Picked one of these up just to try an open comb. General consensus is that the Jaws is moderately aggressive so I thought it was a safe place to start. I have put it through 4 shaves on crystal blade and 1 on a Personna blade that I have been told is a Lab Blue even though it is in a plain white wrapper. I don't think I have done anything more than a 2 pass shave WTG and XTG on face, WTG only on neck. Very happy with the results. My neck is smoother and less irritated than same treatment with my Edwin Jagger DE89 or Merkur 39C. In fact, today was the first shave with the Personna (which I didnt like in the EJ or 39C) so I only did WTG 2 passes all over. Some feedback from the alum but a surprising level of comfort once that sat and then rinsed. I was a fan of the slant but I am loving the OC aggression. 5 consecutive shaves and no weepers, but admittedly I have been going slow and doing minimal passes. But the results are great. On my second 2 pass shave with the Crystal and 1 day's growth, I was really close to BBS. As for the feel of the razor, I am not a fan of the handle. Thin and rough. I like some grip but this is just plain rough. I havent decided if I am going to replace the handle or just get a different OC. Cadet or FaTip have better handle options or I could go vintage with a Gillette Old or New.
WHAT? My Old is new to me and I only have three shaves on it, but I thought it milder than my two New LCs. Go figger! To paraphrase @swarden43, "That's what I love about this hobby: you only get the Truth."
The RazoRock Jaws was my first OC razor and I used it almost exclusively for two months. It gives a great shave and the handle is excellent. It is in regular rotation with all of my other OC's (NEW, Old Type, Single Ring, ABC Pocket Edition, New Improved, Rotbart) and some others that have no name. They are all very efficient razors and work well with most blades. Enjoy your adventure.
The Old Type is the same style as the Jaws where it has no gap and skirts the lather. Just like the Jaws, it's un-shimmable. Shims do nothing because of the way the head is designed. However...like the Tech and EJ89, you can shim the Gillette New. The Old Type is what got me into the Jaws. I thought I had to go way aggressive to get a good shave, turns out all I needed was a Tech and a Maggard, haha.
Really? I have not yet ventured into shims, but why can't you put your shim under the blade? Wouldn't that increase the gap? Curious...
You can put the shim on, you will just see no difference in gap. On some razors you can and will see a difference. Atleast on the EJ89, the base plate props up the top cap in the middle, so it has gap. I don't own calipers or feeler gauges, so I can't measure it. But from looking at it, it looks like shimming the OT and Jaws doesn't do a thing.
If you are looking for a better handle, you may want to get a Utopia, and you will have a great handle you can use on almost every 3 piece razor. http://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Care-handle-Safety-Blades/dp/B00CCGK2J4 This is the Utopia handle on my Old Type.
Following up on this post. I have been using the Jaws pretty much exclusively since my first post and I still am a fan. The fairly aggressive open comb plays well with my course beard. I can get a quick CCS with a pass and touchups when in a hurry or I can take my time and go for DFS neck and BBS cheeks with an extra pass or 2. Guess I got a lucky break with a no QC issues on mine. I have even become accustomed to the handle for now. So far I have used Personna lab blue, Voshkod, Personna red, and Crystal blades in it, all with success. I have some Feather, Rapira, and Sputnik lined up next. This is how much I like it...I have a Merkur 39c that I was in love with...but is sitting in my shave box. I have an R41 grande that I was obsessed with picking up that I haven't even tried yet, sitting in my shave box. The value that this little $15 razor has given me is immense and I am strongly considering selling the other 2. I don't want to keep all of my razors that I have now and even if I like the r41 more, I wouldn't get the same resell value out of the Jaws. I am pretty sure all this means is I am a fan of an aggressive razor so don't go out hunting for specifically the Jaws. I am sure a FaTip, Cadet, or Pearl open comb would do the job just as well for the same price range.
That is what I have read. I only included the fatip because it is readily available and generally considered as aggressive as the Jaws, if not more.
Oh okay. I wasn't sure if you knew. I wasn't trying to be condescending, I was trying to be informative.
