Weekly Razor Review

Razorock Mamba 70 (Canada)



The Razorock Mamba 70 was released at the end of 2018 to compliment the original Mamba as a more efficiency option. Initially the razor was released as a complete unit, as tested here, with a titanium handle but there is a head only option and choice of handles available now. Sadly the quality of finish on the Mamba 70 is not up to standard of that displayed on the original example. Machining marks are evident on the cap and plate and while it has been machine polished over these marks are very prominent; a much better finish has been achieved on the handle.

I’ve not previously used a Shark blade and after the results achieved here may never do again. Sadly, the shave with the Shark blades was anything but smooth with the efficiency of the razor around the Karve CB #B (plus) plate level. At this time, I was hoping that like its less efficient brother, the efficiency of this razor would be dependent on the blade being used. With the Polsilver blade fitted there may have been a marginal increase in efficiency, however the smoothness and closeness were much improved. For mine, I came away a little disappointed in the Mamba 70, I expected more.

Blades Used – Shark and Polsilver

Material – 316L Stainless Steel and Grade 2 titanium handle

Weight – 77g

Head Width – 43mm

Handle Length – 100.4mm

Handle Diameter – 12.8mm

Availability – Italian Barber

Final Word – Another razor
 
Thank you Errol.
I have the early (mild) model and quite like it with a decent blade (shaves nice and feels great with a Kai, but they are a tad spendy).
I had thought about the Mamba 70, and now so glad I didn't bother.
I put the money into a Timeless instead! Another smart decision for me.
Anyway, I'm sure we all enjoy your reviews. Sometimes you help us save money...sometimes you help us spend money!
 
West Coast Shaving CNC Hyperion (USA)

top baby girl names 1950

Inspired by Brian from Charcoal Goods Razors again, this is the second incarnation of the West Coast Shaving’s CNC machined stainless steel razor released. Hyperion refers to the name of the designed handle employed. Being 4” long it is probably not the handle I would have chosen had there been a 3 ½” handle option available; the choice was a 3” or a 4” length handle. Arriving the same day as the AAT Windsor Satin SS razor I had both on the bench together and the head shape, lather holes, overall look and satin finish were very similar on both. Visually, this razor looks to have borrowed more off an ATT Windsor than from Charcoal Goods and the head shape is totally different to the first incarnation, simple and far less detailed; gone too are the elongated blade posts to be replaced with simple to machine round posts. Hopefully it has had a tad more efficiency added to the plate.

Well it had to happen, didn’t it? More blood on my face than I’ve seen in ages. After weeks of shaving with mild razors I wasn’t paying due care and attention to what I was doing and this razor let me know in no uncertain terms that I was holding a weapon in my hands. The Hyperion has more efficiency than a Karve CB #D plate plus positive blade feel; far more blade feel than I have been using of late. It was during the second shave with the Hyperion that the penny finally dropped for me. WCS have been publicizing both the Hyperion and Hollywood Palm as being Charcoal Goods inspired and I can now see where they are coming from. The Holywood Palm equated to a Charcoal Goods Lv1 and this one is equating to the Charcoal Goods Lv3. For subsequent shaves I treated the Hyperion with light touch and no pressure and was rewarded with very close shaves. I came away respecting the way this razor performs but not necessarily liking the aggression.

Now I’m waiting on the next release from WSC of their new model CNC stainless steel razor? By my estimations that release should equate to the Charcoal Goods Lv2 and that is one of my all time favourite razors.

Blades Used – Derby Extra and Gillette Nacet

Material – 303 Stainless Steel – bead blasted

Weight – 109g

Head Width – 42.37mm

Handle Length – 101.6mm

Handle Diameter – 12.4mm

Availability – West Coast Shaving

Final Word – To much bite for me
 
Above The Tie Classic R1 With Stork Handle (USA)



About two years ago I was using an ATT Kronos R1 razor and thought it was the greatest razor ever to grace a bathroom. At that time I had this bright idea that I would build myself a special shave piece based on an ATT R1. I would remove the machined finish by hand polishing a R1 head and fit a polished titanium Stork EX3 handle. When finished I was proud of my new creation and it worked well but no better than the Kronos R1 I had been using. After only a short run really, it found its way to the back of the drawer till I pulled it out here for a comparison shave. When I saw the result achieved with the polishing buff fitted to the Dremel on the Blackland Dart I had a good ole Dremel go at polishing the ATT R1. I can now admire the final result.

First shave and the result was a close shave but I had a couple of weepers. I’m not pointing the finger at the R1 but think I’ve just scraped the top off last week’s efforts. Thankfully after the first shave there were no further weepers and the R1 performed exactly as I knew it would - smooth and close. This razor is near perfect for me as far as efficiency goes, middle of the road at a level around the Karve CB #C plus level. It’s no wonder I have such great memories of the ATT Classic R1.

Blades Used – Gillette 7 O’Clock & Feather

Material – 303 Stainless Steel & Titanium handle – polished

Weight – 82g

Head Width – 41.4mm

Handle Length – 95mm

Handle Diameter – 13mm

Availability – Above The Tie

Final Word – A great razor
 
Thank you @Errol for another great review (y)

The R1 started my journey into modern SS razors as well...a fantastic razor and vastly underrated these days.

I believe they have just been re-released at ATT with a lower price...and a polished version (y)
 
Had to read the news with coffee this morning, far less entertaining :( just shows how spoilt we’ve been with the great reviews lol. Thanks again for all your efforts in this thread mate
 
Above The Tie Windsor Stainless Steel Satin SSR1 (USA)



This razor is the SSR1 (mid efficiency) version of the Above The Tie Windsor Stainless Steel Satin that I recently tested with the SSM1 plate fitted. For a quick description, the razor is ATT’s Windsorised version of the original ATT Classic. The head has been lengthened to fully cover the blade tabs and the whole razor bead blasted to a very pleasant to the eye, satin finish. Something I neglected to mention in the original description of the Windsor Stainless Steel Satin razor that is also applicable here, is that the lather channel is a series of holes along the edges of the plate. Seems to work OK. Unlike most razors, all the ATT DE razors I’ve used employ two pin head size dimples on the cap to locate and hold the blade. This system works a treat and I’ve never experienced and difficulty with fitting the blade, removing the blade or blade alignment issues on any ATT razor. If the word on the street is correct this razor should shave very similar to the ATT Classic R1 razor I used last week.

First shave and the most obvious changes over the ATT Classic R1 fitted with the titanium handle are the additional weight of the stainless steel handle and the change in dynamics with the shorter handle. Just different but the razor and the shave felt pretty much the same as expected; in that Karve CB #C plus plate area. I’m pleased to say that the subsequent shaves with the ATT SSSR 1 were all much the same, smooth and close. ATT have certainly got the recipe right with this razor.

Blades Used – Lord Cool and PolSilver

Material – 303 Stainless Steel – bead blasted

Weight – 115g

Head Width – 43.92mm

Handle Length – 89mm

Handle Diameter – 12.66mm

Availability – Above The Tie

Final Word – A great razor
 
What a delightful razor to use, well balanced, soo smoooooth, maneuverable and with efficiency approximating that of the Karve CB #B plate the Aristocrat provided a exceedingly close shave.

Hi @Errol, I wish I had found this thread earlier because I would have made better informed choices.
I recently purchase a 1966 Slim and IMHO it is far better than the Rockwell 6s and has displaced the Merkur Slant as favorite
I am curious if in your opinion the modern razors quoted below rate better than the Aristocrat.

If money is no object: RAW Shaving RS-10 Clear Cut - a clear winner by a country mile

Best shaves: Colonial Razor General Stainless Steel & Razorock Game Changer #.84 plate

Really good: Charcoal Goods Brass & Karve Christopher Bradley #D plate
 
Thanks for all the great reviews. Was interested in ATT. Sees it gets mentioned a lot. Do you normally shave close to the point of weepers? Or is that more a function of razor and blade choice.
 
Hi @Errol, I wish I had found this thread earlier because I would have made better informed choices.
I recently purchase a 1966 Slim and IMHO it is far better than the Rockwell 6s and has displaced the Merkur Slant as favorite
I am curious if in your opinion the modern razors quoted below rate better than the Aristocrat.

@Holiday thanks for the heartening comments. It appears that you are leaning to adjustable razors. Last year I posted a thread on a few adjustables that may be of interest to you and may help with a selection. Sometime in the future I will probably revisit the adjustables and incorporate them into this thread but in the mean time I'll concentrate on my shaving interest of modern razors; titanium, stainless steel, brass and bronze. The Adjustable thread:

https://paste-and-cut.com.au/community/threads/adjustable.5003/

I certainly own quite a few veteran and vintage razors and will incorporate them in the reviews as and when I feel inclined to give something different a try. I try and be honest with the reviews so if the Gillette Aristocrat 1951 gives me a good shave I will call the shot as I see it. I make no bones about the fact that I lean to modern razors but I do not discount the golden oldies. I've been keeping my personal favoured list up to date but have not posted it for a while. You will note the Aristocrat rates a mention.

Premium – Wolfman WR2, RAW Shaving RS-10, Charcoal Goods Brass

Best Shave – Colonial Razor General Stainless Steel, Razorock Game Changer #.84 plate

Really Good – Karve Christopher Bradley #D plate, Blackland Vector, Blackland Dart, Ikon B1 slant, Gillette Aristocrat 1951, ATT Classic/ Windsor R1/ H1

Best Travel – Colonial Razor General Stainless Steel

Thanks for all the great reviews. Was interested in ATT. Sees it gets mentioned a lot. Do you normally shave close to the point of weepers? Or is that more a function of razor and blade choice.

@Kevy Firstly lets get one thing straight. I hate the sight of blood, especially mine.

Since starting this thread I've had a slight change of direction in my feelings on razors. In my earlier reviews in this thread, when razors like Charcoal Goods, Karve CB, RAW RS-10, etc were reviewed I set out to shave with the razor and find what suited me. By only finding my sweet spot I'm missing out on the total experience that razor can deliver and in future will be reviewing razors with different plates, aggression levels individually. At some time I will revisit all those razors I've glanced over and redo each plate. The ATT is the first of the reviews where I'll be testing each of the plates as I go along. The ATT Classic R1 was thrown in so I could check the levels of efficiency were similar between the Classic and Windsor ranges. If you're not up for any more ATT razors, sorry, I'll be bombarding you with the H1 next Saturday.
 
Above The Tie Windsor Stainless Steel Satin SSH1 (USA)



This week the most efficient version of the ATT Windsor Stainless Steel Satin range, the SSSH1 is in the spotlight. A series of lather holes across the width of the plate, extending the head to cover the blade tabs and a nice satin bead blasted finish are the more obvious changes over the well known and respected ATT Classic range. Other than a change of plate the razor remains the same as that reviewed last week.

It’s getting on to three years since I last shaved with the ATT fitted with the H1 plate. I had previously felt that the H1 was way too aggressive for me and even though it never done anything wrong, I was always very tentative using the H1. How my attitude has changed; with both blades I was extremely impressed with the performance. At an efficiency level around the Karve CB #D plate level, the shave was smooth and there was a small amount of feel from the blade, what more could I ask for. The H1 is certainly a step up in efficiency to the R1 but for me it was not over the top. A very nice razor indeed and an impressive performer.

Blades Used – Gillette Silver Blue and PolSilver

Material – 303 Stainless Steel – bead blasted

Weight – 115g

Head Width – 43.92mm

Handle Length – 89mm

Handle Diameter – 12.66mm

Availability – Above The Tie

Final Word – A great razor
 
Well people to have my thread up as a sticky thread is an honour that I never expected. Thank you. What you read here is a byproduct of me wanting to keep a record of how each of my razors performs. If I don’t record accurately my results it backfires on me if I should ever want to try that razor again. I get embarrassed at times when someone asks about a razor that I don’t know. Recently the question was asked how the Timeless Bronze OC compared to the Timeless stainless steel .95. I have both razors but have not used the Bronze, I haven’t even scheduled it in my forward planning. My forward planning is very rubbery and is always being shuffled around as new pieces join the fray. Thanks again.
 
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