2020 – Errol’s Razor of The Year
2020 started with me thinking that this was going to be the year of the stainless steel adjustable razor, there were a number of stainless steel adjustable razors released and murmurs of others that have not eventuated. There was even talk about brass and titanium adjustables coming. A brass adjustable did eventually make an appearance at the end of the year from Pearl but not from the earlier named source. No titanium adjustable yet but don’t be surprised if one eventuates from Rocnel sometime in 2021. About the end of April there was an avalanche of new model razors announced and in many cases it took the rest of the year for these announcements to become reality. Some razors, however are still waiting release like the titanium Karve and that was announced in April. New artisans also put their hand up for their slice of that wet shaving dollar; names such as Janus, Henson, Outlaw. In the last quarter of the year there were many new releases, just when you might have thought that world production of all commodities might have slowed down. Below is a summary of the 2020 released razors that I’ve had the opportunity to sample:
- Rocnel Sailor Gen 3 – Released late Dec 2019 but not received till 2020, Stainless steel, adjustable, exceptional grip on the handle but no grip on the adjuster, heavy and not very manoeuvrable, generous amounts of blade feel, not bad.
- Homelike Taiga Adjustable – Released late Dec 2019, Stainless steel with an optional titanium handle, open and safety bar options in the one razor, machined polished finish, quality machining, adjustable, mechanism based on the Gibbs design, neutral blade feel at lower settings but increases at the higher settings, used up to max #6, very smooth and close.
- Janus Adjustable V1 – Toggle operation, adjustable, doubtless the most complicated modern razor, limited edition, stainless steel, slippery handle, excessive amounts of blade feel, very uncomfortable shave.
- Classic Shaving Enoch SE – Design looks to have been borrowed from the Rx Asylum, sintered stainless steel, poor QA, pop holes in MIM processed metal, poor design with unsupported section of safety bar, poor workmanship, head pieces seize together, fiddly to load a blade, very good shave but the cap can ride on the face, second rate.
- Outlaw – Razor produced in a tie up between Alpha Shaving and Executive Shaving, stainless steel, very well made, highly polished, positive blade feel, smooth, mid efficiency, shaves close, amazing.
- Homelike Baikal – Machined stainless steel, based on the Rockwell 6S/ 6C idea. 2 x 2 sided plates, noisy, good blade feel and a good selection of efficiency options, dual sided plate makes for head heavy feel, very good.
- Paradigm 2020 Diamondback – Quality finish – hexagonal handle with diamonds engraved along each flat, superior polish finish to the previous 2019 version, exceptional smooth shave, a real pleasure.
- Razorock Hawk V3 – Stainless steel, SE, superbly machine polished finish, smooth and a pleasant amount of blade feel, mid efficiency, ticks all of the boxes.
- Carbon Shaving Model Cx-Ti (All Titanium) – Polished titanium, some machine marks polished over, light weight, beautifully balanced, pleasing amount of blade feel and very smooth, not too much wrong with this razor.
- Carbon Shaving Model Cx-Titan – Carbon fibre spindle in the handle with polished titanium, exceptionally light, machine polished, smooth and close shave under mid efficiency, rewarding.
- Haircut and Shave, Stainless Steel, PO76 SB – Manufactured from the difficult to machine 17-4 stainless steel and then hand polished, medium efficiency, smooth but not as close as it could be, not bad.
- Haircut and Shave Titanium PO76 SB – Grade 5 Titanium, impeccably presented, up a level in efficiency to the stainless steel version, good blade feel, this razor is a performer.
- Fine Accoutrements – World’s Finest – a mix of old style mixed with modern thinking, no final QA, good polish job, mild
- Razorock BBS – Stainless steel version of the same company’s Babysmooth, quality machine polish, smooth and close shave, neutral blade feel, mild.
- Charcoal Goods, Everyday - Brass – Economical razor in the Charcoal Goods range, quality not compromised, less machining than most razors, very smooth shave and close, nigh on perfection.
- Razorock Hawk OC V3 – SE, 316 stainless steel, quality machine polished finish, step up in performance to the SB variant, superb.
- Henson Shaving, Made for Men – Aluminium, innovative design, precision machining, critical shaving angle, ridiculously mild, needs to have the cap redesigned, disappointing.
- Timeless Slim Edition – quality machining and presentation, new slim design plate that is compatible with parts from the existing Timeless range, terrific shave, smooth and close, brilliant.
During 2020 I listed those razors I thought warranted further investigation for Razor of the Year as I completed each review. That list was not extensive and I did not have to go back and study every 2020 review in detail to select a winner.
Carbon Shaving’s titanium siblings, but especially the carbon fibre handled Cx-Titan rubbed me the right way, expensive, great design, light weight, innovation and a magnificent shave;
Charcoal Goods Everyday Razor is a simple, affordable razor that never set a foot wrong and delivered a wonderful shave;
Razorock Hawk V3 and specifically the open comb variant done everything right, quality machine polish finish, smooth and right in my sweet spot for efficiency;
Haircut and Shave Titanium PO76, well it’s titanium, impeccably finished and a true performer but was hampered by its spiralling purchase price;
Timeless Slim Edition 0.5mm, quality manufacture, really pleasant shave, another brilliant razor.
If selecting any of the razors highlighted above, I very much doubt there would be many complaints from even the most fastidious user. For mine, these were the pick of the crop for 2020 but there can be only one, and for 2020 - Errol’s Razor of the Year is the
Timeless Slim Edition 0.5mm. I purchased a complete razor, however the plate can be purchased separately and installed in your current Timeless. For the review I used a stainless steel SB razor but there is also an OC option available. Topping out the Slim Edition range are the titanium versions that are also available with both plates. This razor is fantastic and well deserving as my pick of the razors I’ve used in 2020.
2020 – Errol’s Razor of The Year
2020 started with me thinking that this was going to be the year of the stainless steel adjustable razor, there were a number of stainless steel adjustable razors released and murmurs of others that have not eventuated. There was even talk about brass and titanium adjustables coming. A brass adjustable did eventually make an appearance at the end of the year from Pearl but not from the earlier named source. No titanium adjustable yet but don’t be surprised if one eventuates from Rocnel sometime in 2021. About the end of April there was an avalanche of new model razors announced and in many cases it took the rest of the year for these announcements to become reality. Some razors, however are still waiting release like the titanium Karve and that was announced in April. New artisans also put their hand up for their slice of that wet shaving dollar; names such as Janus, Henson, Outlaw. In the last quarter of the year there were many new releases, just when you might have thought that world production of all commodities might have slowed down. Below is a summary of the 2020 released razors that I’ve had the opportunity to sample:
- Rocnel Sailor Gen 3 – Released late Dec 2019 but not received till 2020, Stainless steel, adjustable, exceptional grip on the handle but no grip on the adjuster, heavy and not very manoeuvrable, generous amounts of blade feel, not bad.
- Homelike Taiga Adjustable – Released late Dec 2019, Stainless steel with an optional titanium handle, open and safety bar options in the one razor, machined polished finish, quality machining, adjustable, mechanism based on the Gibbs design, neutral blade feel at lower settings but increases at the higher settings, used up to max #6, very smooth and close.
- Janus Adjustable V1 – Toggle operation, adjustable, doubtless the most complicated modern razor, limited edition, stainless steel, slippery handle, excessive amounts of blade feel, very uncomfortable shave.
- Classic Shaving Enoch SE – Design looks to have been borrowed from the Rx Asylum, sintered stainless steel, poor QA, pop holes in MIM processed metal, poor design with unsupported section of safety bar, poor workmanship, head pieces seize together, fiddly to load a blade, very good shave but the cap can ride on the face, second rate.
- Outlaw – Razor produced in a tie up between Alpha Shaving and Executive Shaving, stainless steel, very well made, highly polished, positive blade feel, smooth, mid efficiency, shaves close, amazing.
- Homelike Baikal – Machined stainless steel, based on the Rockwell 6S/ 6C idea. 2 x 2 sided plates, noisy, good blade feel and a good selection of efficiency options, dual sided plate makes for head heavy feel, very good.
- Paradigm 2020 Diamondback – Quality finish – hexagonal handle with diamonds engraved along each flat, superior polish finish to the previous 2019 version, exceptional smooth shave, a real pleasure.
- Razorock Hawk V3 – Stainless steel, SE, superbly machine polished finish, smooth and a pleasant amount of blade feel, mid efficiency, ticks all of the boxes.
- Carbon Shaving Model Cx-Ti (All Titanium) – Polished titanium, some machine marks polished over, light weight, beautifully balanced, pleasing amount of blade feel and very smooth, not too much wrong with this razor.
- Carbon Shaving Model Cx-Titan – Carbon fibre spindle in the handle with polished titanium, exceptionally light, machine polished, smooth and close shave under mid efficiency, rewarding.
- Haircut and Shave, Stainless Steel, PO76 SB – Manufactured from the difficult to machine 17-4 stainless steel and then hand polished, medium efficiency, smooth but not as close as it could be, not bad.
- Haircut and Shave Titanium PO76 SB – Grade 5 Titanium, impeccably presented, up a level in efficiency to the stainless steel version, good blade feel, this razor is a performer.
- Fine Accoutrements – World’s Finest – a mix of old style mixed with modern thinking, no final QA, good polish job, mild
- Razorock BBS – Stainless steel version of the same company’s Babysmooth, quality machine polish, smooth and close shave, neutral blade feel, mild.
- Charcoal Goods, Everyday - Brass – Economical razor in the Charcoal Goods range, quality not compromised, less machining than most razors, very smooth shave and close, nigh on perfection.
- Razorock Hawk OC V3 – SE, 316 stainless steel, quality machine polished finish, step up in performance to the SB variant, superb.
- Henson Shaving, Made for Men – Aluminium, innovative design, precision machining, critical shaving angle, ridiculously mild, needs to have the cap redesigned, disappointing.
- Timeless Slim Edition – quality machining and presentation, new slim design plate that is compatible with parts from the existing Timeless range, terrific shave, smooth and close, brilliant.
During 2020 I listed those razors I thought warranted further investigation for Razor of the Year as I completed each review. That list was not extensive and I did not have to go back and study every 2020 review in detail to select a winner.
Carbon Shaving’s titanium siblings, but especially the carbon fibre handled Cx-Titan rubbed me the right way, expensive, great design, light weight, innovation and a magnificent shave;
Charcoal Goods Everyday Razor is a simple, affordable razor that never set a foot wrong and delivered a wonderful shave;
Razorock Hawk V3 and specifically the open comb variant done everything right, quality machine polish finish, smooth and right in my sweet spot for efficiency;
Haircut and Shave Titanium PO76, well it’s titanium, impeccably finished and a true performer but was hampered by its spiralling purchase price;
Timeless Slim Edition 0.5mm, quality manufacture, really pleasant shave, another brilliant razor.
If selecting any of the razors highlighted above, I very much doubt there would be many complaints from even the most fastidious user. For mine, these were the pick of the crop for 2020 but there can be only one, and for 2020 - Errol’s Razor of the Year is the
Timeless Slim Edition 0.5mm. I purchased a complete razor, however the plate can be purchased separately and installed in your current Timeless. For the review I used a stainless steel SB razor but there is also an OC option available. Topping out the Slim Edition range are the titanium versions that are also available with both plates. This razor is fantastic and well deserving as my pick of the razors I’ve used in 2020.
Errol’s Razors of the Year
2017 Razorock Babysmooth Ti
2018 RAW Shaving RS-10
2019 Smart Helix Apollo
2020 Timeless Slim Edition 0.5mm
