- Joined
- May 27, 2019
- Location
- Australia
After much online research and contemplation, Timeless was my 'go-to' purchase as a daily razor upgrade to the Rockwell 6S. Don't get me wrong, the Rockwell 6S is a very good handle and razor system with it's adjustable plates.
I've always loved titanium. And I've now owned this razor a full month, shaving with it daily or second-daily.
The titanium handle is much lighter than the stainless Rockwell. It is more agile, tolerates a faint degree of pressure in the right spot and very well manufactured. The curved clamping system on the Timeless head holds a razor blade tightly, with excellent tolerances and it is obvious that this highly engineered razor is a top-shelf product. It's not polished but bead blasted titanium is just classic.
I have tried the razors with Astra, Feather, Polsilver blades.
My preferred shaving regimen is:
1. Shower.
2. Proraso sandalwood pre-shave cream whilst prepping the lather and loading the blade
3. I throw out the blade after one shave. For the sake of a few cents, I really don't care. Feather's I may keep for two.
4. Australian Private Reserve Fourgere Trois. Do you really need another type of soap? Soft pleasant fragrance, beautiful lather using a Simpsons Best Badger Brush and a small stainless bowl to get the lather consistency right
5. WTG, XTG and ATG
6. Dermalogica toner ; moisturiser. It works. It doesn't sting. There's no alcohol (why would you!)
0.68 straight bar
This is a mild, but not as 'close or efficient' as the 0.95.
It is a 'safe head'. Probably almost as safe as the Rockwell 6S R2 or R3 where you can be naughty with bad habits (pressure, varying angles, buff) and it still won't nick you. But shaves somewhere on par to the R3 razor. It cuts over a wide angle and I found that starting shallow, then increasing it every so slightly gave me a pretty good shave with and across the grain. Smooth, more efficient than the Rockwell R3. I find the R2 is smooth but not so close or efficient ; the R3 is about my sweet spot but still not as close as the Timeless. Any higher on the Rockwell plates and I found myself reaching for the Timeless.
The 0.68 isn't as efficient or close as the 0.95 and as Matt says in the Timeless FAQ, can provide more irritation if you repeatedly buff XTG or ATG as a result.
There's not as much audible feedback as the Rockwell but you can still tell when it cuts. But sometimes, the lack of blade feel makes it difficult to work out under the neck whether you're cutting or just rubbing the safety bar over the lather after the first pass.
YMMV but I found that the feather and astra green blades worked the best. Feathers are sharper, cut maybe closer and demand more care. Astra's glide smoother.
Perhaps I should have gone with the scalloped or open comb. The 0.68 straight bar is relatively gentle unless you do multiple XTG/ATG passes.
0.98 straight bar
This is what Matt at Timeless had to say "The .68 is pretty mild. The .95 is smooth and effective. You won’t know until you try but I’d start with the .95."
You don't need to do multiple passes with this. It is efficient.
The 0.98 demands proper prep. Without it, it can tug or give you the hesitancy that leads to nicks or irritation.
I got away this morning with not showering, but ensured I used a generous amount of pre-shave cream and that my lather was just right. APR is great, it doesn't take much effort to whip up a velvety lather. You don't need to bloom, the brush shouldn't be too wet. 10 seconds loading and then building it up in a small stainless bowl. I like mine coffee milk consistency if you've ever been a barista.
It is smooth and only a mild-to-moderately aggressive razor despite the blade gap. And very, very efficient. One pass WTG, XTG and I would have been happy as a daily shave. No irritation whatsoever. No nicks. No cuts. No burn. And smooth. The blade angle is very intuitive, just like on a Rockwell and relatively 'average shallow' if it makes sense. No pressure required but if you used 'a little' XTG it will forgive you. The Astra gives me the best shave.
It tugs less than the 0.68 ATG and requires less buffing, so paradoxically causes 'less' irritation. You could quite happily with a light touch use this as a daily shaver.
My advice: Start with the 0.95 straight bar if you are an experienced razor user. It gives a better, closer and perfectly smooth shave with the right prep, blade and soap. It cuts more efficiently than the 0.68 but is a lot less forgiving if you have bad habits or a bad prep.
Open combed is for those who like OC - I didn't bother buying the master set. I find the 0.95 straight bar plenty for me.
I've always loved titanium. And I've now owned this razor a full month, shaving with it daily or second-daily.
The titanium handle is much lighter than the stainless Rockwell. It is more agile, tolerates a faint degree of pressure in the right spot and very well manufactured. The curved clamping system on the Timeless head holds a razor blade tightly, with excellent tolerances and it is obvious that this highly engineered razor is a top-shelf product. It's not polished but bead blasted titanium is just classic.
I have tried the razors with Astra, Feather, Polsilver blades.
My preferred shaving regimen is:
1. Shower.
2. Proraso sandalwood pre-shave cream whilst prepping the lather and loading the blade
3. I throw out the blade after one shave. For the sake of a few cents, I really don't care. Feather's I may keep for two.
4. Australian Private Reserve Fourgere Trois. Do you really need another type of soap? Soft pleasant fragrance, beautiful lather using a Simpsons Best Badger Brush and a small stainless bowl to get the lather consistency right
5. WTG, XTG and ATG
6. Dermalogica toner ; moisturiser. It works. It doesn't sting. There's no alcohol (why would you!)
0.68 straight bar
This is a mild, but not as 'close or efficient' as the 0.95.
It is a 'safe head'. Probably almost as safe as the Rockwell 6S R2 or R3 where you can be naughty with bad habits (pressure, varying angles, buff) and it still won't nick you. But shaves somewhere on par to the R3 razor. It cuts over a wide angle and I found that starting shallow, then increasing it every so slightly gave me a pretty good shave with and across the grain. Smooth, more efficient than the Rockwell R3. I find the R2 is smooth but not so close or efficient ; the R3 is about my sweet spot but still not as close as the Timeless. Any higher on the Rockwell plates and I found myself reaching for the Timeless.
The 0.68 isn't as efficient or close as the 0.95 and as Matt says in the Timeless FAQ, can provide more irritation if you repeatedly buff XTG or ATG as a result.
There's not as much audible feedback as the Rockwell but you can still tell when it cuts. But sometimes, the lack of blade feel makes it difficult to work out under the neck whether you're cutting or just rubbing the safety bar over the lather after the first pass.
YMMV but I found that the feather and astra green blades worked the best. Feathers are sharper, cut maybe closer and demand more care. Astra's glide smoother.
Perhaps I should have gone with the scalloped or open comb. The 0.68 straight bar is relatively gentle unless you do multiple XTG/ATG passes.
0.98 straight bar
This is what Matt at Timeless had to say "The .68 is pretty mild. The .95 is smooth and effective. You won’t know until you try but I’d start with the .95."
You don't need to do multiple passes with this. It is efficient.
The 0.98 demands proper prep. Without it, it can tug or give you the hesitancy that leads to nicks or irritation.
I got away this morning with not showering, but ensured I used a generous amount of pre-shave cream and that my lather was just right. APR is great, it doesn't take much effort to whip up a velvety lather. You don't need to bloom, the brush shouldn't be too wet. 10 seconds loading and then building it up in a small stainless bowl. I like mine coffee milk consistency if you've ever been a barista.
It is smooth and only a mild-to-moderately aggressive razor despite the blade gap. And very, very efficient. One pass WTG, XTG and I would have been happy as a daily shave. No irritation whatsoever. No nicks. No cuts. No burn. And smooth. The blade angle is very intuitive, just like on a Rockwell and relatively 'average shallow' if it makes sense. No pressure required but if you used 'a little' XTG it will forgive you. The Astra gives me the best shave.
It tugs less than the 0.68 ATG and requires less buffing, so paradoxically causes 'less' irritation. You could quite happily with a light touch use this as a daily shaver.
My advice: Start with the 0.95 straight bar if you are an experienced razor user. It gives a better, closer and perfectly smooth shave with the right prep, blade and soap. It cuts more efficiently than the 0.68 but is a lot less forgiving if you have bad habits or a bad prep.
Open combed is for those who like OC - I didn't bother buying the master set. I find the 0.95 straight bar plenty for me.
Last edited:
