I received the razor a few days ago but just got around to shaving with it yesterday. Here's what I received:
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Very nicely finished as you can see. I love the personalization on the bottom of the base plate.
The handle is just over 3.5 inches
Weights:
Handle - 28g
Base plate - 11.7g
Smooth cap - 5g
Beveled cap - 5.6g
I'm used to shaving with vintage Gillettes that weigh in the mid 70g range, so this razor is almost half the weight of what I usually shave with.
The caps are designed to cover the blade tabs. The ribs on the underside of the caps were a little too big to allow the blade to fit, so a little filing & the blade fits. Here's pics without the blade.
Smooth cap:
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Beveled cap
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And with the blade. The first two are smooth cap & the last two are with the beveled cap.
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Guess which of the two caps are milder (relative to the second cap)? Yep, the smooth cap is milder. The Beveled cap doesn't clamp the blade to the edge & I was concerned about blade chatter. Lets see how they shaved.
I decided to test both caps in the same shave. I used the beveled cap on the right side of my face & smooth cap on the left. After a hot shower, here's what I used.
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I loaded a once used Personna Israeli Red into the razor & started the test drive.
For this first shave, I rode the cap with both caps. I wanted to have as forgiving an angle possible taking this out for its first shave. I started with the right side with the beveled cap. I immediately found a lot of audible feedback. I could hear each hair being cut. I attribute all the noise to the lack of blade support at the edges of the blade. The shave itself is extremely efficient. I needed to be very aware of the angle & handling of the razor or I felt I would get cut. The razors light weight made it difficult at first to get used to pulling the razor down my face as opposed to letting gravity pull the razor down. Overall, the first shave with the bevel cap was quite good. No bites & a very efficient shave.
The smooth cap for the left side of my face was much better. Relative to the beveled cap, the smooth cap provided less audible feedback. It was still present but to a lesser degree. The blade itself was better clamped further out the edge of the blade, so there was a smoother shave as a result. The shave itself was still quite efficient, yet smoother. I had to be less on my guard with this cap. It did, however, require attention to angle & technique, or it could bite. Overall, this cap provides a very nice shave.
My initial impression is I like the head design with the smooth cap due to the increased blade rigidity. The weight is an issue for me, but considering the material used, weight is always going to be an issue if you're wanting a heavier razor. I'm looking forward to subsequent shaves where I can get more familiar with the razor. Another writeup will follow after I've had several shaves with the razor.
Thank you Tom for your generosity & creativity.
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