Acquired one of these approx 3 weeks ago. Very similar to the Lord Tech Clone but with a Merkur like head. Did not like the balance or the overall weight. Other than that it shaves extremely well, one would really have to work at it to injure themselves with it, but then again with 3 passes I get an excellent shave. I solved the balance and weight issue by shortening the handle by approx 3/4 inch then drilling the aluminum handle out and inserting a press fit brass rod. Weight & balance were changed dramatically & ended up just as I liked it. I would recommend this economical razor to both new folks and those with experience. Lots of value for little $$$$ spent here. My ratings reflect the razor as it comes from the package, not after my mods.
The Traveling L6 First, I want to thank Bill for the opportunity to partake in this field test. It has been both an honor and a pleasure. The physical aspects: The head is pretty darn near identical to the Merkur HD. The finish is not as polished or as smooth; there is a lump or two along the non-shaving edge, so it doesn't interfere in any way with the shave. The handle is long, thin, and light. It makes this razor very head heavy, which I see as a plus. It's a reminder to allow the weight of the razor head to do the work with NO PRESSURE added. The balance point was further down the handle, normally where the end of a standard would be, but the extra length serves it's purpose here by giving some extra grip room. The knurling on the handle was functional, as well. No slipping experienced at all. The first time I took it apart and put it back together I had a little concern - the threading was a bit rough, not a smooth twist back together. As most know I take my blade out after every shave and hand strop it, so this meant, of course, taking the razor apart every day. After the second or third day the threads smoothed out and now it feels right. I can see, though, that if one is not careful and was to cross thread it, being an aluminum handle it could easily get mucked up. As for the shaves: I used a blade that seems to work for me no matter what razor I put it in - the Astra SP. If you follow along in the SOS thread you'll know that this has been a week of stellar shaves. All very comfortable, all very smooth, all irritation free. I've enjoyed this razor and would recommend it to anyone, new and experienced alike. I'll be getting this razor in the mail tomorrow for our next tester. I'm looking forward to his reviews!
The traveling L6, 2nd stop Weight: The handle is light and the head is where the bulk of the weight is. Balance: Its all in the head Blade Exposure: Similar to the HD, so not too mild but not too aggressive Ease of Use: Simple! Grip: Adequate Price: $11 online, superior for the shave you get. Ok, I have to qualify a few things. The ratings aren't very clear and denote high score with better razor and low score with a lesser razor, assuming that massive aggression = better for example, which isn't necessarily true for all. So take the numbers above with a grain of salt..... Overall impression: this is a cheap razor. Both in price and construction. The head is an obvious knock off of a Merkur HD but has even lower quality control. The handle is aluminum and is light as a feather which I didn't care for. This is where the scorn ends. Even though the razor is very rough around the edges, the blade centered perfectly and gave excellent shaves from day one. I tried to keep all variables the same by using the same blade throughout the testing and only changed up the soaps and brushes but ensured I had good lather for all shaves. I did three pass shaves for the first 5 days to really see what the razor was capable of and for shave 6 and 7, I did what I normally do and that is a two pass shave to test it for practical use. It performed well in every shave. I can honestly say that it would be an excellent choice for someone wanting to test the waters without dropping a whole bunch of money to find out. I do completely get why people change out the handles with a tech handle though. It just felt a bit odd being soooo unbalanced, but I still managed to pull off excellent shaves with it regardless of the cheap handle or finish. Would I trade it for my EJ 89L? Nope, but if I didn't have an 89L yet, I feel completely comfortable in saying that one could most certainly develop proper technique while saving up for a higher quality razor, if they wanted one. I think it is a capable, albeit messy in finish, razor that would most certainly be heads and tails above a cartridge "system" or an electric. :happy088
