Christmas morning came, and so did permission to use the much-anticipated Cobra Classic razor from ClassicShaving! I had some concerns regarding what I had read about the agressiveness of the Feather Professional blades that ClassicShaving included with the razor; so, during the several day run-up to Christmas, I posted around asking if anyone could sell or contribute a couple of Feather ProGuard blades. A fellow North Texan on the ShaveMyFace board, Coche_y_bondhu, generously contributed 4 ProGuards to the cause. The razor has a comfortable weight - it's heavy, but not unbalanced. The handle is knurled and has indents for gripping, so it's easy to hold. The blade is unusually wide; however, after a couple of minutes of use, it didn't seem ungainly. I have now shaved three consecutive days with the new razor. Since my "go-to" razor is a Mercur Slant 37C with Feather blades, I had no trouble remembering to use a gentle stroke and letting the razor do all the work. I used my normal combination of B&B 2006 Finest Silvertip brush and Haslinger Sandalwood shaving soap. Because of the concerns noted above, I used the Feather ProGuard blade, rather than the Feather Professionals that were shipped with the razor. My first impression? "Darn, that's loud!" The sound of the razor against the beard is many times noisier than it is with a "normal" safety razor shave. The results? Excellent! I used two passes - First, with the grain, and second across the grain. There just wasn't any beard left to require a third pass. My second and third shaves, each about 24 hours after the prior, were also successful. There seemed to be a little less stubble when I started - I'm not sure whether this is a result of closer shaves (likely) or wishfiul thinkng (equally likely). Cuts, scrapes, nicks, etc.? None (so far) - and yes, I'm knocking on wood as I report this! I'm still on the original blade, so blade life seems reasonable. Is the razor worth $125 (including 20 Feather Professionals and a blade bank)? Tough call. To me it's worth the money (remember, it was a Christmas present, so I probably "gave up" 4-5 neckties that I'd never wear). Other folks might not be as enthralled with the new technology as I am. UPDATE I used the original blade for 15 shaves (14 days, with a second shave on New Year's Eve) before deciding to change. I've now used a Feather Professional for three shaves, with results that are at least as good as I had with the Feather Pro-Guard blade. I have had a couple of "weepers" from taking a third pass on some tender spots, but nothing has happened to change my mind about getting a great shave from this razor.
I like this razor very much. I would compare level of aggressiveness on this one is similar to Gillette Big Fellow, which gives me very close shave.
The Cobra Classic - classicshaving.com I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, THIS RAZOR!!! The heft and balance is excellent!; the price is not at $125 at classicshaving.com The aggressiveness of the blade is very good; this razor is not for the beginner wet shaver! I have this razor. Nicely aggressive about a 7 on a scale. I tend to have heavy whiskers, so I like a somewhat aggressive blade, but if the blade is sufficiently sharp, this razor will work wonders!
