I was graciously loaned the Parthenon razor by Dennis AKA @DesertTime for this review. Part One: First impressions. The Parthenon, the result of a collaboation by Weshi and Qshave is nicer than I expected. The black handle gives it a post-super adjustable look, while the oversized (to my Gillette user eyes) head of the razor give it a proto-Toggle vibe. The knurling feels similar to the super adjustable too, which adds to the dichotomy of holding something that feels like a super adjustable, but weighs more than a Fatboy. Pros: It opens and closes just like any Gillette one piece razor. Has a nice feel in the hand, and for the weight, doesn't feel unbalanced. From the blade tray up, the razor is a Gillette clone. The "organic" flowing of the head into the handle is a design choice, not something they were forced to do. It's obvious that they could have gone with a Fatboy style collar if they wanted to...so I'm going to list that as a positive thing. Cons: Mostly nitpicks. There are marks on the underside of the razor head where it looks like it was slightly gouged. I'm going to assume that this is from the press fitting of the head to the handle. I would have liked to see more texture on the twist-to-open knob, as I predict it will become slippery if someone has soap on their hands and wants to open it. I keep my hands dry while shaving so I don't think it will be an issue for me. In closing, I like this razor already and I haven't used it yet. It looks like the bastard child of a Gillette ajustable and a Hone 15 (or Futar), which appeals to my whimsical side. The weight of it is making my lizard hindbrain insist that weight = quality. I do wish it was nickel plated, since I'm not a huge fan of chome razors. Chome looks cold and sterile next to nickel's warmth. On the other hand...Ooh, Shiny! Part Two: First Shave. Kiss my Face Limes Shave Cream Shavemac D01 two-band badger Astra SP, first use. I'm on the mild side of the "mild to wild" crowd. I set the intial shave at #3, as that is what I set my Gillette adjustables at. I quickly dialed it down to #1 and found that it still felt rather bitey, like a Gillette adjustable set at #4 or #5. How much of that is due to weight or blade exposure, dunno. Even set at one, it gave a very nice one pass + touchups shave. Handle length is perfect for the razor's size and weight. Finding the angle was intuitive, though it felt a bit off from the normal Gillette angle, slightly shallower, perhaps. There was no noticable difference in the shave when switching sides between passes. Blade exposure and angle appeared pretty even on both sides. If I have one complaint it is that it clogs worse than any razor (well except for cartridge razors) I've ever used. With that observation, being clogged didn't seem to affect the shave. Cleaning the razor post shave was equally annoying, as two clumps in the center of the guard bar refused to rinse away until I physically dislodged them. No nicks, and no razor burn or any redness from traumatized skin. This is a good razor, if a bit aggressive feeling for my taste. Do I absolutely love it? No, not really. But I don't hate it either. What would I like to see changed? Some sort of holes or cutouts under the blade for soap and stubble to pass through. Other than that, I think the razor is fine as is. More thoughts after tomorrow's shave!
Very nice, thoughful review. I, too, thought it was a fairly aggressive razor, much like my Futur. Like you, I tend toward mild and keep the Futur under 3, as well as this razor. Thanks for your review.
Second shave. More comfortable than the first. Kept the setting on 1. All in all a good shave, but definitely noticed it bogging down as it got clogged. I had to open the razor's doors to rinse it properly mid shave. (Note: both shaves were done on two day stubble). If I was using this razor daily, I wonder if the clogging issue would go away? Final thoughts: If someone is looking for a long handled, heavy headed adjustable that is also a tad bit more aggressive than a Gillette adjustable razor, this might be right up your alley. For myself, this razor just tips over the line between solid and heavy. Add in the clogging issue, and I'll take a pass on getting this razor. This version of it just feels half baked and unfinished, though beautiful to look at and a good shaver. I'll try to get in one final shave with it tomorrow, and see if consecutive daily shaving improves the experience.
I think the clogging up problem is the reason I will be passing out on this razor, they need to introduce lather holes that are close to the safety bar. The first design lather holes were all the way at the bottom and they didn't work so they didn't used that design in the release version of the razor.
Had my last shave with the Parthenon razor yesterday. Shaving daily does not elimate the clogging issue. Halfway through the shave, I opened it up to 5 to see if that would ameliorate the issue, and it helped a little bit, but didn't solve the clogging. Opening a flow through slot or providing some holes might help turn a good razor into an exceptional one. Also the laser etched numbers are rather faint, and might cause issues with people with sight problems. Correct those two issues, and I would buy one.
I'm gonna pass along the word on their KS page that they need to introduce lather holes on the upper part of the base plate, lets see what their response will be
I'm not sure they can without completely redesigning the collar. Adding holes will just direct all the lather and stubble directly towards the internal mechanisms. As a short term fix, it would be adequate, but long term reliability would probably become an issue. I'd have to sit down with the razor in front of me to verify that, but I think I'm right.
The initial design included venting holes in the base plate. Early testing showed the holes were easily clogged and became an issue themselves. I think you're right; it would take some redesign effort to get it working properly.
yes they were in the original design, but those holes were on the low end of the molding so they didn't do any justice in clearing up lather, also the holes were small in diameter but then having larger holes might not make too much of a difference and might make the molded piece more fragile and prone to bending. Lets see if they will introduce some sort of redesign down the road, me personally can live with the numbers issue although that is an easier fix, they just need to bump up the laser power output and get deeper etching and then they can add black die for the numbers and red die for the gauge mark, this way the die wont come off easy over time. I'm curious to see if they will introduce any sort of changes to the razor based on customers wishes
Ok so I sent QShave message on KS and to be honest they are large company but they do listen what customers say, here is how it went copy pasting the messages: Me: Hi there, people started receiving their Parthenon razors and reviewing them. Pretty much all say the razor perform very good but there are few issues that needs to be addressed: 1. The razor desperately needs lather holes towards the top part of the base plate or as you guys call it the blade tray. The hole openings that you had in the original design that were on the bottom were not functional and that's why you need larger openings that are closer to the top, closer to the safety bar. This is the only issue many dislike it because they constantly need to open the doors in order to rinse the lather and the hair that gets the razor clogged up really fast. 2. This is more of a minor issue and probably for the people that have not such good eye sight, but they would like to be able to see the laser etched numbers more clearly. Perhaps a deeper laser etching + black die for the numbers and red die for the marker line would make things better. I know for sure the laser etching has to be deeper so the die can stay in the openings for long time and heavy usage. Just passing on the message from peoples opinions, I know I will be ordering one if at least the clogging issue is fixed, the numbers don't bother me much because my eye sight is still good QShave: Hi Nope, thanks for your suggestion. We also received couple of feedbacks about clogging. We are working on a solution now. The laser engraved numbers on the dial is an easy design change. we will consider the the deeper engraving + die solution. Thanks again for sharing these information with us!
