Gargravarr
Our resident snake charmer
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2020
- Location
- lutruwita
Without wishing to preempt @Errol's forthcoming review too much, I thought I might just publish my initial impressions for anyone who's curious about this razor. By way of background, I have been really enjoying the Sabre, and (to give credit where it's due) the Personna GEM Stainless is a blade that works very nicely on my skin. It's significantly thicker than DE blades and thus less prone to chatter, and has a lovely smooth, sharp edge. I had assumed the Sabre was as compact a head as is possible, essentially the same size as the blade. However...
The Vestige completely replaces the goalposts in an all-out drive to minimise weight: the head is just over half the size of the blade - the spine sticks out the back. I was a bit doubtful about this when I first saw it, but I changed my mind. I'm not in politics, so I can do that. The cap is waffeur-thin and supports the blade close to the edge. The SB is supported by a line of beautifully fine-cut holes reminding me of Louis Quatorze lace. No chance of any gunk accumulating under the blade.
For some reason the whole thing looks much smaller (to me) IRL than I had imagined from the pictures. The weight checks in at (according to manufacturer's specs) just 69g for this SS version. Compare that to the Vector at 77g if you will. Some reviewers have mentioned that the Vestige handle can feel slippery, so with that in mind I ordered the sand-blasted finish, and I reckon that was a good call. It gives just enough texture to the surface to make the grip quite secure (and I'm not into bling).
On to the shave. This razor came with the ++ (Supérieure) plate, which was also a good call, I wouldn't have wanted less. Even this has only 0.1mm of blade exposure, but any concerns about efficiency were quickly allayed. I could easily have stopped with a DFS+ after the first pass, but obviously I did no such thing. I had worried a little about getting bites from the corners of the blade, which are exposed, but that turned out not to be a problem. Just a totally smooth, trouble-free, utterly efficient shave. Less blade feel than the Sabre, but more efficient at removing stubble.
Verdict: Innovative design, a total featherweight, a top-shelf product worth every penny.