For balance and general ergonomics it always seems to come back to the Universals in these threads.
The IBC, Vantas and Focus Slim are just so much better looking but the Universals always seem to win when it comes to feel in the hand.
IBC Shavette first impressions
- Thread starter Snuff-Belgium
- Start date
The IBC, Vantas and Focus Slim are just so much better looking but the Universals always seem to win when it comes to feel in the hand.
In contradiction to my previous reply indicating large is best,i do like my Parker srx being a small razor,and dislike Barbearia shavette which is a large razor and feels good in the hand, but i need to shave very slowly as it feels unsafe
I am not sure how secure the half de blade is in this razor,with quite a large blade exposure it feels a bit catchy when
shaving,all in the mind i expect,but i am getting quite a collection of relegated shavettes.
I’ve owned my IBC for over two years now so it’s no longer under guarantee.
One of the magnets in the head came out and Irving Barber very kindly offered to send me a replacement plate for only $13 but instead I sealed the magnet back in with clear nail varnish.
After this time I now understand the IBC to have some significant design faults - the head does wobble, the big screw with the small thread is fiddly to fully tighten and Artist Club Blades contact the scales when the razor is closed.
But it looks and feels beautiful as well as giving a superb shave so it’s definitely worth it.
And for me it’s at its very best with an Injector Blade.
Tonight’s shave with a Personna PTFE blade was just about perfect:
One of the magnets in the head came out and Irving Barber very kindly offered to send me a replacement plate for only $13 but instead I sealed the magnet back in with clear nail varnish.
After this time I now understand the IBC to have some significant design faults - the head does wobble, the big screw with the small thread is fiddly to fully tighten and Artist Club Blades contact the scales when the razor is closed.
But it looks and feels beautiful as well as giving a superb shave so it’s definitely worth it.
And for me it’s at its very best with an Injector Blade.
Tonight’s shave with a Personna PTFE blade was just about perfect:
Hi Guys,
As I haven't found any info about the Irving Company Straight razor as they call it themselves I thought hey let's start a topic about it.
It's actually a shavette and not a straight razor but I posted it here as it leans more in the direction of a straight then a DE.
I contacted the owner and while the Company has a International button on the shop page, that doesn't work yet but should in a few weeks, although that might be a bit longer as it seems the first batch has sold out (it was only a small batch). Lucky me I got the owner to send me one via email contact but I had to settle for one without the box to keep shipping costs down. I have no personal connection with Ricky and paid for my razor.
I was surprised after unpacking the razor about the balance, looks and weight. One thing that I noticed immediately was that if you want to keep it shiny on a display you better be prepared to wipe it off thoroughly after each use, every fingerprint shows. There is mention of other colors and materials in the future so that could be a better choice for the regular user, I don't think a barber will mind about that so much and this razor was developed with barbers in mind in the first place.
Very nice curves to this shavette, if I hold it next to my Feather DX folding it show many similarity's in thickness and curves but certainly isn't a copy of it. It falls into my hands just like the DX and while I like the long tang of the Feather I didn't mind the rather short one on the IBC, I'm not even sure a longer one would be better or advisable. Same thing about jimps, difficult to say if it would improve the razor, didn't miss them but maybe they should make a model with jimps as I suspect the regular user might like them.
Certainly a plus is the fact that you can use either a half DE blade, a Feather/Kai/Dorco single blade and a injector blade! Out of the 3 possibility's the Feather/Kai/Dorco ones are my favorites (but I shave most often with those so no surprise there). You can watch the video to see how the razor is opened and the blades placed inside, first few times you have to keep your attention, not that it's difficult at all just a bit different then other shavettes.
There are little magnets that keep the blades in place and if you use a DE blade broken in half there are two little spaces where the two curved ends of the broken blade fit into so it doesn't interfere with closing up the razor.
The knob, first thing I thought I wouldn't like, surprise .... it doesn't get in the way during shaving at all, obviously they thought this out really well! I always change hands for the different halves of my face and head and no problems there either.
It's too early to give a real review, I might do so after a month of two of use. I've shaved for 40+ years now, mostly twice a day to keep the bamboo at bay with DE's, SE's, straights and shavettes and have tried a really long list of different ones but have kept only a small portion of them that I really like. This one might just make it into the short list.
But even 40+ years is nothing compared to what a barber does so I took the IBC to a Turkish barber in my city and let him work with it. Those guys are magicians with a shavette! Unbelievable to watch. He used it on several customers and liked it a lot, wanted to keep it but no luck there
Looking forward to what the company might bring on the market in the future, a red one to go with my Plisson Ferrari Red brush would be nice. A few pictures but forgive my photographic skills
As has been mentioned before,the IBC razor does not feel as secure in the hand as my Sedef or Universal shavette therefore i do not use it.It has been designed to look good over function.
Does IBC continue with their first design?
I just registered an account to contribute to this thread, which was main input for me to buy it.
I have been wetshaving for about 6 month. I own 3 straights and some shavettes the CJB kamasori and proraso woodscale. Straight shaving is fun because its hard and I am still very much improving. Currently I do first pass with a straight and second + touch ups with a shavette.
My first shave with the IBC was with a SE perma sharp blade.
As others in this thread has mentioned, its very solid and well built. I especially like the strong friction in the pivoit. The halv DE blade fits perfect and it seems design i focused on making it hold DE blades. I think holder design is superior to the proraso.
I think it has one major flaw. The shanks on all my straights are square and "ribbed" for a good grip. The IBC has an oval slender shank which is polished. I am not sure why they decided to diviate from standard shank design. Anyhow I dont like it and my workaround was to twist a rubberband around the shank.
With this rubberband mod, it is a great shaver. I like it better than the CJB or proraso shavette. I give it 4 stars, it would be 5 if the shank was gripfriendly.
I will check if my IBC still has the "FAC blade fold issue" and post back at a later fime.
I have been wetshaving for about 6 month. I own 3 straights and some shavettes the CJB kamasori and proraso woodscale. Straight shaving is fun because its hard and I am still very much improving. Currently I do first pass with a straight and second + touch ups with a shavette.
My first shave with the IBC was with a SE perma sharp blade.
As others in this thread has mentioned, its very solid and well built. I especially like the strong friction in the pivoit. The halv DE blade fits perfect and it seems design i focused on making it hold DE blades. I think holder design is superior to the proraso.
I think it has one major flaw. The shanks on all my straights are square and "ribbed" for a good grip. The IBC has an oval slender shank which is polished. I am not sure why they decided to diviate from standard shank design. Anyhow I dont like it and my workaround was to twist a rubberband around the shank.
With this rubberband mod, it is a great shaver. I like it better than the CJB or proraso shavette. I give it 4 stars, it would be 5 if the shank was gripfriendly.
I will check if my IBC still has the "FAC blade fold issue" and post back at a later fime.
bromsvajer, welcome to the forums!
Thanks kingfisher
Regarding the FAC fold issue.
The IBC I got suffers from the Feather AC blade fold issue, tested with a FAC pro blade. I got mine from youbarber (itally) this month.
I have used it some more since first post and I really like my IBC.
+ high quality
+ compact small format
+ great balance
+ holds DE and FAC pro blades perfectly
+ easy to load
+ good head geometry and blade reveal, which allows for shallow angles.
+ high friction pivot, gives more control
-slippery shank geometry
-FAC fold issue
Both these negatives solved by my rubberband mod. Its ugly but I really dont care.
I have been getting some great results ATG with my IBC inspired by the geo video (How To Shave Against The Grain-Irritation Free and Baby Smooth!).
I use this method supporting the razors ”shoulder” on my skin raising the angle til it starts to catch. Its easy to do, feels like cheating.
Cheers
Regarding the FAC fold issue.
The IBC I got suffers from the Feather AC blade fold issue, tested with a FAC pro blade. I got mine from youbarber (itally) this month.
I have used it some more since first post and I really like my IBC.
+ high quality
+ compact small format
+ great balance
+ holds DE and FAC pro blades perfectly
+ easy to load
+ good head geometry and blade reveal, which allows for shallow angles.
+ high friction pivot, gives more control
-slippery shank geometry
-FAC fold issue
Both these negatives solved by my rubberband mod. Its ugly but I really dont care.
I have been getting some great results ATG with my IBC inspired by the geo video (How To Shave Against The Grain-Irritation Free and Baby Smooth!).
I use this method supporting the razors ”shoulder” on my skin raising the angle til it starts to catch. Its easy to do, feels like cheating.
Cheers
Both magnets have now come loose and got lost. Still works but it makes it harder to fit the blade.
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