I purchased out of curiosity a Russian "Ideal" adjustable razor off the bay and it arrived this morning along with 100 Rapira Platinum Lux blades purchased from another seller. The Ideal: I didn't know what to expect as reviews on line have been very mixed. Mine was well packed and has a great plastic case with space for the razor and spare blades. The very first thing I wanted to check was blade fit and evenness of blade projection. Visually both were fine. The finish on mine is very good in terms of no rough metal on the shave head or any areas touching hands or face. The TTO is smooth and closes evenly. The adjustment dial is definately not smooth - I would say rough but it works as it should right through the range. The razor is advertised as NOS and I definitely agree, it is a new razor. There was no excess oil etc so all I needed to do was get some alcohol on a cotton ball and give it a sanitising wipe over. Prior to that I got a spay can of silicon lubricant with a nozzle and put a minuscule amount into the adjustment ring. The result was much smoother. The colour of the razor is neither silver or gold but it really is nice. I recently got a Gillette slim and the Ideal has a much longer handle. The shave - man what a surprise. This is a very smooth and very mild razor. At 1 it just barely cut the whiskers . I kept adjusting until 4 and it was now a good shave. So smooth and still very mild. I put it on 6 and it was now singing - not a harsh heavy metal band, a very harmonious barber shop quartet. The adjustment may not be set correctly but from 4 on there is plenty of adjustment available. My verdict - Without knowing what the razor was and basing it on the actual shave experience and dismissing preconceived ideas based on prejudices of any kind I would score it just under my Merkur progress but a better shave than the Gillette Slim. The Rapira Platinum Lux blades: These were a big dissapointment. Not smooth and not sharp. I will try the Styrene trick. That may help, may not either. However the ebay seller for the Ideal adjustable included some Rapira Super Stainless blades and they are fabulous. I do mean fabulous, to the point I want some more. Very close shave, no irritation and works brilliantly in the Ideal. Steve
Thanks for the great review Steve My ideal razor just arrived yesterday as well. I will be taking a break from my 30 day focus over the weekend to give it a try. Mine arrived looking really good. The only cosmetic issue was the usual bad paint job on the adjustment numbers. The door mechanism is not as smooth as a Gillette, but they close tightly and evenly. I loaded in a test blade and had the same issue that Misphit did with it sticking out slightly more on one side. A quick correction with needle nose pliers to square up the center bar fixed it. The razor is now sitting on my bathroom counter, ready to go. Have any of you Ideal owners tried the Sputnik blades that came with it? I checked one out last night and they look kind of scary. I will try them at some point, but it wont be an evening where I have someplace to go the next day lol....
I've got an older model that is all in metal, and I like it. Although I find he shave to be better and smoother at the end of the adjustment dial at 8-9
I like the red top on that one. Mine has a slightly different case. Still sitting on my counter untried. Maybe tonight finally....
So I threw a Voskhod blade in mine, cranked it up to 7 and had myself a shave. The Ideal gave me an absolutely terrific shave. As the OP posted it was right up there with, and even a bit better than my slim adjustable. Hands down the best $20 I ever spent on a razor!
I ordered 25 7 o'clock Super Platinum Blues from Russia earlier this week. Down to 3 of these blades and hadn't seen any in over 2 years as they are out of production
SDK - I started with my Slim this morning and was really surprised to put the Slim away and pick up the Ideal. A razor I've found to be super smooth is the Feather Popular and the Ideal seems to me to the equal and adjustable.
Good write up on the razor. I like both the Rapiras you mentioned. I actually find the platinum lux to get better on the second and third shaves for whatever reason.
I just did a second shave with the Ideal/Voskhod combo. Super, super close and smooth shave again I also like Feather blades and can imagine them working well on a slightly milder setting than I used with the Voskhods. The Ideal may finally unseat my FHT after an almost year long reign as my go to/mild/ blade and soap tester razor. Really can't say enough about it. I am starting an Injector focus in April and am going to shave with the Ideal for the rest of March. It should have me heading into April with my skin in top condition. I don't think I could nick or irritate myself with this razor if I tried....