So, Yuma, day 2. This also counts as my shave of the day. Now it is time to get down to it! Box contents; Yuma Razor, a selection of blades, and some homemade soap. Today's shave used only those items included in the box. In lieu of the usual SoTD list, I will break down each item below. This is somewhat picture heavy. Soap: I have never seen soap damaged in shipping. Have you? No? Well, you ain't gonna see it here son! The soap came well packed. Comically well packed. To be fair, the soap is pretty soft. I can imagine it wouldn't take much jostling about to break this puck up. I actually knocked an edge off while using it. So, I make fun, but I will be reusing the packaging when the box moves on. The soap is quite nice. Lathered well, smelled good. If I have a complaint, it is the already mentioned softness. I am hard on my soap. I really get in there and go to town. Power swirling. I would dismantle this stuff pretty quick. Not really a negative though, if I owned the soap, I would just firmly press it into a mug and call it good. So, for the future box holders, try the soap, it is good stuff. The blade: I have never used any of the included blade brands... I have heard good things about the Bics, so I decided to use a different one. Today I wanted ALL unknowns. I settled on the Baili super blue blades, because I had coincidentally, just been reading about the history of Gillette, and the transition of their Super Blue Blades, to the famous, and more simply named, Blue Blades. With that choice made, I opened a Super Blue. Surprisingly, the blade isn't blue. Not even a little. So, about the blade. Not so much. Let me start by telling you, I love Derby blades. Yes, that Derby. The blade apparently scorned by the majority of wet shavers as dull, and inferior in nearly every way, or at least that is what internet forums led me to believe. The Baili was very, very tuggy. It did not pull, or rip. It did not hurt me. It gave me a reasonable shave. But I could feel every follicle encountering the blade. I didn't hate it, but I won't pick up 100 of them any time soon. But honestly... I was kind of turned off when they weren't blue. I was really looking forward to that. Razor: so today I really put in some time with the Yuma. I kicked back, and spent an hour or so with the razor. It is cheap, and cheap looking. It absolutely screams 'knock off'. But all that aside, it has charm. I have really started to like the fact that it looks like a galvanized screw. And it shaves well. That is the bottom line. The geometry is there, even if it looks and feels like you are shaving with a third world copy. I don't know how easy it is to see in this pic, but the Yuma, at least this Yuma, has an aggressive side, and a mild side, I.E., the blade has more exposure on one side. I have seen it on a good amount of razors. Kind of surprised me to see it here. Though I guess if you are trying to establish 'cheap as possible' as your niche, it is probably best to be all things to all people. Or it is a manufacturing flaw... other box? Verdict? So, conclusions today, the Yuma works. And works well. It is obviously not a status razor. No one is going to be taking fancy photos, Yuma carefully posed next to their silvertip brush. But it gets the job done. And actually gets it done a good bit better than some much more expensive razors I have used. I think it is pretty cool that there is gear out there that would let someone put together a hyper-budget wet shaving setup for under $10. Is it cool, is it classy? Heck no! Do I want my own Yuma? Yes. Today I used the aggressive edge, although I had planned to use the mild one. The ineffective Baili had me flipping the Yuma over two strokes in. Tomorrow I am going to use the well reviewed Bic blades, and probably pass the box on. It is a razor that is exceptionally simple. I don't think extra time is going to wring any more secrets out of the thing.
Great write-up and photos - I especially like that it looks like the box comes with a bunch of dollar bills.
These two points. Yes. I forgot to mention the clogging. And I am with you 100%, I also thought that something was going wrong when I first put a blade in. I think the asymmetrical blade exposure is intentional. What is your take?
You weren't supposed to notice my multi dollar payoff from the Yuma Razor co. in trade for positive reviews! My review is written, I am going go buy myself something nice for... $26 apparently. Yuma, cheap razors, terrible payola.
Hmm... Honestly, I'm not sure, but I'm thinking it's just poorly made. Not only was the blade exposure uneven, but the blade - safety bar gap was uneven. So much so that the top cap doesn't sit squarely down on the base plate, which puts undue stress on it, and will eventually lead to it's breaking. If the uneven exposure was intentionally asymmetrical, surely the manufacturer wouldn't have also made the top cap fit improperly. I am very much curious now to see how the shave goes with an Astra blade. Looking forward to tomorrow morning!
Flaw then. I thought it might be like a Gibbs ( has + on one side, - on other). I have a couple razors that have asymmetrical edge depth, but it isn't springing to mind right now what they are. My example is different. The blade exposure is different on each side, but the individual sides are perfectly even. The cap doesn't fit flush, same as your razor. But your description is clearly different from mine. I will have to check to see if it tightens down differently, aligning the blade each time...
I remember reading a review somewhere that said the same thing. When Dude tried to straighten the bar, it snapped off. These didn't have the overkill packaging when they came from Turkey. In fact, the box jingled a little bit. I wonder how much reshaping they received in transit. NOTE: I gave one of my Yuma's to a buddy tonight. Two left. I better hold back a little.
Well, shave #2 is in, and again I have to say that it went surprisingly well. Same setup as yesterday. Warm shower and face wash with Ivory bar soap. Astra SP blade. (new) Arko stick. (chopped up and pressed into a bowl) Omega 48 boar brush. (the ugly one with the chrome removed - my fav) Cool/warm rinse in between passes and a cool final rinse. Thayers Witch Hazel w/Aloe for AS treatment. I did pay a bit more attention to how the handle felt this morning. I've come to the conclusion that it is almost too short for a ham handed guy like me. I found myself slowing down from my regular pace, and adjusting the hold in order to maintain a good grip. Also, shaving the neck with an upward stroke is a bit cramped. I find myself trying to hold the razor at the very end. On the plus side, I do like the hexagon shape and I like that the texture is a bit rougher than my 1904. The Yuma is actually a bit more secure than the Merkur in the traction department. All in all, a pretty good shave all things considered. I think if I were to shave every day with this razor, I would eventually pick one side and stick with it. The uneven blade gap is a bit unnerving. You can tell pretty quickly when you are using the side with little gap. It clogs after 2-3 strokes, and the razor begins to ride on top of soap and not shave. Conversely, the side with the large gap has no such limitation, and I rather like the feel of the razor on my face. Happy shaving everybody!!
I did my second shave the same night of the first. I took a few more pics,, but on looking at them, they look almost exactly the same as the first batch. My first shave was a loose one pass affair, so later that night I went back in for a more complete shave. My conclusions remain the same. It is a weird little machine. Cheap, not bad though, with its own feel and idiosyncrasies. It has flaws, but this is the strangest part, they don't seem to make the difference that the same flaws on different razors does. I am now going to send it on to its next recipient. I really want to get more feedback from the other Yuma users. I don't have much more to add to my own rambling review, but I am truly curious to see the group response and conversation.
ODD Box BristleMe —> Bama Samurai —> Chuck F --> Shotwell --> Medicus Ille EVEN Box Mr Droid (sending box soon)—> Mr Shaverman —> Flightmedic --> Youngunn I may have missed someone, I think this is the current order...forgot to repost after I joined.
I mailed the Yuma box out today. It is repacked, I added my own touches to the method of protecting the contents... nothing should be hurt! I cleaned and disinfected the razor before packing it up. The contents I received are going out the same, minus one of each blade type. In addition, I added a new puck of Master brand shave soap. I have not used it, but I bought a pack of 8 at the beauty supply store where I get my Osage Rub and hair tonic. Figured that it is cheap enough ($1@) to warrant a try along with the Yuma. Also, I threw in a small bottle of undiluted Barbicide. It is up to you guys if you want to use it. Since you all volunteered for this mission, I would assume that nobody is that worried about cooties. But I like and use Barbicide because it breaks down soap scum easily, and the Yuma clogs and traps soap. It was surprisingly filthy after only two shaves, but a quick soak in my 'Razor Brite Bath' had it shining like a new..nail?...in just a few minutes. So, the journey continues! I cannot wait to hear the next set of opinions!
@maltedmilk Sean, I had to give your soap a try. Here is todays lather. I love the smell, and it works very well. I don't know what your recipe is, but I certainly would not change it. I'm a happy lather-er! About a dime size chunk, and I've got enough lather for 3 +3 lathers! Todays lineup: Warm shower and face wash with Ivory bar soap. Astra SP blade. (x2) Sean's premium homemade shave soap-in-a-tub. My dad's old Every-Ready 200 brush. (re-knotted w/TGN best badger a few months ago) Cool/warm rinse in between passes and a cool final rinse. Switched to the Nivea AS Balm today. (pretty cold & dry outside) Shave #2 with the Astra SP was a bit better than yesterday. I had more time, and took a bit more care. I'm getting used the Yuma now, and even though it's got a bug or two, it is certainly a workable razor. Overall, if I could re-design the Yuma I would change just a couple things: 1. Straighten and make a bit sturdier the blade base. 2. The handle is just too short. I would lengthen it by at least 1/4 in. (maybe more) This is my last shave with the Yuma, and I've PM'd @Bama Samurai to get his mailing address. I've added a goody or two to the box. There are couple each of: Astra SS Big Ben SS (blue) Big Ben SS (purple) Crown SS Derby Extra Lord SS Rapira SS Voskhod (coated with I don't know what all) Gillette Yellow 7OC. The green box now housing the Yuma razor is a vintage Ever-Ready. It's in halfway decent condition. If by chance anyone in the Yuma trial has an old Ever-Ready razor and they would like the box, please feel free to keep it, it's yours. There is also a trial size bar of Speick soap. I was gifted a few of these a while back, and I've not used one yet. I have opened one though, and I have to say the smell is very nice. Whoever would like to give it a go, please grab it and let us know what you think. I would like to say thank you again to Sean! This has been an eye opening experience, and very much fun! Happy Shaving everybody!!
Just got the shipping info from Bama Samurai. The odd box will be in the post tomorrow afternoon or first thing Saturday morning.
Woohoo! Looking forward to it. By my calculations, should be here sometime mid-month, give or take? Maybe I'll be Yuma-ing for Christmas!
Update! I had to make an unexpected trip to the tradin' post this morning, so the box is on it's way to @Bama Samurai as of 09:30 this morning. I purchased a first class seat on the USPS train Chris, so hopefully it will arrive on time, and in 1 piece. Enjoy Brother!!
