I have been quite happy shaving with vintage Gillette and Schick DEs, going so far as developing a thing for the Schick Krona (I have 11). So when I first saw the Pils razor, I was taken aback, even tho I have a thing for Teutonic technology. But I started hearing good things about the shave quality, so the Pils stuck to my radar—even though I had just purchased a Gillette #16, which gave me the finest shave of any razor to date. Frankly, I was in no mood to drop serious coin on another razor.
So that meant my next logical step was to order a Pils. The razor had grown on me to the point where I felt I had to try it, knowing I could sell it on the BST and get back most of my money if it turned out to be a failrazor.
Package arrives, upon unboxing I find myself impressed by the heft and tight tolerances of the razor, as well as the obvious care that went into producing it. Pils considers their product an artisanal one, and I have heard that they are produced/assembled by hand--whatever that means. And that sounds nice and all, but I only care about one thing—how it shaves.
So this morning I loaded the Pils up with a Super Iridium, lathered ups some T&H Grafton, and went to work. I usually make a 4 pass shave—WTG, WTG neck, ATG neck, then WTG again. I really like the Grafton as it gives me consistent results, as does the Iridius. I could have used a Personna 74, but the Iridiums tend to be a touch smoother and I was not up for taking any chances. Loading the blade into the Pils is easy, and has been described elsewhere, so I'll skip that.
Results:
First pass: Even though the blade has less curvature than your typical DE, being almost flat, the angle of attack is easy to find. Too much or too little of an angle and the razor won’t cut. I found the right angle immediately and went to work. I usually have a little tugging with the Iridium on the first pass (which goes away on subsequent passes) this morning the tugging was not as bad, especially at the base of the neck where I tend to get razor bumps. I checked my work and found that I had removed significantly more beard on my first pass than usual, with nor irritation. Not bad.
Second and third passes went well. I usually have a little irritation and dragging when I go ATG, especially at the jawline, there was none of that today.
My final pass is really nothing more than cleanup, as I have a few problem areas that seem to need repeated attention. This morning they were clean, so I skipped touch up. I'm feeling fancy now.
After washup, I checked my face and it seemed that I had less irritation than usual. My left side felt a bit smoother than my right, but that is typical.
It is 12 hours later, and my face still feels great.
Thoughts:
The Iridium seemed completely different in the Pils—it felt like a different blade, really. I didn’t expect that. I may end up trying some other blades to see if I notice any differences. The handle, once wet, is grippy enough. I still might prefer some knurling tho. The heft is impressive.
I thought the size of the head might make it less maneuverable. It is actually easy to maneuver, esp. under the nose. And no more worries about catching the blade corner on your nose. I need to shave with this razor some more, but so far I’m impressed with the results.
But I'm not the only Pils owner out there. Any other Pils owners like to post up their shave impressions? I'm going to post up my impressions for the next week or so.
Pix:
#16, Pils, Krona/Eversharp
Pils and Krona, compared:
Side Profile:
Loading the blade: there is no play in the blade once it contacts the tabs.
Once you put the cap on, the blade will have a slight curve to it. Not as much as a Gillette, tho.
The machining is impeccable, tolerances are tight.
Another view of the three.
So that meant my next logical step was to order a Pils. The razor had grown on me to the point where I felt I had to try it, knowing I could sell it on the BST and get back most of my money if it turned out to be a failrazor.
Package arrives, upon unboxing I find myself impressed by the heft and tight tolerances of the razor, as well as the obvious care that went into producing it. Pils considers their product an artisanal one, and I have heard that they are produced/assembled by hand--whatever that means. And that sounds nice and all, but I only care about one thing—how it shaves.
So this morning I loaded the Pils up with a Super Iridium, lathered ups some T&H Grafton, and went to work. I usually make a 4 pass shave—WTG, WTG neck, ATG neck, then WTG again. I really like the Grafton as it gives me consistent results, as does the Iridius. I could have used a Personna 74, but the Iridiums tend to be a touch smoother and I was not up for taking any chances. Loading the blade into the Pils is easy, and has been described elsewhere, so I'll skip that.
Results:
First pass: Even though the blade has less curvature than your typical DE, being almost flat, the angle of attack is easy to find. Too much or too little of an angle and the razor won’t cut. I found the right angle immediately and went to work. I usually have a little tugging with the Iridium on the first pass (which goes away on subsequent passes) this morning the tugging was not as bad, especially at the base of the neck where I tend to get razor bumps. I checked my work and found that I had removed significantly more beard on my first pass than usual, with nor irritation. Not bad.
Second and third passes went well. I usually have a little irritation and dragging when I go ATG, especially at the jawline, there was none of that today.
My final pass is really nothing more than cleanup, as I have a few problem areas that seem to need repeated attention. This morning they were clean, so I skipped touch up. I'm feeling fancy now.
After washup, I checked my face and it seemed that I had less irritation than usual. My left side felt a bit smoother than my right, but that is typical.
It is 12 hours later, and my face still feels great.
Thoughts:
The Iridium seemed completely different in the Pils—it felt like a different blade, really. I didn’t expect that. I may end up trying some other blades to see if I notice any differences. The handle, once wet, is grippy enough. I still might prefer some knurling tho. The heft is impressive.
I thought the size of the head might make it less maneuverable. It is actually easy to maneuver, esp. under the nose. And no more worries about catching the blade corner on your nose. I need to shave with this razor some more, but so far I’m impressed with the results.
But I'm not the only Pils owner out there. Any other Pils owners like to post up their shave impressions? I'm going to post up my impressions for the next week or so.
Pix:
#16, Pils, Krona/Eversharp
Pils and Krona, compared:
Side Profile:
Loading the blade: there is no play in the blade once it contacts the tabs.
Once you put the cap on, the blade will have a slight curve to it. Not as much as a Gillette, tho.
The machining is impeccable, tolerances are tight.
Another view of the three.
Last edited:
) I find out I don't like mine...
