Pegasus, that was a doozy of an answer to a short question. Like being in the candy store, it's hard to decide. People sure have nice things to say about the Karve. I have to essentially repeat what I said about the PAA DOC. I have the cheap one, I think there's three versions. I don't remember what you're looking for, but I'm guessing it's perfection. I hear ya, if that's the case. I have purchased several myself (gold techs, 34G, EJ89, Future, slim, red tip, fatty, a couple slants, 1930's OC), and the best in my opinion is the PAA DOC. I don't feel the blade edge. I can shave fast and relatively safely, provided I don't slide the razor the wrong direction. The shave always feels good and two passes on a tough beard leaves smooth skin. Perfection. YMMV. Skin prep is important and if that's good enough, the razor might not matter much. I haven't tried a Feather blade with the DOC, but putting a very sharp blade with a comfortable razor is something to consider. Hello, Amazon...?
Of my mild razors the most efficient by a mile is my Yates Precision razor. It performs as well as my Blackbird but is smoother.
which plate?
For me this is probably the Winning razor made by Yates for the Wet Shaving Club. Sadly, WSC decided to discontinue production of the Winning around July of 2022. For me the Winning is somehow efficient despite being a "mild" razor. Used it this morning and got a near-BBS and completely irritatiion-free shave.
Yes, I also received a similar reply from Jake Yates. Yates produces quality products: I have the Winning and the 'Merica and they are both great razors in my opinion. I hope they will be able to create an improved version of the Winning at the "under $100" price point as I think it would be a great product!I asked Yates about it and they replied that they are looking at releasing a similar razor under their own brand.