Weekly Razor Review

@Errol , that's an honest and bang on review mate. My love for the Harlequin actually stems from the one Vintage razor that I am a huge fan of - The Gillette Goodwill. Having shaved with that awesome Gillette in the past, I grabbed a Harlequin head on discount. I'm not a fan of Yaqi making their razors look like bling often as in the over polished ones and neither was I attracted to the original handle so stuck my Razor head on a Stando Svarga. The first shave with a Wizamet Super Iridium had my full attention as I was sure after a few strokes that it would bite but it was efficient and I got away with no damage.

Over the next few shaves, I fell in love with the Harlequin head and discovered that the Gillette Blue Swedes and even the Personna Lab blades worked well in it for me. I always get a two pass BBS with a touch up or two thrown in. It isn't a razor I would pick up everyday but every third day and it's perfect for me. I didn't have any issues with my threading on the top cap or the handle end but having said that, consistent QC issues need to be dealt with as far as Yaqi is concerned.
 


Saponificio Veresino SV2.0 (Italy)



Razors from Italy seem to come in spurts and then there is nothing for a long time. Sure, there are some constant manufacturers but it seems that individual outlets are now developing and releasing new models in small batches. Once stock in that batch is exhausted, they release a new model rather than do a resupply, a nuisance for collectors like myself, by the time I receive and schedule the razor, there is a new model, hopefully that won’t be the case with the Saponificio Veresino V2. 303 stainless steel has been used for the head but there is 14 different choices of wood or resin for the handle. Mine has the deep black Makassar Ebony wood handle with polished stainless steel fittings. To the naked eye there the Ebony is a solid black, however the camera can identify the wood grain. The design of the Veresino looks to be well thought out so I expect it to work exceptionally well. Round blade posts on the cap do not sit flush with the bottom of the plate, an observation and not a complaint. Something I’ve not seen before but really like, are the machined flats at the outer edge of round surface of the cap, they should accommodate a variety of shave angles (Mr Henson, please take note). On the underside, outer edge of the cap is another flat for blade clamping. One negative aspect to the quality of the machining is the thread engagement, it could be a lot better. Other than the underside of the cap which maintains its machine marks, the remainder of the metal work is deeply polished.

I was not at all surprised when the wooden handle provided true positive grip, all done without knurling or grooves for assistance, it looks good and wet or dry, it didn’t matter. Efficiency wise the Veresino was very similar to Karve CB level C, positioning it at the bottom end of my operational sweet spot. Even more appealing was the pleasant amount of positive blade that the Veresino has designed in. This allowed me to really enjoy the comfortable shaves on offer without any thought of self harm so long as I didn’t do anything really stupid. When a smooth shave is so easily achieved, it’s hard not be impressed by the performance of the Veresino.

Blades Used – Glatz and Gillette Minora

Material – 303 Stainless Steel and Makassar Ebony

Weight – 71.6g

Blade Tab - Covered

Head Width – 43.03mm

Handle Length – 85.66mm

Handle Diameter – 16.19mm

Availability – Saponificio Veresino

Final Word – Give me more
 
Errol said:


Saponificio Veresino SV2.0 (Italy)



Razors from Italy seem to come in spurts and then there is nothing for a long time. Sure, there are some constant manufacturers but it seems that individual outlets are now developing and releasing new models in small batches. Once stock in that batch is exhausted, they release a new model rather than do a resupply, a nuisance for collectors like myself, by the time I receive and schedule the razor, there is a new model, hopefully that won’t be the case with the Saponificio Veresino V2. 303 stainless steel has been used for the head but there is 14 different choices of wood or resin for the handle. Mine has the deep black Makassar Ebony wood handle with polished stainless steel fittings. To the naked eye there the Ebony is a solid black, however the camera can identify the wood grain. The design of the Veresino looks to be well thought out so I expect it to work exceptionally well. Round blade posts on the cap do not sit flush with the bottom of the plate, an observation and not a complaint. Something I’ve not seen before but really like, are the machined flats at the outer edge of round surface of the cap, they should accommodate a variety of shave angles (Mr Henson, please take note). On the underside, outer edge of the cap is another flat for blade clamping. One negative aspect to the quality of the machining is the thread engagement, it could be a lot better. Other than the underside of the cap which maintains its machine marks, the remainder of the metal work is deeply polished.

I was not at all surprised when the wooden handle provided true positive grip, all done without knurling or grooves for assistance, it looks good and wet or dry, it didn’t matter. Efficiency wise the Veresino was very similar to Karve CB level C, positioning it at the bottom end of my operational sweet spot. Even more appealing was the pleasant amount of positive blade that the Veresino has designed in. This allowed me to really enjoy the comfortable shaves on offer without any thought of self harm so long as I didn’t do anything really stupid. When a smooth shave is so easily achieved, it’s hard not be impressed by the performance of the Veresino.

Blades Used – Glatz and Gillette Minora

Material – 303 Stainless Steel and Makassar Ebony

Weight – 71.6g

Blade Tab - Covered

Head Width – 43.03mm

Handle Length – 85.66mm

Handle Diameter – 16.19mm

Availability – Saponificio Veresino

Final Word – Give me more
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From my experience with this razor, your review is spot on @Errol. I picked up one with a faux horn handle and really like like it.

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@Errol Terrific Review of one Beautiful razor. Sometimes we neglect the aesthetics and the artistic brilliance that a razor embodies. Like you mate and thanks to you, I have come to appreciate the uniqueness of using different kinds of wood. The Makassar Ebony wood handle is stunning and this is the kind of razor that one would desire to pick up as often as possible. SV products spell class but cost an arm and a leg for what they offer in terms of engineering and design concept. Many modern Artisans will trump them with their new offerings.

If SV dropped the price on their V2 razors, I'd be on the purchase list in a flash.
 
Goodfellas Bayonetta (Italy)



It’s a substantial looking razor but somehow Rasoigoodfellas has managed to keep the weight of their brass Bayonetta to under the benchmark 100g. Looking through the end of the head, yes through under the end of the cap, there is a wide machined out section in the cap that leaves the material very thin at its corner. A tight radius on this super lite cap pushes the blade line rearward but it should not hinder shaving in those tight spots. There are wide blade clamping flats machined on the underside of the cap, but they are somewhat wasted because they overlap the chamfered off an edge of the block on the plate. Goodfellas have machined the plate to be it quite thin where it contacts the skin; further emphasizing this thin edge is the convex profile to the back of the plate. Two wide channels on each side of the plate allow the lather through the plate. A series of circular grooves and five longitudinal grooves provide grip to the handle, but a fine reverse taper machines out the grooves towards the end of the handle. Completing this razor’s appealing presentation is its sand blasted finish.

With efficiency somewhere between Karve CB level #D and level #C, I was certainly impressed by the Bayonetta’s pleasing manners. Goodfellas have introduced a pleasant amount of positive blade so for my money, they got the formula very much right to deliver both a comfortable and smooth shave. There is nothing particularly special about the razor that stands out, it is an ageless design that can be easily overlooked but that is to everybody’s detriment. All we need now is for Rasoigoodfella to start supplying their products into Australia.

Blades Used – Gillette Platinum and

Material – Brass

Weight – 98.5g

Blade Tab – Covered

Head Width – 43.6mm

Handle Length – 86.94mm

Handle Diameter – 11.47mm

Availability – Rasoigoodfellas

Final Word – Good stuff
 
@Errol , a much awaited and lovely review of a Brass razor that gained a lot of popularity during its release. Many had it plated in Nickel, Rhodium and even 24K Gold only to sell those off a month later. I don't know if its a trend but most Italian manufacturers seem to be concentrating on delivering mid aggression or milder razors, Goodfellas did that with the Aluminum Styletto, the Syntesi ( Al and SS) and the Valynor.

How would you compare this to the Karve Overlander in terms of smoothness and efficiency?

And would you say this is the best brass offering for under 60 USD?
 
Bladerunner7 said:
@Errol , a much awaited and lovely review of a Brass razor that gained a lot of popularity during its release. Many had it plated in Nickel, Rhodium and even 24K Gold only to sell those off a month later. I don't know if its a trend but most Italian manufacturers seem to be concentrating on delivering mid aggression or milder razors, Goodfellas did that with the Aluminum Styletto, the Syntesi ( Al and SS) and the Valynor.

How would you compare this to the Karve Overlander in terms of smoothness and efficiency?

And would you say this is the best brass offering for under 60 USD?
Click to expand...
@Bladerunner7 you’re right about most Italian made razors being on the mid range efficiency side, there are very few that go much above that but every one is smooth. The Bayonetta is slightly more efficient than the Overlander but both will deliver comfortable shaves.

If I was in the market for a sub $60.00 razor I would look no further than a Yintal DE. Probably too mild for you.
 
Errol said:
@Bladerunner7 you’re right about most Italian made razors being on the mid range efficiency side, there are very few that go much above that but every one is smooth. The Bayonetta is slightly more efficient than the Overlander but both will deliver comfortable shaves.

If I was in the market for a sub $60.00 razor I would look no further than a Yintal DE. Probably too mild for you.
Click to expand...
Actually Errol I did get the Yintal with the old Head and the new design too. The older version was exactly as you reviewed it, smooth and efficient. It was hard to believe that it costs a fraction of what other brass razors do

Now here is what caught me by surprise. Previously I had written off the new Yintal razor head after a single pass, my folly. So I went back to it and realised that it performs like the Overlander,.smooth as silk, practically no blade feel, superb ATG pass and a BBS with two and half passes.

I have to agree with you at the price point the YIntal is top value.
 
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