UPDATE: Shave Off Report
Gillette President vs Raw Shaving RS 10
First off my apologies on taking so long to post this up my schedule got a bit full this weekend and so this is really the first chance I've had to write up the results and I'm going to make this one a short write up as I don't know about you but I've got to not only work but I've got some serious Cyber Monday Shopping to do for the holidays and my business. Lots of good deals I can't pass up. LOL
So I've written up more than a few times about the President about what a great razor it is and definately one I believe flies under the radar screen as other vintage razors seem to do in this golden age of modern razors. So all I'm going to say is let us not forget how great some of these old razors are. Some are loaded with what I call Mojo which I absolutely have to have for a razor to stay in my den and yes some moderns do have it as well. The Raw Shaving RS 10 razor is not only a modern SS razor but it's pretty hard to get your hands on since the company unfortunately was in business for only a short time so there only so many out there. So the only similarity these two have is getting your hands on a President like I'm lucky enough to have is hard to find as well as the RS 10. Weight wise they are very different with the RS 10 being noticeably heavier and longer. Normally I'll weight the razors and report but I took my scale I have at home and brought it into the labs last week and forgot to bring it back home so maybe some others could post up the weights of each razor. I think I posted the weight of the President in one of the past Shave Offs if someone wants to search for it but I'm not sure I did the same with the RS 10. Like I said the RS 10 is also longer than the President but I had no problem adjusting to either one during the Shave Off.
Took out the PannaCrema Nuavia Blu for this one which is a good performing shave soap with nice post shave feel and really nice scent. For those that never tried it they just changed their packaging so it's a bit more affordable than the really nice ceramic jar in came in and I read in another post some members are happy about the change while others are not. Just letting those know that don't. I used just some Thayers Witch hazel as a AS splash but didn't include it in the photos. Proraso Pro Boar brush and I decided to use some Creed Silver Mountain water as my cologne of the day. Blades were two brand new hand stropped Feathers. I also used my Captain's Choice copper bowl to lather in but also didn't put it in the photo which btw I like very much. Just did my normal two pass WTG & ATG pass using the SSSST and I threw in a few X pattern strokes on my cheeks and neck. Doing that I did notice that the PannaCrema Blu didn't quite have the residual slickness I remember from the last time I used it and it may have been my mistake mixing up the lather as I used the Verde not to long ago and it was fine with no issues there.
1st Pass WTG - I started on my left side this time to start my N to S pass just to mix things up a bit and I started with the President for the first pass. Like I mentioned earlier this razor doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves as I really enjoy the shaves I've gotten with it and I'd say if I were a daily shaver it could be used with no problem and would consistently deliver a nice smooth and efficient shave. It has great balance and is very manuverable. With the brand new Feather blade in it the razor had no problem getting through my 2 days growth. Blade feel is somewhere in the moderate range and audible feedback is there as well. Just an overall good shaving razor in my books. No problems around my mouth or under my nose so a very nice first pass and a good way to kick off this Shave Off. To continue down my neck on my left side I grabbed the RS 10 and of course like I mentioned you notice the weight difference right away and it has just a bigger presence in hand. I like this razor very much but have not had a ton of shaves with it with the mild plate on it as I normally use what's called the " Aggressive Plate " which to me does not at all fit the description of how it shaves as it's just more efficient but still very smooth and just don't associate it with the word " Aggressive " so sorry to owner of the former company but I have to say I think you got that term wrong... but all is forgiven because you gave us a excellent shaving razor that for me when used with the more efficient baseplate took the whole " almost perfect balanced efficient & smooth title away from the Paradigm 17 4 as it to both to another level. Unfortunately if this were the music business we'd call this a " One hit wonder " as it's no longer made which it does share with the 17 4. Anyway back to the WTG pass with the RS 10 and this razor lives up to it's rep as a smooth razor as it exhibited why as it very smoothly took down my growth on my left side neck with what I'd call low volume audible feedback and same goes for blade feel. Don't get me wrong on this first pass there is enough of both to know where you are but I wouldn't recommend running the water or playing Led Zeppelin in the background! So a quick easy pass with the RS 10. So over to my more difficult right side with it still in hand and I started my downward journey right below my sideburns and I took a few X pattern strokes on my cheek which I forgot to mention I also did when I used the President. What a nice pass from the RS 10 and with the weight of the razor you need absolutely no pressure to be applied. Around my mouth I had so much confidence I did my shave the edge of my lips and slightly go on them and nothing but smoothness and it cleaned up any stubble that was on them very nicely. On to my most difficult part of my whole face. My right side neck with a awful cowlick on it and some really weird beard growth that runs almost from the other end of my cowlick which is very close to my Adams Apple to under my ear. It's in the shape of a surfboard kind of a elongated oval about an inch below my lower jawline. Well maybe I should have given the task to the RS 10 as the President did struggle with eliminating as much stubble as it did on my left side of my face on the first pass but with some good aggressive skin stretching and slowing down for some shorted strokes I got threw it. Rinsed and felt my face in that area just cause I was focused on it and took a quick feel of the left side as well and at this point it's clear to me that the RS 10 has removed more stubble than the President did. So finished up and relathered up for the ATG pass.
2nd Pass ATG - With the RS 10 at the base of my neck on my left side I began to head northward and this was an excellent pass for the Raw Shaving razor as it made quick work of the remaining stubble that it missed on the first pass. Smoother and even less noisy than the last pass with less stubble to shave like I said you have to have no audible distractions or you won't hear a thing from this razor as this point. Blade feel is almost non-existent as well. Finished up and a wonderful ATG first pass from the RS 10. Bravissimo! To continue upward with the President on my left side it was a good pass and I'd say the best of the entire shave for the Pres! Smooth and I staying ATG even under my nose and around my mouth and chin without any issues whatsoever. So I skipped on over to the base of my neck on my right side and the President began it's most difficult task yet in this Shave Off going ATG on my right side neck. All seemed to go well and I was impressed it took down my stubble without hesitation and with confidence. Pass was over quickly and I'm thinking to myself I'm very blessed to have this wonderful example of this model from Gillette. Well so not a walk in the park for the RS 10 it had its own challenge to take on as my right side of my face although not as bad as my neck also has it's little quirky spots with some weird beard growth just above my jawline towards my ear and upwards along my ear all the way up to my sideburn. Also a spot right on the edge of my chin on the right side that can be troublesome but like the President it stepped up to the plate and delivered like a champ! Very nice as again I stayed with the ATG around my mouth and under my nose. I a couple of X pattern strokes on this pass right where I said I had some weird beard growth along side my ear and it worked out great! So wella this Shave Off is in the books! Not to rant on let's get right to the scoring
Scoring system:
Gillette President
1. Smoothness = 54 1/2 points
2. Efficiency = 13 1/2 points
3. Balance = 5 points
4. Maneuverability = 4 1/2 points
5. Glide = 4 1/2 points
Total score = 82 points
Raw Shaving RS 10
1. Smoothness = 56 points
2. Efficiency = 14 1/2 points
3. Balance = 4 points
4. Maneuverability = 4 points.
5. Glide = 4 1/2 points
Total score = 83 points
Well we have a winner and it's the RS 10 and I noticed two things right from the get go but didn't want to ruin the results in the beginning of the Shave off but the RS 10 was both noticeably smoother and more efficient than the President and I have to say at this point that honestly to me the President maybe more than any other razor so far overachieved my expectations of it in this Shave Off since we put it on the list of contestants. This razor earned my respect and I will be using it when I need a nice daily shave and I think a couple of razors that were in that spot may have lost their welcome in my den as I've said before I"m trying to thin out the herd a bit. What can I say about the RS 10.. smooth and efficient was it's strong points even though it lost in maneuverability to the President. So the Raw Shaving RS 10 moves on to the finals as the Gibbs Adjustable and the Timeless .95 Ti have to duke it out in the semi final round up next.
Great Shaves my friends!
DB
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Great shave off, thank you!
I’ve never had the opportunity to use RS 10, but, having read quite a few reviews, forum opinions, etc, it sounds like a great razor... shame it’s no longer being manufactured and therefore no longer easily available.
Looking forward to Gibbs vs Timeless .95 Titanium...!!
