I'm quite sure everyone who has visited this website has read Robin's review of a Robert Williams Custom razor.  That razor belongs to me, and Robert has been more than gracious in his handling of that razor return.  No one is perfect, but the measure of a man (or company for that matter) is seen in the way they handle their mistakes.

The story goes something like this.  Robin, another friend, and I were collaborating on a razor project, and in my enthusiasm for getting another piece of Robert's work, I offered to send it to Europe for my friends to experience.  Robert uses a proprietary steel recipe, and I have loved my first custom and wanted to share his work with them.  That beautiful piece of work was my first of many customs, and it remains the only one that I've held on to.  It's something that I would imagine will become an heirloom.

During the course of private conversations about reviews, I expressed a firmly held belief that you have to review products and be honest whether it is positive or negative.  If you review something and find it negative, you report that.  I firmly believe anything less would be dishonest.  

So, expecting my friends to have an excellent experience with this steel, I shipped it off without having stropped, shaved with, or handled it much.  Robin found it the way he did, and he reviewed it.  A point of emphasis here: Robin expressed his initial intention of passing the razor to some friends in the EU so that Robert might have the opportunity to reach markets he may not have as much access to.  Obviously, that didn't happen.  Additionally, he contemplated not posting the review, but decided to stand by our collective judgment to review products honestly in the condition received.

Expecting the honing wasn't quite right, he passed it on to our other friend who was going to try to rehone and test the razor.  However, he found the bevel angle to be off, and photographed the damage at the edge from the lone attempted shave on the razor.  It became quite clear that the bevel angle was a bit low, and I decided to request a refund.

This is where Robert really stood out as a fine gentleman.  Without question, or hesitation, he offered me a full refund.  He never once questioned me about why, or acted defensive in any way.  Every one makes mistakes, and when he says he stands by his product, there's no equivocation.  I'm quite sure he'd prefer that he'd been contacted and given an opportunity to fix that issue before that review went live, but he's been nothing but gracious in his handling of the return.   In hindsight, I wish I would have reached out to him sooner, and I now offer my apologies.

I still treasure my first RW custom razor, and I stand by my recommendation of him as a maker for those inclined to buy a custom razor.  His work is extraordinary, and his customer service could hardly be better.