Just wanted to post my review of the Silversmith. One of the issues I have with any razor, being in my seventies, is how well it does with ‘old man’ neck. As we age, our skin thins and wrinkles, particularly in the neck area. So I’m always looking for a razor that’s both mild and efficient, yet also capable of handling a dome shave as well. There are few DE’s that meet that dual threshold for me (of course with the proviso YMMV). My current gotos that meet my threshold are my Seki AS-D2, my Blackland Vector, my Colonial General V2, my Shake Sharps, and my SS Supply V2. In any case let’s get to the review. The review was performed on two days growth of whiskers. I have heavy, dense whiskers. The razor is crafted of 316L SS in the US and weighs in at 95 grams. It is a three piece razor with very slight blade tab exposure. I used a Polsilver for this shave. The balance is up near the head and worked very well for me throughout both the face and the head shave. What concerned me early in the face shave was the very low amount of auditory feedback. In fact, I initially thought it wasn’t cutting on my first WTG pass which was clearly counter to the visual and tactile feedback. After finishing that first pass, it was clear that I could have gotten away with a very smooth, comfortable, two pass DFS. Nevertheless, after the second XTG pass, I was just left with some minor ATG buffing of the swirly areas at the rear of my jaw and in the front of my neck. A check with the alum block at the end of the face shave revealed no burning or irritation and a extremely close, smooth and highly efficient BBS. I normally do not use DE’s for my head shaves because of the the bumpy terrain there and my practice of only doing a single ATG pass. I have tried a variety of different DE razors both vintage and modern with little success. A borrowed Blackland Vector delivered my first bloodless, irritation-free BBS on the dome. That experience led me to purchase my own Vector. The Silversmith matched my Vector in that regard. Since the time of this review I’ve discovered a few more DEs and SEs that meet my expectations. In any case I expected a few nicks, but completed a two pass [ATG and XTG] (yes, first time) BBS on my head. The alum block revealed some slight irritation in the rear upper part of my head. I will confess at this point that I had borrowed a friend’s Silversmith back in September so I was not surprised by this shave. I’ve always been a ‘try-it-before-you-buy-it’ guy. Needless to say, I really like this razor!
First outing with the Silversmith wasn't great. Though fine up until near the end, the lack of feedback made it very tricky to get last bits of stubborn stubble on my head. May need some practice here or maybe just not for me. I finished up with the Outlaw (with one shim) which screams in comparison and took care of business and then some. BIC in both. Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
Really sorry the Silversmith didn’t work for you, Jeff! I had the exact opposite experience with the Outlaw. There really is no auditory feedback with the Silversmith. It shaves beautifully for me. I also was initially thrown by the lack of auditory feedback.
I'll give it some time, it's a beautifully put together piece. One is just on your own get the angle right and that part of my head requires I do get it just right when using a mild razor. What didn't you like about the Outlaw? Maybe you can post a comment on that thread. Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
Jeff: I’m curious! Are you calling it mild based on blade gap/ exposure, or on the way you feel it shaves. When I was in the hospital a few months ago, I didn’t shave for almost 10 days. The Silversmith reduced it to BBS level in less than three passes (2 with selective buffing). YMMV. By the way, thank you for your help with the collectible VAS. It turned out to be a VB1 3, manufactured between 1921 to 1932.
Kyle at Colonial gives it a 5/10 in terms of aggressiveness. So there's that. Then there is the obvious sensitivity to angle which is defining feature of a mild razor. Mild doesn't mean inefficient to me. I don't doubt once I figure out maintaining the angle without feedback that the razor will perform better on my head than at first outing. I have no issues with mild razors generally, as you know the Stahly is one of my favorites and it's a very mild razor, it's just easier to maintain its sweet spot with a little feedback. I consider my Seygus, Wolfman and H&S mild as well. By the way, I never do three passes anymore, two lathered passes max, one lathered ATG pass on my head preferred. Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
Thanks, Jeff, for your response! I’m strictly a two pass shaver myself as well! Any news as to whether you’ll be moving to Pennsyltucky?
No news but the Covid-19 stuff has decreased the likelihood of a cross country move. Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
Much better second outing, I found the angle closer to riding the cap to be most effective, maintaining that angle did pretty well in dealing with the crown head stubble. Clean up with the Enders was pretty quiet. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
June 6, 2020 Colonial Silversmith Wizamet Super Iridium Simpson M7 Manchurian LE Stirling Soap Co. Iced Pineapple Soap and Aftershave Creed Aventus
