RazoRock Babysmooth Ti
In 2017 I selected the RazoRock Babysmooth Ti as my razor of the year, but I’ve never written a review on it. What did I see in the razor to make such an impression on me? An aluminium version of the Babysmooth had been available for some time, but at its release the Babysmooth Ti joined a very elite group of razors machined from titanium; at that time you could count the number of razors available in titanium on one hand; the odd Wolfman WR1, very few BBS1’s, the first release of the Paradigm razor and that’s about it. I have a soft spot for any razors machined out of titanium so being economical in comparison to the others in the group, the Babysmooth Ti was certainly off to a good start. When looking at the head, the obvious feature is the curvature of the plate and its corresponding cap. Two round posts on the cap provide blade locating for the blade that is almost 100% positively secured between the plate and cap. Some minor machining marks are visible on the underside of the cap but for an economically priced razor it’s good and the head has a bead blasted satin finish. Contrasting with the satin finish on the head, the handle is polished.
It's hard to believe that it’s more than six years since I used this razor, where does the time go? Very early into the first shave and memories of the performance of this razor were coming back to me. It was probably a little more efficient than I remembered and at about Karve CB level #C, you won’t find me complaining. There is a small amount of positive blade feel and the delivered shave was extremely comfortable. While I’m generally not a fan of circular grooves along the shaft of a razor handle, they provided positive grip, and in visual terms, they complement the rounded style of the head. RazoRock’s Babysmooth has been out of production for about six years, but my advice is to grab one if ever you get the chance, this razor is good.
Blades Used – Gillette Nacet and Feather
Material – Titanium
Blade Tab - Covered
Weight – 66g
Head Width – 43.83mm
Handle Length – 90.7mm
Handle Diameter – 12.9mm
Availability – Out of Production
Final Word – Aptly named
Yow!
And I thought I was pushing the boat out with my Vestige...
That’s why I’m not getting one into my den, because, it’s just another bloody razor and the price isn’t worth it spending, unless you’re getting a new computer system.Yow!
Ah, but think about it, a computer system will be obsolete in a few years, but a razor is forever.
As usual, a super thorough review @Errol. I have found the salient to be not a bad razor for the money - in terms of today's prices, I think I read on their website that although the razor is made in China, it is "finished" in New YorK. Mine was billed as satin, bur looks very similar to yours. Can't wait o read your review of the titanium Diamondback. Supposedly it's made in collaboration with Yates Precision Manufacturing. but it's currently sold out.Paradigm Salient (China)
Paradigm had not released a razor since the Diamondback of 2020 so when it was advised that they were about to release another razor, it’s fair to say that the announcement gained my attention. Within seconds of the release on 26 May 2023, I had the Salient bought and paid for. A couple of day later, there it was a shipping notification; so far so good. 31 May, I received an email advising of a shipping delay of a couple of weeks, then an immediate follow up advising that a refund was available. I thought I had a shipping notification, so this does not apply to me; but it did. It appears Paradigm Shaving had little if any stock on hand at its release and used the funds from those who jumped in early to fund the purchase of stock from China. Their web page stated that the additional razors should be available in the week of 5 June; that day came and went with nothing heard. An assurance that the razors would be shipped in the week of 24 July came and went, with you guessed it, nothing heard. 9 Aug and there’s another shipping note; I’ve been down this path before, so I’ll wait and see; this is looking better as reports started coming in from other buyers of the razor finally starting to receive what they had paid for. Mine was physically in my hand on 1 September. Had Paradigm advertised the Salient as a pre-sale, they would have made the same sales but without their name being dragged through the mud, up front honesty goes a long way.
With their Salient, Paradigm has released a razor that is totally out of character with their existing models; like being machined in China, a simplistic but rugged handle design, a matt electroplated finish and a competitive price, nothing aligned with their attention to detail displayed and the upfront cost of their previous models. Did I say matt finish, when the razor finally arrived it had been given a half-hearted attempt at a polished finish, that’s not what was offered for sale????????? and whether it was ever electroplated is debatable. Like most razor manufacturers, Paradigm overlooked the fact that there are two sides to the cap; the underside looks a bit hard to polish, it’s out of sight, no one will care, and we’ll spin them the old yarn that polishing the underside of the cap would unduly interfere with the fine tolerances we demand from our supplier, leave it as it rolled out of the CNC machine. Blade clamping is at the outer extremities of the cap and the elongated blade posts on the cap stand quite tall and feed into the full depth cutouts in the plate. Being a budget razor, the thickness of the plate can’t be criticised too much; it’s not overly thick but it could have had more material machined off it. It is a nuggety looking razor and its weight goes over the 100g mark, it would have been so easy to reduce the weight.
Halfway through the first shave and I’m thinking the Salient seems to shave with similar characteristics to those I remember from the original Paradigm Titanium, I must bring that out for a review; Karve CB level #D efficiency and an abundance of positive blade. That amount of positive blade would be a big negative to some potential users, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. For a razor with so much positive blade, the shave was reasonably smooth. There is no denying though that the Salient delivered a close shave, those enjoyable long lasting close shaves that don’t come around often enough. My biggest complaint with the Salient was that the so-called polished surface of the handle did not provide sufficient grip. I think the matt finished Salient would have provided far better grip; come to think of it, I have a sample of every general release model from Paradigm so a satin finished Paradigm Salient is not out of the question. It looks like the Salient is a stop gap razor in the Paradigm range designed to deliver a comfortable shave, be economical, sell lots of razors and provide funding for future releases. If that was the idea, the Salient is a success, and to be fair, it is very much a razor I could live with.
Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Feather
Material – 316 Stainless Steel electroplated
Blade Tab - Covered
Weight – 105.6g
Head Width – 43.00mm
Handle Length – 85mm
Handle Diameter – 11.97mm
Availability – Paradigm
Final Word – Out of character
PS.
Paradigm may have learnt something from their poor customer service with the Salient; they recently had a titanium version of their Diamondback for pre-sale. Of course I have one bought and paid for.
I see some moderation has happened behind the scenes here - fair call
@Errol at risk of pushing something that may make reviews less enjoyable for you, would you consider including more photos of the razor being reviewed, perhaps disassembled or different angles to give interested parties a better view? Not knocking the stellar photo you upload with each review, but personally I would be keen to see more of the razors to go with you wordsParadigm Salient (China)
Paradigm had not released a razor since the Diamondback of 2020 so when it was advised that they were about to release another razor, it’s fair to say that the announcement gained my attention. Within seconds of the release on 26 May 2023, I had the Salient bought and paid for. A couple of day later, there it was a shipping notification; so far so good. 31 May, I received an email advising of a shipping delay of a couple of weeks, then an immediate follow up advising that a refund was available. I thought I had a shipping notification, so this does not apply to me; but it did. It appears Paradigm Shaving had little if any stock on hand at its release and used the funds from those who jumped in early to fund the purchase of stock from China. Their web page stated that the additional razors should be available in the week of 5 June; that day came and went with nothing heard. An assurance that the razors would be shipped in the week of 24 July came and went, with you guessed it, nothing heard. 9 Aug and there’s another shipping note; I’ve been down this path before, so I’ll wait and see; this is looking better as reports started coming in from other buyers of the razor finally starting to receive what they had paid for. Mine was physically in my hand on 1 September. Had Paradigm advertised the Salient as a pre-sale, they would have made the same sales but without their name being dragged through the mud, up front honesty goes a long way.
With their Salient, Paradigm has released a razor that is totally out of character with their existing models; like being machined in China, a simplistic but rugged handle design, a matt electroplated finish and a competitive price, nothing aligned with their attention to detail displayed and the upfront cost of their previous models. Did I say matt finish, when the razor finally arrived it had been given a half-hearted attempt at a polished finish, that’s not what was offered for sale????????? and whether it was ever electroplated is debatable. Like most razor manufacturers, Paradigm overlooked the fact that there are two sides to the cap; the underside looks a bit hard to polish, it’s out of sight, no one will care, and we’ll spin them the old yarn that polishing the underside of the cap would unduly interfere with the fine tolerances we demand from our supplier, leave it as it rolled out of the CNC machine. Blade clamping is at the outer extremities of the cap and the elongated blade posts on the cap stand quite tall and feed into the full depth cutouts in the plate. Being a budget razor, the thickness of the plate can’t be criticised too much; it’s not overly thick but it could have had more material machined off it. It is a nuggety looking razor and its weight goes over the 100g mark, it would have been so easy to reduce the weight.
Halfway through the first shave and I’m thinking the Salient seems to shave with similar characteristics to those I remember from the original Paradigm Titanium, I must bring that out for a review; Karve CB level #D efficiency and an abundance of positive blade. That amount of positive blade would be a big negative to some potential users, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. For a razor with so much positive blade, the shave was reasonably smooth. There is no denying though that the Salient delivered a close shave, those enjoyable long lasting close shaves that don’t come around often enough. My biggest complaint with the Salient was that the so-called polished surface of the handle did not provide sufficient grip. I think the matt finished Salient would have provided far better grip; come to think of it, I have a sample of every general release model from Paradigm so a satin finished Paradigm Salient is not out of the question. It looks like the Salient is a stop gap razor in the Paradigm range designed to deliver a comfortable shave, be economical, sell lots of razors and provide funding for future releases. If that was the idea, the Salient is a success, and to be fair, it is very much a razor I could live with.
Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Feather
Material – 316 Stainless Steel electroplated
Blade Tab - Covered
Weight – 105.6g
Head Width – 43.00mm
Handle Length – 85mm
Handle Diameter – 11.97mm
Availability – Paradigm
Final Word – Out of character
PS.
Paradigm may have learnt something from their poor customer service with the Salient; they recently had a titanium version of their Diamondback for pre-sale. Of course I have one bought and paid for.
I do agree with this.@Errol at risk of pushing something that may make reviews less enjoyable for you, would you consider including more photos of the razor being reviewed, perhaps disassembled or different angles to give interested parties a better view? Not knocking the stellar photo you upload with each review, but personally I would be keen to see more of the razors to go with you words
@alfredus you do have a Guerilla in your wolfy den?Wolfman Guerrilla 2023 0.69mm (Canada)
It’s true to say that I like the idea behind the Guerilla, but in its standard form it was just too mild for my personal taste. Wolfman reacted to public criticism and offered their revised 2023 Guerrilla with four different levels of efficiency, plus the choice of safety bar or open comb plates, they should now have most users’ requirements covered. I reread my Guerrilla notes numerous times and procrastinated about which plate I should choose before eventually settling for the 0.69mm. If the 0.69mm plate is not enough efficiency, I’ll simply get another Guerrilla and have it fitted with a 0.84mm plate. When Wolfman released their 2023 version of the Guerrilla, the major visual difference was the blade posts being relocated to the cap. Guerrilla is Wolfman’s economy model that is usually available online, no wait time and ready for sale. In line with the Wolfman philosophy on razor design, there is no excess material in the head, blade clamping is at the outer extremities of the cap, and while the handle looks chunky it has been drilled and plugged, allowing the weight to come in just under 100g. Being Wolfman’s economy model there are machine marks visible under the cap; the dull satin finish not only looks spectacular, but it also adds grip to the handle which is effectively devoid of any machined pattern. There are three circumferential grooves at each end of the handle, their bright finish contrasts with the razor’s satin finish.
Personally, the 0.69mm plate selection was very much in my preferred performance zone. Efficiency wise, the 0.69mm was very close to Karve CB level #D and with a pleasant amount of positive blade feel, this is how shaving should be. Just to add the cherry on top, the shave was extra smooth and it was one of those all day, very close shaves. It’s 14mm diameter handle masks the fact that the handle is 90mm long; the razor looks like a little nugget but study the dimensions and this razor is actually quite large. A combination of handle diameter and its satin finish provided very good grip allowing the razor to be whizzed around in comfort. With the addition of the extra levels of efficiency, Wolfman have opened the Guerrilla to a much wider customer base; I now put my hand up and admit to being a huge fan of the Wolfman Guerrilla. While the performance of this 0.69mm plated Guerrilla is exemplary, it would be interesting to see how the 0.84mm plate performs.
Blades Used – Gillette Vintage Super Stainless and Royal II
Material – 316 Stainless steel
Blade Tab – Exposed
Weight – 99.2g
Head Width – 41.76mm
Handle Length – 90.08mm
Handle Diameter – 13.97mm
Availability – Wolfman
Final Word – Tremendous
PS.
Guerrilla Razors are now a separate entity, crafted by Wolfman but with their own dedicated website, a titanium version of the Guerrilla is now available. Eemmmm, interesting.
Wolfman Guerrilla 2023 0.69mm (Canada)
It’s true to say that I like the idea behind the Guerilla, but in its standard form it was just too mild for my personal taste. Wolfman reacted to public criticism and offered their revised 2023 Guerrilla with four different levels of efficiency, plus the choice of safety bar or open comb plates, they should now have most users’ requirements covered. I reread my Guerrilla notes numerous times and procrastinated about which plate I should choose before eventually settling for the 0.69mm. If the 0.69mm plate is not enough efficiency, I’ll simply get another Guerrilla and have it fitted with a 0.84mm plate. When Wolfman released their 2023 version of the Guerrilla, the major visual difference was the blade posts being relocated to the cap. Guerrilla is Wolfman’s economy model that is usually available online, no wait time and ready for sale. In line with the Wolfman philosophy on razor design, there is no excess material in the head, blade clamping is at the outer extremities of the cap, and while the handle looks chunky it has been drilled and plugged, allowing the weight to come in just under 100g. Being Wolfman’s economy model there are machine marks visible under the cap; the dull satin finish not only looks spectacular, but it also adds grip to the handle which is effectively devoid of any machined pattern. There are three circumferential grooves at each end of the handle, their bright finish contrasts with the razor’s satin finish.
Personally, the 0.69mm plate selection was very much in my preferred performance zone. Efficiency wise, the 0.69mm was very close to Karve CB level #D and with a pleasant amount of positive blade feel, this is how shaving should be. Just to add the cherry on top, the shave was extra smooth and it was one of those all day, very close shaves. It’s 14mm diameter handle masks the fact that the handle is 90mm long; the razor looks like a little nugget but study the dimensions and this razor is actually quite large. A combination of handle diameter and its satin finish provided very good grip allowing the razor to be whizzed around in comfort. With the addition of the extra levels of efficiency, Wolfman have opened the Guerrilla to a much wider customer base; I now put my hand up and admit to being a huge fan of the Wolfman Guerrilla. While the performance of this 0.69mm plated Guerrilla is exemplary, it would be interesting to see how the 0.84mm plate performs.
Blades Used – Gillette Vintage Super Stainless and Royal II
Material – 316 Stainless steel
Blade Tab – Exposed
Weight – 99.2g
Head Width – 41.76mm
Handle Length – 90.08mm
Handle Diameter – 13.97mm
Availability – Wolfman
Final Word – Tremendous
PS.
Guerrilla Razors are now a separate entity, crafted by Wolfman but with their own dedicated website, a titanium version of the Guerrilla is now available. Eemmmm, interesting.
Sure do - original SS version. My go to razor for Autopilot shaves.
