What's new

Noob shaver, Karve review

Like said above.....been at this about 6 months.

For reference, what I've been using mostly is a '66 Eversharp Krona, a Razorock SLOC and a Fatip Piccolo SE using the Gentile plate.

I've been kind of lusting after a few razors the last couple months because that happens here; reading the reviews and having a shave guru buddy that raves on his led me to purchasing a Karve.

Actually wanted to start with the B plate just in case the C was too much, but WCS had the 3" with the C plate in stock, and I'm an impatient man, bought and figured I'd deal.

I like razors that are easy going for the most part.....the SLOC has never bled me, even being an OC. It's like it was built for noobs and I've loved it since the first time I finished shaving with it. It's not the closest shave but I can buff over however many times I want and it doesn't irritate me one bit. If for whatever reason I'm in a hurry and can't take the time, the SLOC is my grab. I've said it before and I'll say it again.....no matter the soap, no matter the blade, that thing is awesome and probably the best $20 I've ever spent. If you're thinking about an OC and aren't sure where to start, grab that.

The Fatip was more work to learn, but a better shave when you put the time in. I gave it about 3 weeks and got the angles down and it rewards me with at least a DFS every time, and will probably always have a place with me. It's built well, it's classy, it's tiny and maneuverable and I dig on it.

I won the '66 Krona here in a great PIF, and was somewhat leery...I'm a tech guy, I like the newest and best in tech, guitars, phones etc...but I figured a whole damn forum full of guys with collectively speaking thousands of years more experience than I have couldn't be wrong.
I'm glad I tried it....it's intuitive, it's light and friendly, and the angle for the best shave to me just PRESENTS itself right where it needs to be and just works. It's a testament to great design and I'm really glad I get to own one. If I'm going to take my time, half an hour or so with some good music and have the spare minutes, the Krona is what I use.

So then this showed up today:

proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php


I hurried thru my shower after work, grabbed some stuff and set out to test it.

I'll say this....as a noob, this thing has ONE angle. Just ONE. Stick to that and you're gold. Deviate from that and you're going to bleed. I have a scar on the right side of my face from a childhood car accident....most of the time, no issue, not even noticeable. This was all going well, I was pretty amazed at how much like the Krona it was acting, and then I changed my grip slightly and took it off that line. WHAM. It opened that scar up quick.

I honestly didn't even notice, was rinsing the head under the tap and looked in the mirror and saw a river of blood running down my face. I didn't feel it cut me, I never even noticed. My fault, not the razors' fault, but be aware.

Construction is beautiful...it's machined wonderfully, no weird angles or burrs, it's actually quite lovely, if one could say that about a razor.

2 pass BBS other than that cut. I'm pretty amazed here. I'm committing to using this for the rest of the month just to get the angle down. I'm thinking the C plate is not going to be a problem, the weeper/cut was my fault, not the gear, and once I get it down I could see this being my main for a long time.

I've seen a few threads where people said it worked well for them during the shave but that there was irritation afterwards, and I'm glad to say that's not the case here. It's been a couple hours, and my face feels great.

WCS had this for under $70 shipped with one plate, and I think it's worth it given the quality that was evident from opening the box and picking this thing up.

Thanks in general to this forum for the reviews and guidance, and thanks in particular to my shave guru @guitarslinger for being honest about this thing.

Hope this review helps anyone. Any questions, feel free to ask in here or PM if you're shy.

I'll be updating this thread with subsequent shaves with this razor, in case anyone is wondering how the two of us are getting along.

sotd:

proxy.php
 
So, you don’t want any more aggressive plates? Lol.

The D safety bar seems to be my sweet spot, but I’m excited to try the b and c.
 
I got my C plate in today! Woot. Should have my E open this week sometime as well.

076D63FC-8023-4235-B517-5CB709E18EE4.jpeg


So the weird thing is, I guess I was more relaxed opening this package than I was when I got the razor because I read the piece of paper that said dunking it in mineral oil will protect the finish. So that’s what I did. We’ll see.

Congrats OP.
 
I got my C plate in today! Woot. Should have my E open this week sometime as well.

View attachment 980596

So the weird thing is, I guess I was more relaxed opening this package than I was when I got the razor because I read the piece of paper that said dunking it in mineral oil will protect the finish. So that’s what I did. We’ll see.

Congrats OP.

Nice man! Be sure and update your thread with what you think of the C. @Earcutter
 
I like razors that are easy going for the most part.....the SLOC has never bled me, even being an OC. It's like it was built for noobs and I've loved it since the first time I finished shaving with it. It's not the closest shave but I can buff over however many times I want and it doesn't irritate me one bit. If for whatever reason I'm in a hurry and can't take the time, the SLOC is my grab. I've said it before and I'll say it again.....no matter the soap, no matter the blade, that thing is awesome and probably the best $20 I've ever spent. If you're thinking about an OC and aren't sure where to start, grab that.
This is an excellent description of the SLOC/Yaqi head, and I couldn't have written it better.

I use mine as you do, it's my easy-going mild razor. I not only could use it daily, but I'm sure I could regularly use it 2X daily if the situation demanded it. For what it's worth, I prefer a Feather in it to bring-up the efficiency a notch.

But I must ask you? Did you ever try the Fatip OC head in your SE? It's very efficient, while also being remarkably smooth. Smoother than the SLOC, if you could believe that. But it's also a bit more aggressive, though not overly.
 
This is an excellent description of the SLOC/Yaqi head, and I couldn't have written it better.

I use mine as you do, it's my easy-going mild razor. I not only could use it daily, but I'm sure I could regularly use it 2X daily if the situation demanded it. For what it's worth, I prefer a Feather in it to bring-up the efficiency a notch.

But I must ask you? Did you ever try the Fatip OC head in your SE? It's very efficient, while also being remarkably smooth. Smoother than the SLOC, if you could believe that. But it's also a bit more aggressive, though not overly.

I did try the OC head; right out the gate in fact, but I used it like I would the SLOC and didn’t have the angles down and it hit me. I went for the Gentile plate just to learn the razor, and after 3 weeks or so went back to the OC plate, just didn’t like it as much as the SB so ended up sticking with that one. I should revisit after learning the Karve!

Thanks for the review. It is a very nice looking razor. Congratulations.

Thanks man, I like this one a lot. Can’t wait to use it again today!
 
proxy.php


Man this Karve is even better day 2...I hadn't noticed yesterday, but when you get the angle right it's VERY audible. Makes staying on that line much easier. Didn't really need to shave today, much less growth than yesterday cause this thing is EFFICIENT, but even still, it was loud like sandpaper. Pretty cool, I'm a fan.
 
@Steinmetzify Great review :a14: The Karve is an absolutely fantastic razor especially at its price point as IMO it can compete with any of the higher priced "unobtainiums". It is solid brass which may be attractive to some and will be produced in stainless and aluminum in the very near future if one prefer those materials. Although I am not typically a fan of OC heads, the Karve OC is quite smooth and efficient and doesn't pull or bite (not cut) the skin as some vintage OCs do on my face. Again the OC head is worth it but I prefer the SB especially the wider F plate. I recently wrote up a shave comparison with the GameChanger (thread World Shave Off Showdown post 4038) if you are interested and, unknown to me, several more experienced members came to the same conclusions. Enjoy it and I cannot wait to see what else comes out of the Karve company .... and brass stands are now available.
 
So my wife is out of town but returning tonight. I realized I should probably shave today even though I didn't really need to; she likes me soft but there's that little voice that says "dude you don't need to, you're going to cut yourself don't"

I need to listen to that guy....I could have gotten up and shaved in the morning and been fine, but the combination of not really needing it because yesterday's shave was so good, AND being more unfamiliar with this Barrister & Mann than I am with the TFS soap I used yesterday resulted in guess what?

Yeah, I cut myself. Changed my grip and wham. I think I was a little cocky because yesterday went so well, I should have listened to the little voice.

Day 3: 8/10....everywhere else is smooth as glass tho!
 
Thanks for the review!

It took me a while to adjust my technique to get used to the angle that you describe but now that I have made the adjustment I am getting great results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the review!

It took me a while to adjust my technique to get used to the angle that you describe but now that I have made the adjustment I am getting great results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome for the review; you’re using a Karve and have that audible feedback going?
 
SOTD

proxy.php


Day 4 with the Karve and some newly acquired Diamond....thanks for the rec, @guitarslinger . For the record, I like this base a lot better than the one that Waves is made of. This is way easier to use and feels a lot more protective.

Dude this scent is amaaaaaaaaaazing. The more I smelled it, the more I wanted to shave with it. This is definitely going into reg rotation all summer. I like this stuff so much I ordered the AS right after the shave.

Karve is a badass....newly acquired 7 o'clock Black in there, first shave with those. I'm liking Gillette a lot lately. Took more time, no cuts, no weepers, didn't even open the one from yesterday. 2 pass BBS, no touch ups needed.

Thinking after I get used to the angle I might go up another plate to a D just to see.

I'm gonna go 9/10 because I don't wanna seem suspect/honeymoony and because of the fact that the AS I hadn't ordered yet wasn't there to match it.

I can't wait to try that combo.

tl;dr Karve rocks.
 
SOTD

proxy.php


Day 4 with the Karve and some newly acquired Diamond....thanks for the rec, @guitarslinger . For the record, I like this base a lot better than the one that Waves is made of. This is way easier to use and feels a lot more protective.

Dude this scent is amaaaaaaaaaazing. The more I smelled it, the more I wanted to shave with it. This is definitely going into reg rotation all summer. I like this stuff so much I ordered the AS right after the shave.

Karve is a badass....newly acquired 7 o'clock Black in there, first shave with those. I'm liking Gillette a lot lately. Took more time, no cuts, no weepers, didn't even open the one from yesterday. 2 pass BBS, no touch ups needed.

Thinking after I get used to the angle I might go up another plate to a D just to see.

I'm gonna go 9/10 because I don't wanna seem suspect/honeymoony and because of the fact that the AS I hadn't ordered yet wasn't there to match it.

I can't wait to try that combo.

tl;dr Karve rocks.
Is it barrister and mann Diamond shaving soap?
 
Top Bottom