Yesterday, I tried a light blade with this Hawk OC and it really tamed the razor. I will most likely use the Standard Plate the most. The open comb is VERY aggressive! Now I am on to using my other razors but, I will return to the Hawk again!
This is the first open comb that is hard to tame for me. I love all my other open comb razors but, this one will have to be used with caution if I use any other blade than the light blades. If I want to use them Professional blades, I will have to use the Standard baseplate. This is what I bought the Pro blades for because with the standard plate, it's a great combo. I did not like the Guard blades in the Hawk. They are fine in my Feather DX tho. I may try it again with a Pro blade after using it for a while. It is very pleasant when the Standard plate is used. The OC is a genuine BEAST!
I only have the Schick Proline blades. I gave it about 6 weeks off and on of a week at a time and I just seem to cut myself regularly. The V3-A version is far more comfortable for me to use.
Yes, I have to be very careful even with the light blade. I will come back to it but, for now, if I use the Hawk, it will be with the standard plate.
I have just been using Schick Pro Line, but I picked up a pack each of the feather pro and super pro to give a try once I get the Hawk back from Back Roads Gold.
Everybody is different, but I am happy that I did not load up on Feather AC blades. The Schicks are better for me. I get about 8 comfortable shaves from the Hawk. When it is time, I would definitely check them out.
When I first got the Hawk, I had not heard of the Schick blades. I have had good luck with regular Feather DE blades so, I did not expect any trouble. It is perfect for shaving with the standard plate and a Professional blade. I just can't use them with the open comb. With that plate I will use Titan Mild blades. I have a few of them.
I’m just trying out a tuck of each. Given each pack of Schick gives you 30 blades vs the 20 in feathers, the feathers are going to have to be pretty damn good. They are effectively 50% more expensive. Maybe more. Was just FOMO that prompted me to buy them.
Gosh guys.... I only have the OC for the V3. I only use the Feather super pros with it. I didn't think it was that aggressive. But I'm sure glad everyone got their shave with this great razor tuned in. Fantastic stuff here!! tp
Nice. Congrats on having the OC work for you. I tried to do a 30 day with it and gave up mid way. It has been in a drawer for a while, maybe I will give it another shot soon.
Well ya gotta ride the cap. If it occasionally stops shaving because you've got the angle to high, you're getting it right. If you don't, it can get rough. If you do it just right, It's a crazy, wonderful, beautiful shave. I can get 2 full, two pass, head and face shaves out of each blade with the feather super pro blades and the V3OC. No nicks, cuts, burns or other nasties. I wish you luck! tp
I had another very pleasant shave with the Hawk v3 and the Standard plate with a Professional blade. I am not sure how many shaves I have with the blade. Prolly 7 and it still shaves nice and smooth! Today, I blended a spoon of lavender Castle Forbes with the MWF and added another dimension of scent to it. NICE!
Gave the Feather Super pro blades a try today. Actually did not seem as sharp or smooth as the Schicks.
My new to me GEM Micromatic bit me several times this morning! Me thinks I will do the month using my Hawk v3 and see if I can tame that open comb better. The theme for the month at shave school is use same thing for the month. The Hawk is such a nice shaver, I think I will devote the month to this razor.
I had another fine shave with the Hawk. I think the blade was getting dull so, not as close. So, I get one week with these blades and bin them. I am devoting this month to the Hawk and will use both base plates to get real familiar with this razor. MWF the soap this month too.
So a couple of shaves with the Feather Pros Super, and I can definitely say you aren't missing out. First shave was rough, second shave didn't smooth out at all, so the "Feather Super Pros" will be delegated to the "no go" list. Anyone that wants to try them, they are available. I may give the professional a try, but not feeling the feathers. The KAI mild are smoother, but again no better than the Schick Proline, and the Schick are a great value.
The Hawk delivered another very fine shave. I did 3-passes just because it was so nice! WTG, ATG, XTG with minor cleanup. Left me BBS & smelling nice. Showered and bloomed the soap while warming the lather bowl & Simpson Commodore brush Pre-shave cream was Proraso Blue (nice and cool) Soap continues to be the MWF. Today I added a spoon of TOBS "Rose" cream Razor is the Hawk v3 standard plate with a Feather Professional blade (3) Thayers toner after shave & a dab of Geo F Trumper skin food "Sandalwood" The Rose cream took over much of the scent and was a nice blend with the MWF. Tons of rich cream for my 3-pass shave. The Rose scent is VERY nice! Cold water temper of the razor after rinsing it off. Cool water rinse of face between applications of cream to the face. Very pleasant shaving with the Hawk. No cuts, nicks, or weepers. Alum bar raised minimal feedback. Very pleasant! Thayers feels nice on my face as does the Skin Food. Tomorrow I am trying the open comb base plate with a fresh Feather ProGuard blade.