Looking forward to it! Before trying the V2, I was torn between whether I'd prefer its grooved handle or the V3's contours. Now, I'm anxious to get a direct comparison. I'd love for my wife to try it but I haven't been able to get any of mine in her hands. Maybe the Bunny will do the trick.
The Bunny has arrived!! First impression is that this is a beautiful piece of work. Tom @twhite what an amazing job of conception and execution. It's really a beautiful razor. My plan is to shave with it later this afternoon. I'll be working on 1+ day of growth, so not too stubbly. I'm thinking I'll try the NOTSO comb first. Thank you again to @Karl G for shepherding the East Coast Pass Around. Thank you to @JBSharp for sending the Bunny to me (it's very clean and shiny) and of course to Tom for such craftmanship and willingness to let us all try it. I'll report back later!
Thank for the kind words. I hope you enjoy the shaves. You will be getting the V3 to test also. I would really like to get your thoughts on your comparisons on each razor. Have fun Tom Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
SOTD June 22, 2016 First full report with the Bunny V2! Blade: Chinese Schick Razor: Bunny V2 courtesy of @twhite Brush: Semogue 1520 boar Lather: Ginger's Garden Salty Mariner Post: Witch hazel splash, Fine Platinum, Nivea sensitive balm WTG, XTG First of all, the craftmanship and beauty of this razor is unparalleled. I love the art deco design and the feel of the razor. It's really well-done. Tom - you should be proud! I struggled with the angle, honestly. It was fine on my upper face but when I got to my neck I found the handle being pulled closer to my face, like I would with a Schick injector or SE razor. That ended up giving me a little redness on my neck (since I was probably scraping the skin more than cutting). I'll be more cognizant of the angle on the next shave. I've never used a razor where the handle angle is almost perpendicular to the skin. It seemed that I needed to do a little more face stretching or maneuvering in order to get flat areas to shave. Concave areas didn't shave as smooth as the flat areas of my face. I hope that makes sense. I had to go over a couple of those areas in the XTG pass a little more diligently. Perhaps I used too little pressure? Also, I had a little trouble seeing around the razor head in small touch-up areas (such as under the nostrils and around a pesky mole on my chin). In the end my upper face is pretty darn smooth but my neck and throat area is more stubbly and a little irritated. I'm contributing that solely to the angle that I couldn't maintain. I'll work harder on the next shave for that angle. I loved the razor! I hope my comments don't come off as completely negative or ungrateful. I'm humbled to try it and look forward to tomorrow's shave! I hope to add a few pictures of where I am at the moment (at my in-laws, not at my home). There are some cool locations to take pictures. I'm hoping for that tomorrow. Thanks @twhite!
Great comments. I think you'll find your neck improving with more usage. I actually found my neck was closer than any other razor I've used, DE our SE.
SOTD June 23, 2016 Blade: Chinese Schick Razor: Bunny V2 Brush: Semogue 1520 boar Lather: Ginger's Garden Salty Mariner Post: Witch hazel splash, Nivea sensitive balm WTG, XTG (upper face only), WTG and touch-up on neck I took another run with the NOTSO comb earlier today. I didn't have much growth due to shaving less than 24 hours prior. The angle was again hard to maintain. I can do well on my upper face but my neck is a challenge. The WTG pattern on my neck is from left to right (for the majority) instead of north to south. That adds a little difficulty to the angle for me. I also have some trouble getting the sensitive or tight spots (upper lip, particularly right under the nostrils, around my chin, etc). Those areas aren't as smooth as normal. Overall I have some really, really smooth areas that feel good contrasted with a few stubbly areas. A good shave all in all. Thanks again Tom @twhite for the opportunity!
Give the MILD comb a try (if you haven't already). I found that comb the smoothest, close, most comfortable and most consistent.
Well, this is interesting -- with the V3 chasing the V2 for a couple of users, we'll have two sets of concurrent reviews for a while. Try to keep up! Thanks, @twhite, for your work in turning this new V3 out. I got the V3 yesterday and had a first shave today. I'll get pictures up tonight/tomorrow. To recap, I've already had a few shaves with the V2's grooved and tapered cylindrical handle. Asthetically, I'm torn between the graceful curves of the V3 and the more industrial edges of the V2. They both have an Art Deco sensibility which I love. The two piece design of the V2 also incorporates a copper washer, which is a beautiful accent. This morning I made two passes with the Wild comb, WTG and XTG. I got a fine shave, although I didn't chase even a DFS because I'd gotten in a hurry and had my lather a little flat. Even then, the razor went smoothly across my face. The angle was familiar from the V2, although I found myself using a more delicate grip with the V3. It feels a good bit lighter than the V2 but handled well. I ended up with my thumb and forefinger holding it about a finger's width from the end, with my middle finger resting on the tip for stability; a not unusual grip, I think, for similarly structured and balanced handles. With the V2, I believe I had a thumb and two fingers around the handle, with my ring finger touching the tip. My initial impression is that I prefer the V2 handle. It may be that the heavy head of the Bunny is better balanced in my hands by the heavier V2 handle. (YMMV of course.) I guess I like taking a firmer grip, although I never consciously thought about it before now. I might add that I'm not necessarily used to a firmer grip, because most of my experience is with vintage Gillettes with standard handles, comparatively light and narrow. Still, to be clear, I would unreservedly take the V2 or the V3 (but the V2 first ). That's not a final verdict, just initial impressions. Enjoy the V2, @PLAla. This V3 will coming your way after a few more shaves. EDIT: I FORGOT LOADING THE BLADE! (tagging @twhite) This V3 does have a reworked, stronger spring, and I loaded a fresh blade before shaving. As before, I had to give the key a slight twist away from the head to fully insert it. The new blade didn't want to clear the head and slide in, so I had to lift slightly to get that started. THEN the new blade wasn't yet centered with the slider fully extended (does that make sense?) The far edge of the blade was just barely over the blade stop. I had to re-cock the slider and use the next blade to slightly push the loaded blade into place. After all of that, no problem with the shave, so no harm to the blade. I'll use the same blade tomorrow and then load a new one. I may get more used to the process. Over time, the tight spring may loosen a bit, in which case I think it would be in really good shape. I can fully understand how this would be the trickiest part to get right on an injector.
Yes this spring is tighter than the others for sure. I too think it may loosen a bit over time in the pass around. We will see how it goes. This after all the purpose of my pass around. Find all the bugs I can. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Second shave this morning with the V3. I paid more attention to my grip and found myself using a more aggressive hold than I realized, with two or three fingers opposing my thumb. It was another fine shave, two passes with the Wild comb, no change there. Tomorrow morning I intend to follow the Wild with Mild or Notso for finishing touchups, and make sure I have a fuller lather. I've been in a hurry these past two mornings, and used a brushless cream today.
Nothing special... Head Slick was cheap and on my local supermarket shelf, so I gave it a shot. It's tolerable; as promised, it is slick, with a light menthol kick. With a damp brush it actually works quite well, but I probably won't buy it again. I went brushless today, in a hurry to get my son to football practice and get myself on to work. I gave it a quick review here, if you have a minute.
Third shave with the V3: Stirred up a nice lather with vintage Colgate Cup Soap and made three passes, WTG and ATG, then XTG on my cheeks. Finished with a BBS on my cheeks and a near DFS underneath. I never push for more than that underneath, because the direction of growth makes it hard to find and keep the proper approach, and the irritation isn't worth it. Having said that, my under area is very smooth today except for one patch where I apparently didn't keep the right angle. So, as before, handling the bunny is a treat and a joy. I'm still having trouble loading the blade. The new blade gets caught on the side of the razor head, and I have to lift the injector and do some wiggling to get it started. This morning I was trying to load it with as little maneuvering as possible, and the blade suddenly gave and slid fully across. I was afraid I had run the blade across the stops, and the first swipe confirmed it. After changing that blade out, I had a nice shave. That's my only concern at this point. Remember, I have limited experience with injectors, so there may be some user error involved here. I'm going to rewatch Tom's video and look at it again. Would still buy this razor because it's such a joy to handle and shave with.
Fourth shave with the V3. No new opinions about blade loading: I didn't load a new one tonight, but will do so for my next and final shave. Did three passes with the Wild, which was a bit much. I should have stuck with the Mild or Notso for the third pass, as I ended up with some mild but lasting irritation underneath. Not the fault of the razor, but of the user. I'm enjoying this handle more and more, as I continue using it. As for a final statement on comparing it with the V2, I'll reserve that until I get one more shave on Monday. (Giving it and my face a day off on Sunday.) The shave itself was a wild card. I'm away from home for the weekend, at my Dad's for the weekend, and I'd never used either the soap or brush I decided to bring. (Nothing like painting yourself into a corner!) Tonight, a Kent Infinity Silvertex synthetic picked up some Soap Commander Endurance and got busy in a salsa bowl. The Kent is my first synthetic, incredibly soft. The Soap Commander Endurance is part of a sampler I picked up after Christmas. I didn't get the lather quite right, as it was plenty slick, but stayed thin and never popped like I expected it to. I'm not used to this synthetic brush, and I'm sure I didn't have enough soap loaded in it. I've only used two other brushes, and this synthetic has a feel that's totally new to me. I'm looking forward to the next time, because the soap smells great and I still got a great shave. I believe it's meant to evoke Old Spice, and it's very nice. My only regret is that the scent didn't stay with me. Which may also go back to the fact that I needed more soap. I didn't think to get a picture until I'd cleaned up. You'll see the sample pick in my handy Glad container. One more personal note: After having the V2 and now the V3, it feels like I've had the Bunny for a LONG time, and I'm conscious of wanting to keep her moving. It wasn't feasible to get meaningful time with the V3 and get it in the mail before this holiday weekend, so I'm trying to make the most of this extended time. Apologies if anyone feels that I'm gumming up the works. Will have it in the mail Tuesday, Perry!
No worries! I'm going to shave with the V3 a few times and then send it on. It'll be neat compare the V2 to the V3.
We have an updated list. Welcome aboard @dustmite 1. Redfisher 2. poppi 3. Jayaruh 4. richgem 5. AGHisBBS 6. ilts 7. youngunn 8. Herm2502 9. JBSharp (with the V3) 10. PLAla 11. gzp 12. mrdrakeness 13. Robyflexx 14. david of central florida 15. Spyder 16. Mr. Freeze93 17. old-school shaver 18. Mbg75 19. dustmite The sign-up is still open
To paraphrase the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"...The Bunny Keeps Marching On...! (You have to sing it.)
