LRod's Acquisition and everything else Thread!

[Guido75]

Green Cult had a cheap option out of the door first, and the original design was likely cheaper to make than the current iteration as well.

The first Greencult was made of Zamak. The first iteration (under the same name) was indeed cheap(er) and hence very popular despite the .95mm gap and .25mm exposure. Valerie admitted that the GC1 was very low priced. Too low and so the GC2 is about double the GC1, but for an all stainless machined razor still a steal. My guess is they will gradually continue increasing their prices rather than make a jump in one go and scare customers away. Relatively speaking additional baseplates are on the more expensive side.

Another that comes to mind is Stando which is in the Reggie brass price range so 130-150 for an all stainless razor. But Stando doesn’t do polished (much).

 

[LRod]

Another that comes to mind is Stando which is in the Reggie brass price range so 130-150 for an all stainless razor. But Stando doesn’t do polished (much).

My Cat Claw open comb is fully polished from Stando and it's beautiful.
Excellent stainless razors for a great price!

 

[Slapo]

The first Greencult was made of Zamak. The first iteration (under the same name) was indeed cheap(er) and hence very popular despite the .95mm gap and .25mm exposure. Valerie admitted that the GC1 was very low priced. Too low and so the GC2 is about double the GC1, but for an all stainless machined razor still a steal. My guess is they will gradually continue increasing their prices rather than make a jump in one go and scare customers away. Relatively speaking additional baseplates are on the more expensive side.

Another that comes to mind is Stando which is in the Reggie brass price range so 130-150 for an all stainless razor. But Stando doesn’t do polished (much).

They still seem to offer the zamak version, and I actually bought the original steel Green Cult razor pretty early on, and am aware of their story. But even if 1.1 was underpriced, they pretty much fixed that with 1.1. But it that confirms my point - it was cheaper to make than the current higher end model, and, like most other companies offering reasonably priced steel razors, they started selling less expensive products to get market penetration and some money to support improvements of design and manufacturing razors introduced later on.

Reggie's did have an inexpensive zamak razor, but that doesn't seem to have existed for long before the Saturn and Titan were available for pre-sale. Neither the zamak nor the steel and titanium ones seem to have taken off all that well, and I think that's why they came up with a different, easier to make design.
That and people having asked for less expensive razors.
They seem to have missed a step and appear to be trying to remedy that now.

 

[LRod]

Shave #3 tonight with the Reggie's Jupiter!
Everything was the same except the blade. Today I used an Astra platinum to try something with less edge
than the Lab Blue.
The shave and result feels pretty much the same (for now!)
I'll see tomorrow in the afternoon how the stubble feels on my face.
Regardless, I got an incredibly smooth & efficient shave.

I previously had no data on the blade exposure and read something (somewhere else) about
it today. Supposedly it's got +0.03 blade exposure and as you already know, .50 blade gap.
As @Slapo mentioned, the right angle (which apparently is my normal shallow angle) and the
positive blade exposure, is giving these fantastic shaves & results.
And of course whatever geometrical magic they put into the design!
I'm sure the smooth polished brass plays into the smoothness too.
All in all, another incredible shave with this wonderful razor!
Have I mentioned enough that this razor is phenomenal?
If you like a "not super heavy polished brass razor" (110 grams), in the middle blade gap, slight positive blade exposure, balanced, ultra smooth, efficient and top shelf quality razor made in the UK: Buy one!

 

[LRod]

13 hours after my third shave with the Jupiter and still relatively smooth. A tad more stubble felt vs. the first two shaves that were done with the Lab Blue blade.
This was to be expected though with the Astra blade this time around. Funny thing is that my shaves were equally smooth with either blade which means I'll be using the Lab Blue's mostly. In subsequent shaves, I'll be trying some other blades just to see how they work out.

 

[DEnoob1963]

Shave #2 with the Reggie's Jupiter!
My usual nightly 2 pass WTG/XTG, same Lab Blue blade with TOBS Mr. Taylor's cream.
Plenty of stubble left over from yesterdays shave with the Futur!
Again the same wonderful result as my first shave with the Jupiter.
I don't know what else to say except that this razor is exceptional.
The bad:
It's making me very curious about the Stainless version they make
But it's very expensive so I think if I go that route it'd be a future purchase.
The exchange rate with the British pound isn't very good now.

And that brings me to wonder about their pricing:
USD including shipping to the USA:
Aluminum Jupiter: $120
Brass Jupiter: $140 (I paid $126 because I used a first time buyer coupon)
Stainless Saturn: $294
Titanium Titan: $320

Does this pricing make sense to anyone?
Full polished brass with an amazing fit and finish and it's $20 more than the aluminum!
And then comparing the brass to the stainless:
I get the fact that Brass is easier to machine but the brass razor is fully polished which should bring up the cost.
And to get a stainless one it's $154 more than the brass. That's a massive jump in price!
And then the titanium is just $26 more than the stainless?
The whole pricing structure makes no sense to me.
In my view: the aluminum is OK at $120, the brass is a steal at $140, the stainless is overpriced (should be max $250) and the titanium should be $300.
That's what I believe it should be anyways, maybe they have their reasons for these prices.
For now, I will enjoy my incredible bargain priced brass razor!

Currently on sale for $119

 

[LRod]

Currently on sale for $119

Thanks!
Prices I quoted includes shipping to the USA, which is $140. The shipping is $21!
I paid the sale price + 10% off new customer coupon!

 

[LRod]

Well, a couple of new things my friends:
A new acquisition has arrived today. I previously had a Tatara Nodachi open comb in black that was excellent.
Another dumb sale on my part in order to fund another razor!
I missed it just like I missed the timeless .68 open comb. The only thing I hated was the black finish
which was super delicate. If you didn't take extreme care of it, the finish would eventually start fading
(a known issue with Tatara's black finish!) Tatara has a warranty that they'll take them back and refinish it but it's a headache to be sending something back and forth to Portugal.

Anyways, in my never ending search for a deal, I bought another new one from Your Shaving in Spain.
This time I got the normal silver matte finish that has zero durability issues.
I got an excellent deal below the going price including free shipping (plus I used rewards points) and they also included a very nice complimentary gift.
To my surprise, they threw in a free Saponificio Varesino Dolomiti bathing soap which smells wonderful.
First thing I've ever owned from Saponificio! That gift alone costs about $20!
The Nodachi is a great razor that I'll make sure to never sell again!

Second:
Surprise! I ordered the Reggie's Saturn polished stainless razor!
I got a nice rewards discount that allowed me to purchase it at a great price.
I'm very much looking forward to trying this one to compare it to the brass Jupiter.
Hopefully it'll be here in 1-2 weeks.
(Last picture on the bottom)

 

[huck1680]

That is quite the growing collection you got going there pal. I'm surprised you haven't purchased the GoodFellas Bayonetta. Solid brass, great shaver and very well priced.No enabling happening here...you're doing well enough all on your own.

 

[LRod]

That is quite the growing collection you got going there pal. I'm surprised you haven't purchased the GoodFellas Bayonetta. Solid brass, great shaver and very well priced.No enabling happening here...you're doing well enough all on your own.


View attachment 1832610

I've seen the Bayonetta and read about everyone's results. Seems like a great razor but for some reason I haven't bought one. I'm sure I'll try one out at some point. I'll pick one up whenever I get a good discount code from one of the vendors.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I've seen the Bayonetta and read about everyone's results. Seems like a great razor but for some reason I haven't bought one. I'm sure I'll try one out at some point. I'll pick one up whenever I get a good discount code from one of the vendors.

Under $60 from Amazon.

I like my Bayonetta enough that I ordered a Wolfman handle for it and the Timeless bronze. They will have to learn to share. <eg>

 

[Slapo]

I have to say, I was rather disappointed by the Bayonetta. I found mine to be a bit rough, but that's probably because there's actually a decent amount of blade flex. I think I perceive it as roughness instead of the usual pluckiness, likely because of the shallow angle between the top cap and blade itself. Bending the blade to touch the top cap in the middle lessens this, but doesn't quite get rid of it.
I felt similarly about the Aylsworth Apex aluminium, it's just less pronounced there.

 

[LRod]

Under $60 from Amazon.

I like my Bayonetta enough that I ordered a Wolfman handle for it and the Timeless bronze. They will have to learn to share. <eg>

Don't tempt me Kim, I've had a large shaving $$$ burn in the last couple of weeks, Lol!!

 

[LRod]

I have to say, I was rather disappointed by the Bayonetta. I found mine to be a bit rough,

This is what I need to hear!

 

[LRod]

Hello all,
Nothing but the most excellent shaves with the Reggie's Jupiter!
I tried it today with a Treet Carbon blade and the shave was excellent minus one thing (the blades fault!)
I'm gonna have to retract my original opinion when it comes to the Treet's:
It seems like the Treet QC isn't very good. Every other blade is a dud on one side of the blade.
It's awesome when you get 2 perfect sides but it doesn't always happen. I had to shave today using one side (the good one).
So I'll be putting them away for good!
Besides that, the razor is excellent every time.
Looking forward to trying the stainless Saturn when it arrives.

 

[LRod]

Good news:
I ordered the Reggie's Saturn stainless 5 days ago and it's already processing through Customs in NY.
Pretty quick shipping from the UK!
As per USPS, it should supposedly arrive here on Saturday. We'll see!
Also, my 2 Shield stainless razors (DE & GEM) should arrive tomorrow!
As usual, I'll post as they come in!

 

[Slapo]

When I tried ithe Titan in a passaround some months ago, I tought it was kind of like a RaxoRock Mamba with a bit too much bite.

Had they been offering a head-only option then, I might have still bought. The whole Titan was less than £200 then, and and the Saturn was a bit less than £180.

Decent razor, though I did find the Saturn too expensive even at its pre-sale price.
A Mamba with a Kai blade feels similar to the Titan with a different blade, though still a bit less aggressive.

It does make me want to try the Mamba 92.

 

[LRod]

When I tried ithe Titan in a passaround some months ago, I tought it was kind of like a RaxoRock Mamba with a bit too much bite.

Had they been offering a head-only option then, I might have still bought. The whole Titan was less than £200 then, and and the Saturn was a bit less than £180.

Decent razor, though I did find the Saturn too expensive even at its pre-sale price.
A Mamba with a Kai blade feels similar to the Titan with a different blade, though still a bit less aggressive.

It does make me want to try the Mamba 92.

I read your pass around results for both the Jupiter & Titan. I recall you also mentioning the Jupiter having the possibility of "biting".
I'm guessing that my results are very different than yours because it has been as perfect as a razor can be.
And I've already used it quite a few times!
And I can't overstate how perfect it shaves!
And that's why I gave the Saturn a try even though it's expensive. I like stainless alot!
As for the Mamba comparison, I've had a few Razorock's along the way and they've all been "meh" for me. So as always, this is all a YMMV thing with shaving equipment.
Another thing, I got the Saturn for less than the USD equivalent of the 180 pounds that you mentioned. A hefty discount!
So it was a great buy for the price I paid.
It's still not here though so I'll post how it shaves once it arrives.

 

[LRod]

Henson has stated that they will not produce a stainless razor because it would cost as much as titanium.

For some reason, I've been thinking about this for the last few days:
Yates is making the new Winning razor (full 316L stainless) and sells it for $82.50
And the old Winning razor (also was made by Yates and sold by the Wet shaving club) at one point was like $50.
Both razors have very similar heads and both the Henson and Winning are CNC machined.
And interestingly enough, Henson just started offering a full stainless handle (not sold through their website), Weird!
They can't offer a complete stainless razor because it's too expensive to make?
Something doesn't make sense with Henson's philosophy!

 

[Slapo]

For some reason, I've been thinking about this for the last few days:
Yates is making the new Winning razor (full 316L stainless) and sells it for $82.50
And the old Winning razor (also was made by Yates and sold by the Wet shaving club) at one point was like $50.
Both razors have very similar heads and both the Henson and Winning are CNC machined.
And interestingly enough, Henson just started offering a full stainless handle (not sold through their website), Weird!
They can't offer a complete stainless razor because it's too expensive to make?
Something doesn't make sense with Henson's philosophy!

I am not a machinist, but I'd assume the more intricate a design and the more material needs to be removed, the more expensive the process is going to be.

Henson does interesting things with the way the lather channel is shaped, as well as the gentle curving of the top cap.
When Yates talked about the first Winning razor, they said the crummy lather channels were a cost saving measure.
Now that there is a single lather slot and more material removed from the head (and a few more curves) the razor costs double what it used to.
I have both the v1 and v2, and the handle on v1 was basically a sandblasted stick with a thread, and while v2 is more elaborate than that, it isn't actually particularly elaborate, and might just be turned on a lathe (though I'm not sure that it is).

If you look at the Henson handle, there's some a bit more interesting stuff going on, and all these details add up.

Of course, maybe Yates are better at programming their CNC machines, or there are some other factors involved.

I'm just saying that even though it seems simple, there's likely more than meets the eye and there are contributing unknowns.