It is a rare privilege, I think, to be in a position to have observed the development of a custom razor maker from relatively humble beginnings to fully fledged master craftsman. I have known Alex for some time now, and it has been my great joy to see him emerge as one of today's pre-eminent custom straight razor manufacturers. Just as background, when Alex first started considering making straights he asked me to design a razor so he could practice his skills. Desperately trying to avoid a Homer Simpson-esque design, I put together a very rough sketch and specifications, which, to Alex's credit, he took on board despite my limited understanding of what was possible, added his own substantial touches and flair, and produced the final result, which is the subject of this review. Craftsmanship The craftsmanship of this razor is second to none. From the perfect symmetry of the grind, to the flowing lines of the blade and scales, to the perfection of the file work on the spine and the fit of the wedge, each component of the razor exhibits Alex's attention to detail and mastery of his art. The blade is O1 carbon steel. The steel is hard, due to the heat treatment I imagine, and holds an excellent edge. The scales are G10. Alex used torx screws at the pivot pin, a nice touch making pin tightening into the future easy and convenient. The balance of the razor is superb, as are the ergonomics. The thumb notch is positioned perfectly for me, although it is acknowledged that this might not be true for every person. Both the blade and the scales are beautifully finished. The blade is imperfection-free. The scales have a lovely "grain". The wedge reflects Alex's acknowledged skill as a scale maker (his original craft before taking up blade manufacture). Overall, the craftsmanship is perfect. I can fault nothing. Quality of Shave The razor easily shaves as well as, or perhaps better than, any other custom I have tried. Admittedly, I have only tried Livis and Chandlers, but as they are acknowledged top-of-the-line custom makers, I believe it is a fair and informative comment to make. Even though the razor is a large-ish 7/8 (see photo below for comparison with a standard 5/8 razor), the excellent balance means that manoeuvring the blade around the face and head is easy and safe. The wedgey-ish grind (I believe it is a quarter hollow or less) may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is typical of custom blades. Having said that, this razor performs as well as many full hollow grinds in terms of the efficacy of the shave. So if you are a full-hollow fan, you would not be disappointed in the shave obtained from this blade. Ease of Sharpening The razor came fully shave-ready with an instruction sheet fully detailing the honing progression used. However, I have developed a taste for edges off my Japanese finishing stone, so I gave it a little time on that stone before the first shave. As can be seen in the pictures, the edge is a definite smiler, as per the design specifications. This adds some small amount of extra honing difficulty as you need to use what some people call a rolling X stroke to hit the entire edge. It is not a big issue at all, particularly if you have narrow hones, but people used to relatively straight edges may initially find it a slightly more challenging exercise than they have been used to. On the other hand, it takes an awesome edge and responds well on the hone. As mentioned above, the steel is quite hard, so adjustments in the number of strokes on the hone need to be made. Durability of the Edge I have only had this razor for 3 or 4 weeks now, so, in all fairness, this is a "time will tell" scenario to be completely sure. However, in that time I have used this razor almost exclusively on my face and head on a daily basis. The edge is as good at the time of writing as it was when it was first honed, which bodes well for its longevity. Care and Maintenance Being a high carbon steel, care needs to be taken to ensure it is kept moisture-free. However, this is not really a burden to anyone who uses straights. As mentioned previously, the pivot pin is a torx, so tightening is easy if required, as long as you have the right tool. The balance of the blade, and the length of the tang, make stropping simple as well. Price As this is a custom razor, you do expect to pay a certain premium for the time, craftsmanship, and skill that went into making it. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that for a custom razor, this was excellently priced. Overall No doubt you can tell I am very pleased with this razor! I admit up front that Alex is a friend of mine, but I have tried to divorce that from the review process and be as honest as possible. In truth, it was easy to do as this razor is superb, full stop. If you are looking for a custom razor made to your own specifications, or even if you want an "off the shelf" custom, you could do worse than to consider an Alex Jacques. James.
