SAIVER - Twin Bladed DE Razor From Russia

Off and on for the past two weeks I have been using a razor that is making the rounds on a large internet auction site that does not need to be mentioned. In fact there are at least three variants of this razor. I will address them in this review as a series, even though this is a test of only one of the razors, while the additional two variants which are on order. Now if you are a one blade purist, this is more than likely not the razor you seek. For those who can use two bladed razors or for the rest who are curious read on.



According to the seller here is the details of the series of razors:

"Saiver" is a classic 3-piece safety razor. It can be used with 2 blades at once: you have to cut one blade in half with scissors, install both parts on top, then press them with metal plate, and then put second blade and tighten everything with install of a base plate and a handle. Of course you can use it normally, with just one blade, as a regular DE razor. The razor fixates blade firmly, without any wobbling.

The materials are: ABS plastic, stainless steel and aluminum.

Saiver is the name of a small lake inthe Mary El Republic. The razor is produced in Yoshkar-Ola, by "Kontakt" factory.​

You can read more of the location of the factory at the following links.

Republic / Location:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/364809/Mari-El

Factory Photo:

http://www.alltravels.com/russia/mariy-el/yoshkar-ola/photos/current-photo-34766940

Now to the razor. The cost of the razor is around $15 - $17 with shipping, but like many things that could be subject to change in the future. The razor comes in a cardboard backed plastic container with more than enough room for the razor. The packaging writing and instructions are in Russian only. The seller is technically incorrect on it being a classic three piece razor, unless only one blade is used. If the twin configuration is used, it is truly a four piece razor (including the steel shim). This variant has a guard bar on both sides of the base plate (double guard bar). One of the other variants has a guard bar on one side and an open comb on the other. An additional variant comes with the double guard bar base in a travel version. The version finds the aluminum handle coming in three pieces which screw together to form a single handle. In this demonstration of assembly the twin blade configuration will be used. The first image shows the parts of the razor and the blades in a prepared state and each of the images that will follow by step by step visual to the completed razor.

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You may ask, what if the top blade is placed intact into the razor cap. Well, I tried that and what happens is the top blade bends down and comes in contact with the shim which negates it from being applied to the skin. In essence the razor reverts back to a single blade configuration using the bottom blade only. So with the understanding that for the twin blade system the top blade must be split, we move on to the handling of the razor.

The aluminum handle is light and efficient and reminds me of the British made Gillette Tech handles. The Saiver as tested weighs 1 ounce ( 28.35g) where as the Schick Krona, considered a light weight razor) weighs 2 ounces (56.7g) This is a clean looking handle and has only light grazing for gripping. Even though the grazing is not deep, I did not have any issues with the razor slipping in my hand while shaving.

What does this four piece razor configuration not do? In the twin blade configuration you are not multiplying aggressiveness. The level of aggressiveness to me is no greater than an EJ89/R89 razor even when using the twin blade configuration.

What does this four piece razor configuration do? Like the twin bladed cartridge systems, the passes have a multiplier effect. So one pass of this razor will either equal two passes with a standard Double Edge razor, or come very close to it. So a two pass shave becomes close to, or equal, to a four pass shave. The shim has ridges that allows it to provide the space of three Double Edge blades between the two blades. The top blade (halved) allows for the geometry of the head and cap to be maintained by allowing the size to be narrowed due to the slight overlap of two separate pieces.

How does the razor feel in use? It feels like a British Aluminum Tech in the hand but you can sense the two blades in action. Even with the slightly added height of the head, the difference from other standard Double Edge razors is minimal. It is easy to maneuver and I was not hampered in any way around the ears when shaving the head. Now the first trial was with the very smooth but less sharp Big Ben blades. I got three days worth of shaves from it before the razor began to tug. With two face passes I could tell that my shave lasted about a hour or two longer than using my EJ89 with two face passes using the same blade. On the head I normally make one pass and this razor really made a difference because the two blades tended to pick up more on that one pass. So rather than being aggressive it is efficient. This razor reminds me of a Trac II that is more aggressive in cutting, or the discontinued Personna Double Cartridge razors produced in the 1970s, that resembled a Double Edge head but used a slide on cartridge with twin blades on each side. I have used that razor also, and this is much more efficient because the blades are more substantial and sharp.

What are the draw backs of the razor? If used in a standard three piece single blade configuration there are no major drawbacks from a design standpoint. Weight and balance is light and neutral, so that may be off-putting to some users, but that is a preference issue and not a design issue. The four piece twin blade configuration is where the word needful comes in. This razor configuration is obviously higher maintenance in the loading of blades than a single blade Double Edge razor. The cutting of one blade and the need to ensure that each half of the separated blade is parallel to the guard bar. This was accomplished when the head was tight enough to allow the four tabs on cap to rest inside the base plate notches but not fully tight. At that point a toothpick was used at the extreme exposed corners of the blade halves to move them into a parallel position. The handle and cap were then fully screwed together and the toothpick was gently used at the corners of the blade halves again to check that the blades would not shift. Each time that the razor is used it is advisable to check to make sure the handle and cap are secure and the blades are correctly in place to prevent any issues with an overexposed blade. It will also have the same issues with a multiblade cartridge when it comes to blade wear and tugging. I noticed that when the blades were dull it was a very noticeable effect.

Currently, I am testing with a the Rapira Swedish Supersteel blade which is sharper than the Big Ben blades. On the first shave, the shave was even more efficient with the length of time that the hair is less noticeable is longer. As I continue to test this razor I will make known the results. As stated earlier I am expecting receive the other two configurations in a few weeks, so when they come in I will examine them to see if there are any significant changes between the variants and discuss as required.

Conclusion: This is a very efficient razor and can have a high value for those who want to reduce passes to save time, but the time spent in setting up the razor may offset some of the time saved shaving. The shaves are excellent and it is not an overly aggressive razor even though the concept seems at the first glance to be aggressive. I do not know whether this razor will become a regular in the rotation, but it is a nice change of pace or maybe a razor to have at the ready in case a quicker shave is required.

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"GREAT" review Gary!! But it seems like ALOT of trouble just to recreate a miserable Trac2 shave, which is what led me to "traditional" shaving in the first place.. I look forward to your future articles on this razor with great curiousity,especially since I doubt I'll ever use one in person...

 

I did not have an issue with two bladed Trac II or Atras but when you moved up to three blades (Sensor and later models) that is when I started having major issues. I have had no such issues with this razor and it is stouter than the Trac II. It is sort of like the cross between the two, but you can step back down to standard DE so you are not out anything on it.

 

Great review, Gary and an interesting razor. But, it sounds like a lot of work and tweaking to get a good shave. Tho, I think the one side OC, one side CC is clever.

 

That one has me very interested as well even in the standard single blade mode. Actually when you consider what you get this is a good deal price and performance wise if you use the single DE blade method. This may be one of those razors that I have set up at the ready for a couple of emergency 1 pass shaves for rushed mornings, but for now I need to see how it works more long term.

 

Interesting review of this novelty razor. It seems like a lot of trouble for a double edge shave. At least it is pretty cheap for now and can be used in a traditional way.

 

One thing about this is that it is coming out of Russia (a wet shaving haven). The design emphasis may be on how to effectively cut thick beards without increasing the overall aggressiveness of the razor. This may be the reason why this line of razors exists.

 

Nice review. I just think it would be too much work for me. Plus, I'm not sure how my face would fair with two blades with a single pass.

 

Ya Gary that's a super review. Just wondering though if ol' P&G isn't behind this exotic product from a strange and far away land..

 

Great review...but a tad too much work for me

 

Day 2 with the Rapira Supersteel Blades in the Twin Configuration.

Day 2 went excellently as did Day 1. A two pass BBS on the face and a two pass BBS on the head. The razor worked exactly as it should with no issues whatsoever. The level of aggression was about at a setting 5 on a Gillette Slim but was truly more efficient. All in all a great shave.

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I was actually looking at this razor with dad last night. I thought it was a piece of junk. It looks as if I was wrong. Great review. I like the scientific approach you take.

 

Thanks!

I am becoming impressed with how very efficient this razor is. Now we will see how long these blades are effective and I will try at least one more set of blades to see how well this works overall long term.

 

I'll stick to a traditional single blade but thanks for the review

 

Very good write up and review of a as Jayaruh said:

Also as others have said:

That being said great review, but I think and forgive me "You could get as good of a shave or better with a 'Bic Disposable' IMHO" for less cost.

 

Patrick, I thought the same thing until I started using it. Because if it did not work as promised this review never would have been written. Current performance with the twin set up is far better than a lot of higher dollar razors I have. Now is it worth the extra effort, that remains to be seen.

 

As Jim said it seems like a lot of work. I will wait on buying one. I like my "Gillette"

 

Well that is why the life span test has become the major issue for this razor, where with other razors not so much. For example I ran the Big Ben blade first which is my testing blade because it is mild but very smooth. That protects me if the razor is very aggressive (i.e. R41 or Barbasol) on the first try. Once I know how the razor behaves, then I will try other blades. Now the other things the Big Ben blades display is how mild a razor is, or are there weaknesses in the razors geometry (angle sensitive). Now for this razor the Big Ben blades ran 3 shaves before slightly tugging. There were no angle sensitivity issues. Now I could have gone one more shave with that set of blades, but I knew that some blades would be absolutely no good with this razor because I would be changing it every three days if I used it on a regular basis. The Rapira Swedish are much sharper and in many aggressive razors require more diligence for me. I am interested in how long these blades will last. In addition another person on another forum is also testing the same razor except it has the open comb half. Like me he is interested to see whether or not there will be a blade combination that will make this worth while. I will also be testing that configuration as well when I receive my order.

If I find that the change over is every three days then this will become a "loaded" razor at the ready for an emergency quick shave due to a pressing time issue or gets used in the conventional single blade configuration which it is somewhat milder than the Racer 314 / Big Roc razors that are reminiscent of this razor in weight and handling.

http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/lord-racer-r314-review.31264/

 

I appreciate what you are doing with this review. Keep up the good work.

 

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Day 3 with the Rapira Supersteel Blades in the Twin Configuration.

Day 3 went excellently as did the prior days. A two pass BBS on the face and a two pass BBS on the head. The razor worked exactly as it should with no issues whatsoever. The level of aggression was about at a setting 5 on a Gillette Slim but was truly more efficient. I shaved at 5 AM and after 12 hours the shave is better than my Slim or EJ89 after 10 hours. The shave is just about as long lasting as when I use the R41, but with far less skin sensitivity issues. All in all another great shave. Day 4 awaits.