Thanks for the review. Waiting for version 2.
Youre pretty brave shaving head on first try. Like you I appreciated the short shave I had. Same handle and I like it.Hello,
Mine arrived today. Here is a quick summary. Will follow with pictures etc when time allows.
Fit and finish
No machining marks on visible surfaces. Surface finish was highly polished and free of blemishes. I didn’t see excessive play on cap pins. Blade lineup was good and didn’t require adjustments. I got the Pioneer handle. Fits nice in hand. Good grip for head shaving.
Shave
Poraso green soap, German Personna blade (new) and Omega 10098 boar brush.
Shave was two pass WTG, ATG face and head shave. I had about a weeks worth of growth.
I must admit I was very careful when shaving. The shave was very close. The only weepers were from skin imperfections such as bumps and scars. The result was a extremely close bbs shave with little irritation.
Disclaimer. I love very efficient razors. This razor exceeds the standard R41 in efficiency but feels smoother. I don’t have a 2011 R41 to compare to.
I would compare it to Ikon Tech or PAA double open comb razor (stainless aggressive model) But smoother. It reminds me of a Merkur Vision dialed up.
This razor was better quality than I expected. It is not for the faint of heart. Pressure will draw blood and remove skin imperfections. Head shavers may go down a hat size.
I will try a smoother blade like Voskhod or Astra Next. I need more shaves to fairly evaluate but at the price I would have been happy with just the handle. No regrets but YMMV.
Cheers
John
Hello,Youre pretty brave shaving head on first try. Like you I appreciated the short shave I had. Same handle and I like it.
Nice, glad you like it. I like your handle, was hesitating between that one and the Pioneer.Well, well. That was not what I was expecting. The DS-ZO actually shaved well, very well as a matter of fact. It’s a clone of the Legendary Muhle R41 but, done in Stainless Steel alloy. Quality is quite good, tolerances are very precise and shave feel was really impressive. Very good blade feel with better than average smoothness. No, it’s not a mild razor but, it’s not a face peeler neither. More shaves to follow to really get a good assessment. It’s a trial run razor first release and it has some real good potential. Like I said before, more shaves to follow and see how it turns out with a few more shaves....
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Couple pics of the razor components. Quality & feel is surprisingly very good. Besides the underside of the top cap not being cleaned out on finishing, it doesn’t affect the blade seating or positioning whatsoever and fitment is good with no play at all...
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Tonight was the 5th shave with the DS-Z.O (R41 clone) from DScosmetics and they have been fabulous. Each one getting better than the previous experience. The first four shaves I used a Gillette Nacet and the shave action was very efficient with 2 pass shaves for those instances with a slight touch up around the chin and Adam’s Apple. Tonight’s shave was with a fresh Black Ninja (Gillette Platinum, India) that was perhaps even smoother than with the Nacet. Both blades gave very good blade feel yet with better than average smoothness, more so than the Legendary Ikon Tech yet, nearly as efficient. Equal to the 2011 R41 in usage and cutting ability but, slightly easier on the skin. If there is a minor caveat it’s the hybrid open comb bar as the nibs on it feel just a bit pointy. They won’t cut you but, you get a bit of a scraping feeling if you ride closer to the comb end and can be uncomfortable. If they were machined to a rounder finish, it would be a killer razor. As a poster before me has stated, this is not a razor for the weak of heart, a newbie or the Gent that likes his smooth and mild daily shaves from his Gillette British Tech. This is not your smooth daily shaver. This is a no holds barred whisker reducing demon that rivals and matches the aforementioned big boys in the aggressive or super efficient tier. Good lather & good technique equals a superb finish of the highest order with no cuts, nics or irritation to speak of. Just 2 weepers on shave #2 that were gone in an instant with an alum application.
If you enjoy the performance that the Muhle R41 ‘11 & ‘13 both provide, with a feel closer to the 2011 version and would have liked it in a premium alloy, this razor just might be your ticket. Excellent blade feel, less harsh than the R41 and definitely easier on the face than the Ikon Tech, you’ve found your huckleberry.....
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Hello,
I’m on my second shave with this razor and I’m really liking it so far. Now I’m debating polishing the bottom of the comb teeth. I to noticed it was a little scratchy if you ride the comb. A light polish would radius the bottom of the comb teeth. Hmmmm.
so far no regrets and I am impressed with the quality of this razor.
Cheers
John
That should work. I’ve got my Dremel with some jewelers rue and I’m going to do the same thing. A more thorough polish/buff should remove that scratchy feeling from the bottom of the teeth.
Ditto here. No regrets at all....
That's one of the reasons I didn't use my Destroyer handle. Instead of leaving the knurling be, they've mirror polished it (with the rest of the handle).What I did not like, was surprisingly the handle: Heavy and well made, but the knurling was very superficial and gave not good grip at all. Almost slippery despite knurling, no comparison to the very well made handle of the Outlaw.
Check the thread title my friend.Question: Which version are you comparing this to, the '11 or the '13 version.
They are two very different razors.