December 24, 2016- Christmas Eve Shenanigans
Razor: Junjie
Blade: GSB(5)
Brush: VdH Boar
Soap: Mineral Fusion
Yesterday, I mentioned in "The Haul" that I had picked up a Junjie three-piece razor at a local dollar store. Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to try and shave with it today. For the most part, I've pretty much avoided the low-end Chinese razors except for the version of the Sterling Tech that Gillette sells under their Super Blue Blade branding. My one exception to this was a single pass with a YingJili three-piece which somehow managed to be both aggressive and ineffective at the same time.
Unlike many of the low-end Chinese razors, the Junjie is not a three-hole razor. Rather, it appears to be a rough clone of the late Tech design with the most notable difference being the presence of four small openings behind the safety bar rather than two larger ones. The overall finish, though shiny, is clearly inferior to even the Sterling. (Exercise for the would-be MBAs in the audience: Imagine the Sterling and now figure out how to make it for even less money while providing an all-metal handle.) This would be obvious at various points during the shave.
The blade for today was the same GSB that I have been using all week. Sorry, but I'll be saving the Tian Fu "disobedient" "painted" blade that came with the razor for another occasion.
By eye, the key dimensions seem close to that of the Sterling with minimal blade exposure and a reasonable gap. By feel, I'd say that we were definitely in the mild range of razor design. Two or three times during the shave, though, I felt like I was going to cut myself but never did. Towards the end of the second pass, I realized that what I was feeling was actually the point of the safety bar digging into my chubby cheeks. This is what I was referring to earlier. Basically, the baseplate is of such cheap material and poorly finished enough that it almost feels like you could cut yourself with the safety bar rather than the blade. FWIW, the handle, while nice looking, can also get too slick.
The good news is that there was no blood. The bad news is that it was definitely not the closest shave. I'll call it CCS+. I'm not sure if the issue was the razor, the blade having seen too many uses, or just my trepidation at the whole thing.
I imagine that the Junjie is a fine razor for its target audience and would be okay as an emergency travel razor. I don't think it's going in the rotation any time soon, though.
BTW, I do have another one in case someone wants some Sino-shenanigans.
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