Alright gents, let's not go where we shouldn't and start talking about what happens across the street, please keep to the topic at hand.
Looking at that black one as a great possibility for my first slant I too, will be very curious to get some reviews on how the performance compares to what is already out there....
I saw a review on YouTube and it looks good. The reviewer said that he couldn't get razorburn with it. He deliberately made all the mistakes that usually gives him razor burn, and nothing. He had a lot of good stuff to say about this razor.
So we will be able to order a plain old silver colored one instead of black? That would be nice, now I hope it is affordable.
Joe sold the initial test ones for $50 which were supposedly his cost. Since he's not one to price gouge us on anything and he prides himself on delivering high quality items at reasonable prices, I'm guessing maybe $75 for the razor. Totally a guess on my part though as I have no inside information.
When he sold off the last 9 prototypes on the bay, he was selling them for $99. Don't know if that's a sneak preview of the actual price or not, but I'm guessing yes.
Joe said these things elsewhere on the interwebs: There will be a few minor cosmetic changes, but very small and nothing at all that changes the geometry of the head or how it shaves. The prototypes were done on a less advanced CNC machine, but the shop has purchased and installed a state-of-the-art, quarter million dollar CNC machine that allows us to refine things just a tad further. I'm very excited because this is just the very beginning of a larger scale safety razor project; I have some cool ideas in my mind and a partner that can help me make it happen. The shop I work with is the real deal. I'm going to try and take some video eventually of the head being made; I think if people saw the work and the process they would definitely appreciate the difference from a cast chromed zinc alloy razor. The prototypes took nearly 40 minutes on the machine to create (each one), it's really no joke. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what quantity you produce, machine time is machine time. Yes, if you achieve huge economies of scale you can buy machines that run into the millions that could potentially mill 20-30 heads at the same time but we would be talking HUGE quantity production. The shop I work with does projects for fortune 500 companies and therefore a small potatoes player like me has to be patient. Smaller jobs are lower down the priority scale. The only reason I'm able to get these made at all (at a decent price) is because the owner believes in us and was/is enthusiastic about the project; and we have become very friendly. You would not believe how many shops either laughed us out the door or shot prices into the hundreds. This gentleman I'm dealing with is the only person who would give the slant a shot, the non-linear design and all the crazy radius' make it a nightmare to produce and get right. There is good reason why many of the SS razors these days are MIM'd or sintered, and not machined. There is a quality reason why I want these machined, it's the same reason why one rim on a Pagani Huayra cost $5K and takes 4 days to machine out of aluminum. I will probably release the final price (including the stand) in the coming week or two. I want to crunch some numbers with the shop a final time but I think people are going to be thrilled with the price we are targeting. It's not going to be $50 like a Merkur (and it can't be), but it may end up a good amount less than 99 Stay tuned.
I'll admit, my curiosity is piqued by his comment about a larger scale project. I wonder if he's referring to an entire line of razors or perhaps something that's highly specialized to make such as an adjustable.
I think it is going to be a line of razors. He said he has many ideas in his head. Maybe we will have both! ! ! !
Personally I would love to see a little more color variety in the equipment. I have been drawn to the Matador and Fatip lines because they use non standard colors, finishes and patterns. Even Parker and Weishi had been doing color and texture combos that I have enjoyed seeing. There was a post on one of the boards, maybe here, where a user actually powder coated a Futur black and a Gillette yellow. It' nice when you can look on the wall display and have your eyes drawn to something besides gold or silver to keep your interest. I think that is what has drawn me to shaving brushes, some of the handles are just fun to look at.
I wrote to Joe, he replied back. The next batch will be out in 4-5 weeks. I ask if he will have a substantial amount on hand. Joe said he will have some stock but judging from the 1 st run he didn't think they'd last long, and the shop making these has other orders from other business. I'm sure it will be 6 months before you can buy one without standing in the net line.
Someone posted a picture of a powder coated razor on FB that was done in an Iron Man color scheme. Definitely an eye catcher!
Joe replied to someone on his FB page about the price and has confirmed the retail price is going to be less than $99. Also the clear anodized version will be silvery in appearance.
