Weekly Razor Review

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So @Errol, you like it, not bad or hate it. You said, you highly recommended.

Here’s a clear picture of the Vikings Blade The Emperor Meiji

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It's good and I liked it. Highly recommended.

Go the Maroons!!!!!!!
 
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Carbon Shaving Model Cx-Graphite (Ti) .88mm (+) (USA)



I paid full price for this razor and half the plate is sitting as swarf in the bottom of a CNC machine somewhere. This razor has the web plate that Carbon have been offering for some time, I thought I’d like to try one. For something different I ordered it with the .88mm (+) efficiency plate and the carbon fibre handle in what Carbon call a TAC (Tetrahadral Amorphous Carbon) surface finish. Looks to be a very deep grey to me, probably because of the high carbon content, the underside of both the cap and plate displays all the colours of the rainbow in the right light. All the usual Carbon features are incorporated in the design; blade clamping at the edge of the cap and minimalist proportions of the head parts. Carbon’s first release razor was poorly finished, subsequent versions improved with every release to where the finish on this razor is superb, there are no blemishes. Combined with its R3 Carbon fibre/ titanium handle, this razor certainly falls into the super lightweight category.

Carbon’s description of their + base plate:
+ Base Plate - We reduced the blade exposure from the original but increased the gap to .88mm. This is a nice option if you prefer less blade feel, yet still enjoy a higher efficiency in a razor. This plate is also a nice option if you only shave every 2-3 days...
In previous shaves with various Carbon razors one thing has remained constant, each was fitted with Carbon’s original base plate. It was so good that I seen little sense in checking their other offerings until now, that was a bad mistake. Exactly as Carbon described, the increase in gap can certainly be identified and with the reduced (but still present) blade exposure it made for a very comfortable shave, every shave. Efficiency is still around the Karve CB Level #D mark, but the shave was super smooth and certainly close; an effortless shave that made the whole shaving process feel all too easy. Adjusting to using the feather weight razor was not an issue, from the first stroke it felt right and just got on with its job with its low audio accompaniment. This razor is so good that I now want to check out Carbon’s ++ plate. Luckily for me I have plates for both + and ++ in both stainless steel and titanium, not web plates though. Carbon’s Cx-Graphite (Ti) .88mm (+) is one fantastic razor and it’s one that stands out.

Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Willy’s
Material – Titanium and Carbon Fibre
Blade Tab - Exposed
Weight – 30g
Head Width – 40.81mm
Handle Length – 92.31mm
Handle Diameter – 12.83mm
Availability – Carbon
Final Word – You’ll go a long way to find better
 
Carbon Shaving Model Cx-Graphite (Ti) .88mm (+) (USA)



I paid full price for this razor and half the plate is sitting as swarf in the bottom of a CNC machine somewhere. This razor has the web plate that Carbon have been offering for some time, I thought I’d like to try one. For something different I ordered it with the .88mm (+) efficiency plate and the carbon fibre handle in what Carbon call a TAC (Tetrahadral Amorphous Carbon) surface finish. Looks to be a very deep grey to me, probably because of the high carbon content, the underside of both the cap and plate displays all the colours of the rainbow in the right light. All the usual Carbon features are incorporated in the design; blade clamping at the edge of the cap and minimalist proportions of the head parts. Carbon’s first release razor was poorly finished, subsequent versions improved with every release to where the finish on this razor is superb, there are no blemishes. Combined with its R3 Carbon fibre/ titanium handle, this razor certainly falls into the super lightweight category.

Carbon’s description of their + base plate:
+ Base Plate - We reduced the blade exposure from the original but increased the gap to .88mm. This is a nice option if you prefer less blade feel, yet still enjoy a higher efficiency in a razor. This plate is also a nice option if you only shave every 2-3 days...
In previous shaves with various Carbon razors one thing has remained constant, each was fitted with Carbon’s original base plate. It was so good that I seen little sense in checking their other offerings until now, that was a bad mistake. Exactly as Carbon described, the increase in gap can certainly be identified and with the reduced (but still present) blade exposure it made for a very comfortable shave, every shave. Efficiency is still around the Karve CB Level #D mark, but the shave was super smooth and certainly close; an effortless shave that made the whole shaving process feel all too easy. Adjusting to using the feather weight razor was not an issue, from the first stroke it felt right and just got on with its job with its low audio accompaniment. This razor is so good that I now want to check out Carbon’s ++ plate. Luckily for me I have plates for both + and ++ in both stainless steel and titanium, not web plates though. Carbon’s Cx-Graphite (Ti) .88mm (+) is one fantastic razor and it’s one that stands out.

Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Willy’s
Material – Titanium and Carbon Fibre
Blade Tab - Exposed
Weight – 30g
Head Width – 40.81mm
Handle Length – 92.31mm
Handle Diameter – 12.83mm
Availability – Carbon
Final Word – You’ll go a long way to find better
Great review as ever @Errol. Seems to be an amazing razor -- for only $400 to $550 USD,
I hate you. :mad:
 
Razorine Flatboy (Italy)




An option to choose a nickel plated brass head is not offered very often so when it was available why not take the opportunity to grab one. Another option was the choice of two different styles of polished stainless steel handles, so I chose what looked like the lighter alternative. When assembled this razor looks spectacular, the polished nickel plated head and the stainless steel handle really match well with each other, the razor looks very well balanced. Razorine are a small manufacturer who’s other offering is a shavette style razor so when I saw the name Flatboy I expected something along similar lines. No, the Flatboy is a traditional three piece razor, however the blade sits on a flat plate, square to the handle. If the bottom of the cap was flat, there would be 100% clamping of the blade but Razorine have milled out most of the back leaving a clamping ridge around the perimeter of the cap. With the blades clamped flat in the head, the angle of the working part of the blade blade is very much altered to what is considered normal. How this will work in practice is going to be interesting and I’m looking forward to the experience.

With no experience of how a blade working at 90 degrees to the handle is going to perform, I decided to go a little bit conservative and selected a Muhle blade for the first shave. Transitioning from a totally foreign concept to total satisfaction took just one stroke. After that stroke, the side of my face was still intact, no blood and with an efficiency level around the Karve CB level #D, the shave was very comfortable. To add to the Flatboy’s credentials there was a pleasant amount of blade feel and what may interest some, the shaving angle was not altered. One small issue that surfaced, it would not shave that annoying little hair that grows in the corner of my mouth. These days I generally don’t have any trouble with grip but this handle did not perform well, I never dropped the razor but there are better handles around. After such a successful outing with the Flatboy it has me wondering why there are not more razors around where the blade sits flat, in fact there are, I see Focus has a razor that employs a similar principal. And it doesn’t have a floppy head. Razorine’s Flatboy delivers, don’t be put off using a razor where the blade is clamped flat.

Blades Used – Muhle and Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow
Material – Nickel plated brass head/ 316L Stainless steel handle
Blade Tab - Covered
Weight – 96g
Head Width – 45.5mm
Handle Length – 91mm
Handle Diameter – 11.96mm
Availability – JJ Shaves
Final Word – It’s good
 
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Carbon Shaving Model Cx-Graphite (Ti) .88mm (+) (USA)



Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Willy’s
Material – Titanium and Carbon Fibre
Blade Tab - Exposed
Weight – 30g
Head Width – 40.81mm
Handle Length – 92.31mm
Handle Diameter – 12.83mm
Availability – Carbon
Final Word – You’ll go a long way to find better

titanium as much as I love the sound of it being used, I just don't know.

It's so light that I worry that something like this will negate the whole "let the razor do the work"..

How did you find it from a weight on face perspective?

(On a side note, I'd love to see a Tungsten Carbide handle from someone)
 
titanium as much as I love the sound of it being used, I just don't know.

It's so light that I worry that something like this will negate the whole "let the razor do the work"..

How did you find it from a weight on face perspective?

(On a side note, I'd love to see a Tungsten Carbide handle from someone)

@Phunk I never had one second of difficulty in adapting to the weight of the Carbon. Yes it is a lightweight, but you soon get the feel of what the razor should feel like against the face and adjust the applied force accordingly. Coming up in a couple of week I have a razor that is about 1/4 the weight if the Carbon and it did take about one pass to adjust to. My heaviest razor would probably be Bertha, my Detroit Shaving Alpha and even it needs some pressure to be held against the face (otherwise it will fall on your toe) but it is the amount of force you use that matters. If you've got a bow wave of skin in front of the blade, you're pressing too hard and if there are too many whiskers standing after you complete the pass try a bit more pressure till you find the sweet spot, you'll know when you do, the razor will be performing at its maximum capability. Don't let the weight factor put you off one of the best shaving experiences you'll ever have and if you're concerned too much with weight, there is the full titanium version and even a stainless steel version. Carbon plates are very expensive so do a bit of homework before you lay your money down would be my advice.

There was talk that Henson was going to to release a tungsten carbide razor at one time but that has gone all quite. I'll buy one but I am not a fan of the Henson head design (and their customer service). My thought, without having ever seen a tungsten carbide razor is that it would be very heavy. Tungsten carbide is very hard but would it be brittle and survive if you dropped it on a tiled floor, I don't know.
 
(On a side note, I'd love to see a Tungsten Carbide handle from someone)
Tungsten carbide is roughly double the density of steel, so it would be super-heavy and really time-consuming and expensive to machine. I struggle to think of a single engineering advantage of WC for use in this application.
 
Tungsten carbide is roughly double the density of steel, so it would be super-heavy and really time-consuming and expensive to machine. I struggle to think of a single engineering advantage of WC for use in this application.
Be good as a blade for some of these bloody beards out there, father inlaws whiskers could grind down a stump if anyones got any they need removing
 
Be good as a blade for some of these bloody beards out there, father inlaws whiskers could grind down a stump if anyones got any they need removing
Maybe, but not for the body of a safety razor. WC has its uses for cutting edges requiring extreme toughness and hardness, but you could make a safety razor out of lead and would still work, so long as you don't ding it about.
 
@Phunk Tungsten carbide is very hard but would it be brittle and survive if you dropped it on a tiled floor, I don't know.

Tungsten carbide is roughly double the density of steel, so it would be super-heavy and really time-consuming and expensive to machine. I struggle to think of a single engineering advantage of WC for use in this application.

I've had a bit of a quiet love affair with tungsten carbide these last few years. I had the standard gold wedding band which I started to mangle about because I forget to take it off and then start using spanners on the car, mowing lawns etc.. so I thought I'd get a titanium ring for everyday use... titanium didn't mangle but it scratched almost as easily as the gold did!

This is when I found Tungsten.. I've never taken it off, I've done everything and more with it on and not even a single scratch, scuff or change to the finish. It looks as new as it did on day 1.

The weight is also a selling point as it feels hefty compared to the other 2 metals.

I'm well aware that it could shatter from a fall on some bathroom tiles, but think about a razor that would stay looking new forever!

Something like a 6S with changeable plates but made out of Tungsten should technically last you a lifetime.
 
Haircut & Shave 083 Aggressive Ti (USA)



When I was deciding on the 083 Aggressive Ti, there were two options, a polished finish, and a machine finish, I selected the machine finish mainly because I liked the design of the handle fitted to it. Whoever machined this razor deserves a huge pat on the back, machine marks are very subdued but can be plainly seen on the back of the cap; now that I’ve seen the machine finish, I’d select it in preference to a polished finish any day. Both the cap and plate are machined very thin and blade clamping is achieved on large flats at the outer edge of the cap. Elongated blade posts are fitted and just to demonstrate how good the machining tolerances are, the groove in the plate is blind and at that point the plate is about 2mm thick. Lather clearing is taken care of by two of the largest channels to be seen on any razor and to compliment the thin and light head, the handle is short with forward knurling that no doubt will provide positive grip.

Here is a razor that lets you know straight up that you are holding something special in your hand. It’s light weight and audio accompaniment never went unnoticed as it went about mowing down those whiskers. With the efficiency of a Karve CB level #D plate and a pleasant amount of blade feel it shaved very close and each shave resulted in one of those close and long lasting shaves. Smoothness for a razor in that efficiency range was about par for the course. With the 083mm’s light weight and the shortish length handle fitted, I was in complete control. This razor is good; meets all me parameters to be classified as a great razor but if I hadn’t been told it was aggressive, I would never have guessed.

Blades Used – Gillette Platinum and Glatz
Material –
Titanium
Blade Tab - Covered
Weight – 47g
Head Width – 43.01mm
Handle Length – 79.6mm
Handle Diameter – 13.82mm
Availability – Haircut and Shave
Final Word – Aggressive by name only
 
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Razoblique R77 (Italy)



Maggard Razors have this razor listed as a ‘Focus R77 Double Edge Slant Safety Razor, White’. Focus, in their web site do not list the Razoblique. Another company, Rasoi Milano (Razoblique?) has their finger in the pie somehow, but their website is closed???? One thing everyone agrees is that the razor was crafted in Italy, Razo in the name gives that away, and it is printed on the packaging. Even when I was using cartridge razors, I shied away from the flimsy disposable models so the 3D printed polypropylene Razoblique will be the lightest razor I’ve probably ever shaved with. Initially I was a little taken back when I seen that I had purchased a razor where only the head is offset slightly to the expected 90 degrees to the handle. I can’t read Italian but the name of the razor should have enlightened me somewhat – Razor oblique. Razoblique have done a smart thing from their perspective to use the least amount of raw material in production, the back of the plate has been printed with large, recessed areas. Parts like the handle and even the blade posts are hollow, but Razoblique did insert metal threads for the handle post and handle, not a standard thread size. Flats on the side of the handle proudly display the manufacturer’s name – Razoblique. With the blade fitted, everything lines up, to be expected when 3D printing can deliver a product to such accurate dimensions. White was the manufactures' choice of colour and to my way of thinking it’s a good choice, looks clean, looks good on display without being too way out and if it was something like bright red, I may not have purchased it. At the bottom on the printing on the handle, the finish is shiny, but the remainder of the razor has a flat white appearance.

“Let the weight of the razor do the work”.

“What weight?”

Coming in at a miniscule 11g, the Razoblique does require some assistance, but I was surprised just how little pressure had to be applied to maintain contact with the skin. It did take a fair proportion of the first pass just to establish pressures in order to keep the razor working; after that it was all pretty much plain sailing. No bending of any part of the razor was noted and everything felt strong; well as strong as plastic can be. With an efficiency slightly below that of a Karve CB Level #D range and some positive blade feel the Razoblique performed well. There was no feeling of using a slant, it made little, if any difference, but the resultant shave was smooth. There was a tendency for it to not always clear the lather, at that time it would simply ride over the built up lather; a lot of that may come back to maintaining pressure too. There were times when I wished for less radius on the top of the cap, it seemed to be dictating the shave angle and only one other small gripe, the knob on the end of the handle felt out of place and unnecessarily large. Overall, there was no misadventure and a close shave resulted, that is all I can ask for. Now I have no intention of selling off my metal razors and going down the polypropylene path but this style of razor has its uses and I would not be adverse to trying another at some stage. It would make a good travel razor and would excel if you were travelling very light and wanted to maintain your regular shaving ritual, well worth a try.

Blades Used – Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow and Howard
Material – Polypropylene
Blade Tab – Covered
Weight – 11g
Head Width – 46.46mm
Handle Length – 80.36mm
Handle Diameter – 11.96mm
Availability – Maggard Razors
Final Word – Has its uses
 
Razoblique R77 (Italy)



Maggard Razors have this razor listed as a ‘Focus R77 Double Edge Slant Safety Razor, White’. Focus, in their web site do not list the Razoblique. Another company, Rasoi Milano (Razoblique?) has their finger in the pie somehow, but their website is closed???? One thing everyone agrees is that the razor was crafted in Italy, Razo in the name gives that away, and it is printed on the packaging. Even when I was using cartridge razors, I shied away from the flimsy disposable models so the 3D printed polypropylene Razoblique will be the lightest razor I’ve probably ever shaved with. Initially I was a little taken back when I seen that I had purchased a razor where only the head is offset slightly to the expected 90 degrees to the handle. I can’t read Italian but the name of the razor should have enlightened me somewhat – Razor oblique. Razoblique have done a smart thing from their perspective to use the least amount of raw material in production, the back of the plate has been printed with large, recessed areas. Parts like the handle and even the blade posts are hollow, but Razoblique did insert metal threads for the handle post and handle, not a standard thread size. Flats on the side of the handle proudly display the manufacturer’s name – Razoblique. With the blade fitted, everything lines up, to be expected when 3D printing can deliver a product to such accurate dimensions. White was the manufactures' choice of colour and to my way of thinking it’s a good choice, looks clean, looks good on display without being too way out and if it was something like bright red, I may not have purchased it. At the bottom on the printing on the handle, the finish is shiny, but the remainder of the razor has a flat white appearance.

“Let the weight of the razor do the work”.

“What weight?”

Coming in at a miniscule 11g, the Razoblique does require some assistance, but I was surprised just how little pressure had to be applied to maintain contact with the skin. It did take a fair proportion of the first pass just to establish pressures in order to keep the razor working; after that it was all pretty much plain sailing. No bending of any part of the razor was noted and everything felt strong; well as strong as plastic can be. With an efficiency slightly below that of a Karve CB Level #D range and some positive blade feel the Razoblique performed well. There was no feeling of using a slant, it made little, if any difference, but the resultant shave was smooth. There was a tendency for it to not always clear the lather, at that time it would simply ride over the built up lather; a lot of that may come back to maintaining pressure too. There were times when I wished for less radius on the top of the cap, it seemed to be dictating the shave angle and only one other small gripe, the knob on the end of the handle felt out of place and unnecessarily large. Overall, there was no misadventure and a close shave resulted, that is all I can ask for. Now I have no intention of selling off my metal razors and going down the polypropylene path but this style of razor has its uses and I would not be adverse to trying another at some stage. It would make a good travel razor and would excel if you were travelling very light and wanted to maintain your regular shaving ritual, well worth a try.

Blades Used – Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow and Howard
Material – Polypropylene
Blade Tab – Covered
Weight – 11g
Head Width – 46.46mm
Handle Length – 80.36mm
Handle Diameter – 11.96mm
Availability – Maggard Razors
Final Word – Has its uses
At a split second glance I thought someone had used ceramic to make a razor.
 
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