I received my PAL adjustable today in the mail. Right off the bat I noticed the head was not machined evenly. I inserted a blade and attempted to shave with it. I might as well used a stick from a lolly pop! I did nothing, I adjusted it, I adjusted the angle I was holding it the gambit I tried. Nothing, I pulled out a Schick G series and shaved with it instead. What a disappointment! I really wanted to like this razor but it did not work for me. I am now contacting the seller who has a 100% feedback rating and respectfully asking for a refund. Gonna need to look around for a bit and hold one in my hand or buy from a reputable member of this forum in the future. Thanks for listening to the air leaving my RAD! Mike
My experience with a PAL adjustable was exactly like your and I have read similar reports from other folks. The non-adjustable PAL is fine, but the adjustable version is hit or miss.
wow. That is not good. At least with 100% they probably either haven't ever had this happen before or they are easy to deal with and get returns done. Good luck with getting your money back.
Sounds like you guys have gotten damaged Pal Adjustable razors. For my first Pal was lucky enough to get a Pal Adjustable, minty fresh in it's case, with a seal on the case. I sold it off though. However, I have used quite a few used ones and have never had problems with the way they shaved. The adjustment mechanism is not as good as those on Schick Adjustable razors, but it should still work ok. What do you mean the head was not machined evenly? Was the razor damage, i.e head bent or warped out of shape? A few things to check: How does the assembly under the main head/handle look? Does the blade load evenly? Can you see the guard bar move when you adjust the razor from L to H? Does every thing fit together tight, or does there seem to be something loose. On Pal Adjustable razors, if the adjustment knob is worn or the head assembly is loose, then adjusting the razor seems to have little effect, especially on the lower settings. Unfortunately, these razors have a head assembly that is held together by rivets so they cannot be taken apart easily.
A lot has been written about these razors, and it seems to be pretty much the luck of the draw whether you get a good or a bad one. The two that I got are sort of in the middle, much milder than I like, but still usable. Some people call them aggressive, others, like you, find them totally useless and probably defective. I hope you have no problems with returning it. Most sellers probably have no idea whether the vintage razors they sell are suitable for actual use or not, so I wouldn't suspect any actual dishonesty.
The machine work just above where the blade sets is uneven. The adjustment works fine except it's like the blade does not set up high enough to cut anything, just pushes the lather around. When I tried to push the blade out with another blade it just won't move the blade either. I have to take a small screw driver and gently nudge the blade over and then take needle nose to pull the blade out. I definitely think the thing is warped or something, I really was disapointed too, it's such a cool look'n razor.
Oddly, my experience with the PAL adjustable has been quite different. It isn't a Fatboy, but the shave was quite nice. But, I like burnt toast, so who am I to say.
The Pal adjustables shave quite nice don't they, provided you get one that was not damaged. I doubt that Pal came from the factory like that. Hopefully you get your hands on a good one.
Here are some pictures I took. I don't know if you can see it or not but the "rails" on each end of the razor are higher than the actual shaving area. On L or H there is not a difference in the height of where the blade lies only where the guard is in relation to the blade. This makes the razor more of a lather pusher than a shaver. Any ideas would be quite welcome.
On Pal Adjustable razors the "rails" on each side are actually supposed to be slightly higher than the shaving area, and the blade stays close to these "rails" in height. Think of these "rails" as being similar to blade stops found on SE razors They will obviously need to protrude a little from the the location of the blade to be functional. What you said about there being no difference in height of where the blade lies, only where the guard bar is in relation to the blade as it is adjusted, is supposed to happen (i.e. the guard bar moves and not the blade). Even on Schick Adjustable razors the blade does NOT move, only the guard bar. On Pal Adjustable razors it is similar, even though the guard bar movement is different than on Schick Adjustable razors. That funny bent piece under the head that looks like it broke is a tension spring and is supposed to look like that. The blade sits in between the tension spring and the top of the head. Your pictures are blurry so it is difficult to fully access your razor's problems. On a good working Pal Adjustable: The blade should not rub against the rails/blade stops when it is inserted. The corners of the blade edge should sit right up on the rails/blade stops like on most SE type razors. The blade should be aligned with the top of the head when you look at it from the side where you insert the key. The blade should not move about after it is inserted. The guard bar should move when adjusted from L to H. You should be able to insert and eject blades with no problems. Finally, you should be able to get a great shave.
The rails I am talking about are on the top not where the blade is but on the top to each side of the blade. These seem to keep the blade away from the path of the shave. I mean I have been shaveing for 40 years and recognize how this should work and am pretty sure it worked at one time.
This is just part of the design of these razors. It is not a flat head design like most Schick injectors. In between these rails, as you refer to them, is grooved out, and the blade sits down a little under these rails, which as you can see on your razor, curl over to form the blade stops. They should not keep the blade away from the path of the the shave unless maybe your shave angle is not correct. Maybe the issue might be that you are trying to use it with the head flat to your face and this angle is not working for you. I usually do not shave with these Pal Adjustable razors with the head flat to my face. In order to properly engage the guard bar and the blade I use a steeper angle. I usually place the guard bar on my face and tilt the razor handle up until the blade is where I want it and go form there. You could also start with the head flat and drop the handle until the guard bar engages. Which ever way works for you. The whole idea is to engage the blade to cut, and the guard bar to stretch the skin as you shave. On Schick injectors, Pal injectomatics, etc, the top head is flat and there are no "rails" or groove in the top head. The Pal is a different design. I usually try to get as detailed and I can during these types of post. I am not insinuating that you are unable to recognize how things should work. I am only trying to provide as much information as possible. More often than not, others are viewing these post, so more information is a good thing as this will help others out as well. Sometimes, we miss little things that we already know, so it is good for someone else to go over them.
Oh no it's nothing like that! I am just so very frustrated because I was really wanting this to work for me. I have trouble getting the blade to even load. Something is just not right about this. When I approached the seller for a return and refund, he gave me the refund and told me to keep the razor. So now I wonder if there was something he knew was wrong with it to begin with. I very much apprecitate your and everyone elses feedback so just keep'em comin!
I understand your frustration. Slivovitz is right, most sellers have no idea whether the vintage razors they sell are in working order or not. I am glad you got a refund. I doubt he/she knew the razor was bad.
