Mongoose Owners Razor Society (MORS)

Was this picture taken with the blade in the razor? I have the Alumigoose which has a gap between the top & bottom plate when there is a blade in it.

 

Ugh that illusive handle!

 

My AlumiGoose is flush without a blade but with a super blade loaded there is a small gap between the top and bottom plate.

 

Thanks for the info. I guess it's part of the design of the AlumiGoose.

 

I think my B2 Satin does the same thing loaded with a Super or Guarded blade. I never really paid much attention to it until you asked.

 

Looking closer at my B3 Satin I too see a slight gap between the plates with a blade in. Thanks again.

 

Any update? have they replied to your email yet?

 

Sorry for your troubles, guys, but thanks to your experiences, I specifically asked Mongoose to double check the one they would send me (mentioning the extra time and costs involved in an exchange process from and to Norway). In consequence, I am now the newest member of MORS - provided that I am welcome? - and a proud owner of an unblemished and hitherto unused Satin B3. Tomorrow is (not just) another shaving day. Yay!

 

Congratulations! Welcome aboard. Good to hear your razor arrived in excellent condition. I've purchased 3 razors from Mongoose. Both Polished and Satin finish B-3 stainless heads and a Shiny head Alumigoose. All three arrived as yours did, in unblemished condition. Let us know how she rides.

 

Welcome #22

 

you can post pictures of your mongoose razor here if you like

 

Congrats on the Mongoose. Please let us know what you think of the razor.

 

Can I be member #23 please guys.

My third Mongoose arrived today and I'm now the proud (and lucky) owner of a B2 Satin and two B3 Polished razors (one with a B3 polished handle and one with a B3 satin handle). I've got a raft of other handles which work with them equally as well (including a Hempel Ti handle that came with one of the B3 heads). I'll get some pictures up of them soon.

They're definite keepers and are great razors which I'm sure will become an all-time classic and much sought after razor.

 

I was lucky enough to be PIF'ed some Kamisori blades by a friend and they're not too bad a blade. A Kai Captain Mild is as sharp but is far smoother and a Feather Pro is both sharper and smoother. They are a much cheaper blade (in the UK at least) and you get 24 blades for your money. They're definitely worth a try.

 

Thank you. I will add them to my list. The super pros are my current favorite.

 

Welcome #23

Also, if I have missed any Mongoose owner please let me know so I can add you to the roster - and sorry if I missed you!

 

If I may, I would like to ask you all what you consider to be a perfectly crafted Mongoose razor. On a scale of one to ten, ten being perfect, where would Mongoose place? When I look at my Feather AS-D2, I would say it is a 10. The construction of AS-D2 is perfect in my opinion. It has no flaws. The lines are straight and it fits together perfectly. With that being said, I know that it is not a 100% handcrafted razor. To be honest, I was a little disappointed when seeing the B3-Satin Mongoose for the first time. I actually had to send it back to have it replaced because the top plate was so warped that it would rock on the bottom plate. My replacement razor was much better but not what I consider a 10. My AlumiGoose which I received recently in my opinion is lower in craftsmanship than my B3. All of my razors shave exceptionally well if not I would have sent them back long ago. I like my Mongoose razors but I would like them even better if the craftsmanship were better. For me the design and the craftsmanship and functionality are very important. Maybe I am just being too net-picky.

 

My assumption is that the first batch they designed was perfect. they inspected each and every razor and sold them to people they knew or some Youtubers who made shaving videos to show them on videos or in SOTD pictures and get the word out basically. After that I've heard may issues with later batches. Some of the most recent ones on this Thread itself.
Some people had to send back their replacement twice because they were terrible in construction. sucker4cologne had to send back his twice so far, he's waiting for the third one. I don't know if there is any Quality Control with Mongoose, but if there is, then it's very poor in my opinion and many others here. These razors are expensive and having to send back defective razors is a pain, especially if the replacement also has issues. In my opinion their quality has gone downhill since they started, not sure if it's because they have changed machine shops, polishers etc...
I would consider Wolfman, ATT, Feather all 10/10 as far as craftsmanship, polishing and everything lining up correctly.

 

The first batch was limited to 50 razors. They were available only in the polished finish. The second batch began delivery in late 2014 and included both a polished and satin finish. I have seen no figures on how many of the batch 2 razors were made but I would hazard a guess not a huge number at all or they would have set up with online vendors like ATT and Feather. I have saw no postings about issues with Batch 2 razors.

I can't comment on Feather because I have never owned or seen one in person. I would rate the Wolfman as the best in terms of fit and finish a clear 10/10. However, that is to be expected as it is a one man operation with James making the razor in his own machine shop. He also makes the BBS razor for LA soap as well. The Wolfman is a true piece of functional art. I would guess that James produces these razors along with other items. There is no way to purchase and amortize the machines needed when producing such a limited volume of razors.

ATT razors a clear notch below the Wolfman with machine marks etc clearly evident inside the top plate etc. So let's call this a 9/10. But the tolerances are held to tight standards. The machine shop producing ATT razors also has a great deal of work in industries requiring very tight tolerances. Again the razor is not the only thing the shop produces. See this article here: http://craftsmanship.net/occupy-your-bathroom/

This brings it to my Mongoose razors. I can't comment on Batch 3 razors as I have never personally had one to see the quality. I personally own 1 Batch 2 Satin and have bought and shipped 1 each of the Batch 2 satin and polished to friends since I was already on the list. All three of these heads were great. The polished version was certainly equal to the ATT razors I have used with much more effort spent on the final finish. The satin heads were if not equal very close to ATT. Overall 8/10.

My AlumiGoose was delivered in great condition for $70. In fact the overall fit and finish is very comparable to my Ikon B1 head I bought last week on sale for $65 shipped. I would rate this one 8/10 as well. Were I running Mongoose, I would concentrate all my efforts on this front going forward and drop the SS production.

You will notice I did not rate the handles. In batch 2 they were $40 and when I bought the Alumigoose a SS handle was a $15 dollar addition. For that price, I am not expecting a piece of functional art like I would in a Triad or Hempel handle costing 2 to 3 times or more the amount. I did notice that one person on this thread received on not properly threaded to accept the head and one other had handles with excess scratches.

But in the real world the comparisons to ATT, Feather and Wolfman really do not matter. If you want a razor using Feather Artist Club blades there are only 2 games in town, Cobra and Mongoose. In terms of QC, manufacturing issues and build quality of the razors delivered Mongoose is in my opinion better than (YMMV) or certainly on par with the Cobra. How they shave is certainly a YMMV evaluation. There are other products in the design phase and it will be interesting to see if they go into production.

In reading this thread, one would think that all the Mongoose Razors produced have significant issues. Fully accepting and acknowledging the issues noted here and on other forums, they seem to be in the minority of those delivered. I do believe that Mongoose should institute an inspection procedure before shipping to the customer. This has been a huge fail on their part.

After reading the article above, I think the bigger issue is the decline in the number of American machine shops with either the desire or expertise to produce in volume items with very tight tolerances. It makes me appreciate even more the fact that Gillette was able to produce the volume of quality razors it produced.

 

Congrats and welcome. I look forward to your shave report.