipped to a company in India for a knock down price, who are now happily using them to produce goods which are then shipped back to the UK.
I guess its just a sign of the times :icon_sad:
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- Taured
Yes, it is sad. I believe Lord uses the old Wilkinson machinery in Egypt
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- Little Feckwittering-on-the-Moor
Wilkinson Sword has been weird for decades: the name is used by many different companies for many different purposes - scissors (Fiskars), garden tools (Husqvarna), swords (don't recall but it's a German company), shaving gear (Energizer Holdings) but move outside Europe and the brand exists there too but not necessarily with the same holder (India - razors - it's Gillette for example)
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- 55
- Location
- UK
I also heard somewhere that the old Wilkinson Sword DE blade making machinery had been sold to the Lord company, don't know if its true or not. Having tried some of the Lord blades they don't seem as good as the old WS ones from what I recall.
I read something a while back about, that the Wilkinson Sword company has been fragmented into so many different parts and sold to everybody and anybody, that no one really knows what the Wilkinson Sword brand does any more.
The conclusion that i have come to is that regardless if its a WS blade, razor or garden spade, Wilkinson Sword is now just a brand name and not a real manufacturer of quality products any more. Very sad.
Just my opinion mind you!
I read something a while back about, that the Wilkinson Sword company has been fragmented into so many different parts and sold to everybody and anybody, that no one really knows what the Wilkinson Sword brand does any more.
The conclusion that i have come to is that regardless if its a WS blade, razor or garden spade, Wilkinson Sword is now just a brand name and not a real manufacturer of quality products any more. Very sad.
Just my opinion mind you!
- Messages
- 944
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- North wales
True. The Quattro cartridge razor is wilkinson sword here. And branded as schick in other countriesbubbathemoose said: