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Standard Razor Set

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Standard Razor Set

beas

Mar 8, 2016

This is a razor that is not on any of the suppliers lists on not on any wet shave sites. I would go with a known entity such as the Feather or Ikon which were both featured in the last 2 razor drops. I just received my Ikon OSS from Massdrop and it has become my number one go to after the first shave. The workmanship is a sight to behold, it's 100% stainless steel and it's a US product.

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KTEN

Mar 11, 2016

beasfor newcomers feather etc are expensive, also steel is for cheap razors IMO, all the nicest ones I own or have handled including my daily user are brass (oft chrome plated), better weight which is good for DE's too. Never used one of these but looked them up as intrigued. All info i found on these says build is bad, tolerance is way out etc. Merkur, Muhle and Edwin Jagger are much better recommendations when people are new, don't know what blade distance/aggressivness etc suits them yet. Aside from something like the Merkur Futur which may cost more but is adjustable I'd say go with the low end merkur/ED and similar until you know what you want. Then you can shop for different weights, long barber handle/standard/short, different comb/bar gaps and so on based on your first experience.

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beas

Mar 13, 2016

KTENI would agree about the recomendations for new being Jagger, Muhle or Merkur but not this unknown,. Ikon, Ikon is very highly rated. FYI , Ikons are formed in a computer operated CNC milling machine. The Jaggers, Muhle and Merkurs are made from Zamack a pot metal zinc alloy. They're great so long as you don't drop them.. You should get active on some shaving sites and learn more before you make comments saying steel is cheap. Ikon is stainless not cheap pot metal . I own a Muhle R89 Twist which is well made but it's also made from plated Zamack and Gillete Vintage which is brass

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KTEN

Mar 13, 2016

beasI am active on many plus I'm a knife maker so I know steel varies but the stuff is overpriced, particularly feather but people pay it and I admit razors take serious work on finishing especially. 316L stainless though is cheap, I use it as liners in some of my folders, it is your plain vanilla goto for stainresistant steel for liners and clips and isn't exotic by any stretch trust me it is cheap. I admit Ikon are very good as are feather but not for the price to performance ratio. I do own some english made brass Edwin Jaggers btw they are not all zamak. Also zamak composition varioes and some are not so bad, I'd had some italian stuff that was gorgeous and tough enough to withstand a drop. Maybe we digree on that which is fine but sooo many people ask me about my DE's or straights and if I tell them to go for my favs they just switch off and go back to cartridges. It may be right for enthusiasts because we KNOW what we are looking for and dropping a lot of cash on something you don't know is suited to your taste seems to make people throw out the whole de or straight shaving idea. I use a custom straight that would be out of most peoples budget but I like french point for a start etc so what is right for me isn't for most looking at their first razors which this kind of price range is.
Same with brushes, most would say go with massive knot finest silvertip, I prefer small knot and high density stuff with more backbone so for someone to buy one of my custom brushes fro mthe getgo it may put them off and at that price they wont try other brushes. If they choose a finest badger or lower grade treated tips silvertip then they can work out bigger/smaller knot, density, hardness of tips and backbone through trying those cheap brushes then buy the big one when they are in the ballpark.

daltonnabors

May 6, 2016

KTENKten Since you sound like a well versed enthusiast, What blades would you recommend as replacements?

KTEN

May 6, 2016

daltonnaborsblades are very subjective hence they cause arguments on forums, I personally use yellow Gillette 7 O'Clock "Sharp Edge" on face and head (with proraso red (tub not tube)) and feel as almost as sharp as feathers do to me but keep an edge longer on my hair and are more consistent. The yellow sharp edge are zao petersburg products made Russian ones, Gillette blades are made in many countries. Feathers not consistent for me, occassionally I find the blades are rough and others said had same issues between blades in same batch, some say stropping fixes but when I'm bothering with more prep like stropping I use a straight so can't be a***d with needless shennanigans for such an expensive blade I'm using for speed/convenience. With any blade try a small pack (they may not suit you) before buy a load, yellow se are dirt cheap here in Europe for 100pack (5blades a pack) so presume same in most countries. I buy 200 a pop and they last me a looong time.

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KTEN

May 7, 2016

daltonnaborsI guess it depends on skin type, hair type, technique, shave soap/cream and how you wet you make lather etc so experiences vary. Like I say try a few sample packs (10 packs of assorteds) before buy a load, then buy the big packs when find one you like. Top of the easily found sensible price but higher performance are from Russia usually but many Turkish, Israeli, Polish & Czech often make the lists. The common ones include feathers (Japanese, good but over priced imo but try if find deal on them for sure), astra super plat, derby (I HATE them but work great for many), iridiums, persona, gilette 7o'clocks in various types; yellow sharp edge & green super stainless from Russia most common and highly rated here in Europe, not the green Indian ones. The 7 blues and the blacks are supposed to be good but not tried yet as each time I came to think about doing it I bought yellows for same price or less. There is a forum guy who took microscope pics a few years back off all the common blades and there was visible difference even ones from same factory surprsingly.

viiceroy

May 7, 2016

daltonnaborsI bought a 100 pack of astra superior platinum for $10 and have yet to go through them all. Not the best blade, but worth the price.

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beas

May 8, 2016

viiceroyThe common phrase used when describing blade characteristics is YMMV (your mileage may vary) I usually watch and listen to comments. If they're from a credible information source I'll order a pack or 2 when I'm putting an order in. Whats great for me and my razors may be not so great for you but generally the odds are higher with more of the rank and file. A couple that I've found great are the blades that massdrop include with their Ikons , the SuperMax Titanium (Indian Origin), the made in Pakistan Treet Platinum are dirt cheap and very smooth, I'm getting 3-4 shaves but I could get more. Rapira Swedish Steel, Platinum Lux and Voskhod all come out of the St Petersburg Russian plant and are very good (smooth and fairly sharp) Polsilver are amazing but priced accordingly. Israeli Personnas are good as well. Be careful though, a few weeks ago I noticed a good price on Gillette Silver Blues and they were noted as Russian blades from St Petersburg yet they were shipped from China. Any mentions are blades I've tried and liked. Don't discount the quality of the Treet Platinums, they might be a good fit, I've never heard any negatives on them, there are a few other Treet blade types that I haven't tried. The chinese can copy anything so use a known source. Don't believe me or any one person, go to Badger and Blade and read some of the threads about blade purchases. I don't know what the limitations are so far as links are concerned but if ebay scares you there are some really well regarded suppliers in Canada, US, Ireland, UK. The best price on the treets (for me)was from the UK shipped to Canada.
An important issue can be a scratch brush, one side of my neck will break out and I'll get more weepers than I should with even a well broken in boar so a plisson type synthetic or a 2 band silvertip seems to soothe the savage beast. Don't let irritation destroy a fun hobby. Witchhazel (no burn)and an alum block helps as well.
Last word of advice......If you think you don't like a blade put the rest of thepack back in the drawer and try it later, maybe in a different razor. It could be a bad blade, that does happen, The razor matters as well. The known standard razors are where they are because they consistently hold the blade in the right position and clamp it tightly. Many of the lower priced razors are rebranded Indian or Chinese knock offs. Edwin Jagger/Muhle share the same basic closed comb head and merkur has their own. Companies like Ikon, Wolf, Feather (and more) precisely machine the head so that the blade will always be presented at the correct blade exposure. The best razors have a bar that fits the slot in the centre of the DE blade. Some use 3 posts that fit into the centre holes of the blade. If the blade can move and present the edge with an irregular blade exposure or gap then your face could suffer.
Soapbox mode off Beas

srhardy

May 12, 2016

beasI think ikons are made in thailand.

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srhardy

May 12, 2016

KTENsome razors like the abovethetie's are 303 stainless steel, while others are the higher grade 316L, like Rockwell razor's. Is their an appreciable difference in longevity and rust resistance and should it factor into making a choice based on this alone?

beas

May 13, 2016

srhardyThe Rockwell is injection molded which makes for a more reasonable piece but won't have the precision of a milled razor

repete66219

106

May 13, 2016

srhardyUsing a razor that's stored in doors doesn't produce the sort of conditions where the difference between 303 and 316 can be appreciated.

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repete66219

106

May 13, 2016

daltonnaborsGillette Silver Blues work great in this razor, but you should do your own exploring.

Solli

May 13, 2016

beasI have the Rockwell 6S, what you mean by precision wont be as good as the milled ones? I'm sure final finish when it comes to how the head looks I would say its maybe 1 notch lover than the milled razors, but since its sand blasted that one notch is almost non existent. Now considering is all stainless steel, adjustability going from as mild as Feather ASD2 to Merkur Futur #6 and I got it for $79 shipped with the awesome tin can that sadly they don't offer it anymore, its the best razor purchase I have ever made. Currently the razor cost $99 shipped and no matter if you are brand new to DE razors or just someone who has the hang of shaving with DE razor and can tackle high aggressive razors, the Rockwell 6S is purchase you will never regret if you decide to stick with DE shaving and not go back to cartriges or electric shavers.