I took a chance on this, and after receiving it, and shaving with it, I'm pleased to say it's a very nice razor at a good price. I searched the forum here and didn't see any other references to it, so FWIW: It's 3.6" long, and 2.9 ounces in weight. It's certainly noticeably heavier that my EJ DE89L, and feels about the same as my Parker 99R, which weighs 3.2 ounces. The finish looks great, and the handle to head threads feel good/machined well. Because of my limited experience, I don't know if it's a clone of something else or not, but I'm sure someone here will be able to shed more light on that. The blade seats well, and using a Super-Max blade, I got a great shave. I'm not saying this is a "must have" razor by any means, but at $18.95 via Amazon, I feel like I got my money's worth. And, it might be a good choice for someone that doesn't want to spend more money for what seems to be a pretty decent razor. On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W4PR62/?tag=thshde-20 Photos:
I see a few Sabi razors on eBay with resin handles, but the bottom machining/pattern looks identical. Good call!
The worse that you could do is use it for a while and if you didn't like it sell it for the same that you paid for it on eBay!
the Pilot "Endeavor" that I had on order arrived today. Handle Length: 4.00 inches; Total Length: 4.375 inches; Weight: 3.7 ounces. Nice looking heavy handle.
Here is a pic of a Sabi 3 piece. They do have different handle styles, but this handle looks very very similar. It isn't a perfect match, but Sabi have several different handles like I said. I have two Sabi razors. One like this, and one with the thicker acrylic handle. This one has a head that shaves better. It could simply be a situation where the same razor is made for several companies with slight variations (if any).
First use of the Pilot "Endeavor" Handle Length: 4.00 inches; Total Length: 4.375 inches; Weight: 3.7 ounces. This morning I decided to give my new Pilot "Endeavor" a test drive. loaded up a Bi Ben Super Stainless. Used TSD Cedarwood soap and a Rooney 2/1 brush. To me this is a very heavy razor compared to my Gillette Ranger Tech. The handle is long and easy to hold onto while wet and soapy during shaving. The head looks almost identical to my EJ DE89L. The DE89L does seem to have tighter tolerances. I did notice that the blade fits very snug at the base of the threaded post making it difficult to remove the blade. Just have to be careful not to slice the finger prints off the finger tips. The end result was a DFS. At a cost of $26 from Amazon including a sample pack of 45 blades it is probably a decent buy for a starter kit. Oh, and the handle will screw onto a Gillette Tech head. I haven't tried that combo yet but who knows.
Hi there. I just wanted to chime in on my experience with a Pilot Endeavor. I just had my absolute first DE shave today after work after lurking around here and B&B for the last week. I ordered this kit from eBay : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pilot-Endeav...item19db62b6d3 Before I get into my review, heres a little background on me. I have been cartridge shaving since I was 17, mixing between the Fusions and Mach3's. My skin is super sensitive, my hair is course, and I almost always wind up with razor burn / ingrown hairs / cuts. The absolute best shave I had gotten was from a new fusion with Edge sensitive aloe canned gel, but even then they gave me horrible ingrown hairs a few days later. I work in Law Enforcement and must shave every day. While I could always get a " Profile " ( the term they use here for a medical excuse not to shave), I always loved having a BBS face so I wouldnt give in. By the time I got home from work today, I had a substantial amount of stubble already on my face. Well, the kit I ordered literally just came in and I couldnt wait to put it to the test! My first impression is that it felt solid and well made. The chrome was perfectly smooth and it had a nice weight behind it. The blades didn't quite exactly sit even but that was easily corrected once I loosened and aligned it. I loaded a Big Ben blade, lathered up my face with Edge gel, and started working on technique and proper angles. I watched every video maniac and geofatboy had to offer while I impatiently awaited its arrival. The pattern I chose was a 3 pass, N to S - Ear to Nose - and finally S to N. My first pass was with the Big Ben blade I had originally loaded, but I found it tugging / dragging too much. I removed the blade for the second pass and placed in the dreaded feather........ The only word to describe the feather is Heavenly. I dreaded the feather from reading all over that it was much too aggressive for a beginner.... and this was my first shave afterall. By the time pass two and three were finished, my face felt just as smooth as when I used a cartridge, and my face wasnt red!!! I must admit , I used a hair too much pressure on the feather on the first stroke and it quickly reminded me of what I learned here...... to let the weight of the razor head carry the blade! Luckily it was very minimal and barely a nick. Just enough to remind me to be slow and careful. All in all, I have to say the shave was nice, my face is smooth, and I have MUCH less irritation than when I shaved with the fusion. I even removed the blade, dried it, and hand stropped it when I finished for good measure. My first and surely worst DE shave felt about equal to any of my cartridge shaves thus far. I cant wait until my Soap and brush come in! Im hoping it will enhance the experience and make my skin even more smooth in the end Heres what I ordered.... Does anyone use this? Its a Glycerin based soap and the seller has decent feedback. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sea-BuckThor...item2ec7c13baa
pyraxiate I'm glade your first DE shave went so well..Very good move on your part to change blades when the Big Ben wasn't preforming corrctly for you..I've never understood the warning against noobies using the Feather. I dislike Feather not because it's sharp but beacause for my face it's harsh and doesn't give me a pleasent shave....I'm certainly glad the Feather works so well for you..... I'm sure when you get some decent shave soap it will get "MUCH" better!!!
Thanks bplatoon! I was surprised the feather performed so well for me after hearing it was one of the most aggressive blades. I'm thinking it was because I didn't have to apply much if any pressure to get the blade to cleanly cut. I believe that's where the bulk of my skin irritation comes from when shaving. As far as soaps go, I'm hoping using a better lather will help polish things off. The edge canned gel certainly did work, but my skin feels dry after 3 passes using it. I've never used a shaving soap before so I'm not sure what to expect. The ones I ordered looked nice and the seller had decent reviews. I can't wait for them to get here
Here are some soaps I use you might be interested in trying; First soaps I can aquire locally: Van der Hagan Delux and Williams Soaps I order: TSD Florida Water Rays of Colorado Goat Milk soap HoneyBee shave soap Pyrate Cove shave soap Arko shave stick RazorRoc Original and Cacoa All of these soaps I've used with great success......
Thanks for the recommendations I nearly ordered the Van der Hagan kit with bowl and brush but my wife likes the idea of a cucumber lather. I decided with the one I linked and ordered a couple days ago. If all else fails I'll likely go Williams since I'll already have a brush and bowl at that point Thanks again !
One good thing about a shave soaps is, if it doesn't work you can always still use it to wash hands and body with and just order another one.. As far as the VDH shave kit I also bought a kit in the beginning and while the brush will work, if you already have a brush there is no point in getting a VDH brush, it's not that good a brush I.M.O.(the one I have shed "ALOT"when it was in use)!! I use my little green VDH lather bowl everyday however I love it....
Well, I got the kit I ordered in. It seems to lather up nicely and my face does feel refreshed after using it Is it bad for me to use the same dish with my soap in it to lather it as well? Its a smaller dish that the soap fits perfect in and leaves about 2.5 inches on top that Ive been using to build the lather. Also, I found a good use for the Big Bens They work perfect for shaving my head ( I only do 1 pass wtg ). Its 10 times faster than the old 5 blade cartridge and not a nick! Wifey says it looks smoother too. Thanks for all the suggestions and recommendations guys!