Has anyone looked at iKon razors lately?

[LRod]

Here's my first shave report with the short comb. I wrote this in my journal thread last night:

Just had my first shave with the short comb tonight!
Loaded it with a Personna Lab Blue blade,
2 pass WTG/XTG
First my experience thus far with open comb razors:
The only open comb that I've liked has been the Fatip OC classic.
Until this one arrived, I've only kept the Fatip and an aluminum ATT OC plate for my mixed metal ATT.
All the OC's I've tried have always felt on the rougher end as compared to SB razors.
I've also found that OC's will catch some hairs in my goatee when shaving close to my goatee.
I purposely edged my goatee as I normally do and it did a wonderful job with no hair pulling.
The Fatip was the only one that defied that. Until now!
As soon as I started shaving with the Ikon, it was a reminder of the Fatip.
But improved!
It feels more substantial even though the head is aluminum.
it's got good balance and enough weight to compensate the urge to push.
I'd consider it a medium aggressive razor (definitely nowhere near the Ikon Tek SB)
It's cutting action and efficiency relies on the blade exposure and not at all on blade gap.
It's got almost no blade gap which is reminiscent of the Fatip.
It gives a very good close shave that left my face smooth.
Does it have the efficiency of my Top Gun razors? No!
But it's almost there! Enough I'm sure to keep my face clean till
I finish work tomorrow.
Overview:
It's an OC razor that gives a very smooth shave (smooth teeth that don't pinch or scratch)
It's very efficient
Good weight & balance
It sings as you shave!
Medium aggressive (nice blade feel, little blade gap)
Works great with multiple angles (I tried a few)
Very good fit and finish and self aligns the blade
Aluminum head & 316L stainless handle (the handle is fantastic)
For me it beats the Fatip in pretty much everything
It's the OC that I've enjoyed most and I'm sure that with more use, I'll like it even more
And the best part: $45 including the TEK aggressive head
I give it an A+ and it's now joined my rotation

Tomorrow night I'll be using the TEK and comparing the two. The Tek will
get the attention I should have given it before I sold the last one. As much
as I love aggressive razors, I'm certain that I'll get it to work for me by adjusting
technique for that particular razor.

LRod

 

[Old Hippie]

But in all seriousness, isn't the X3 supposed to be a super mild slant?

It is; trust me. Too mild for me.

It's also differential but I couldn't tell much difference. The "coarse" side was mild and the "fine" side was mild.

I imagine it would benefit from the same shim treatment as the PAA ElF does, but dealing with (or trying to deal with) iKon's customer service left me not wanting to mess with the X3 past a two-week shave review for The Tilted Picnic.

There are worse razors, I'll say that for it. I think the X3 is a good choice for someone who's just dipping a toe in slants, and may continue on as a good choice for those who like a very mild shave.

By comparison, I find the Shavecraft 102 tilted slant to be the best tilted slant I've tried. I'd like to see them update (and slim down) that design a bit.

O.H.

 

[LRod]

First shave tonight with the Tek!
2 pass WTG/XTG, using yesterday's Personna Lab Blue blade!
As I had mentioned, I had one before and sold it. Now I have it again because it came as a combo along with the short comb. First of all, it's nothing like the short comb. The Tek is definitely the king of aggressive & blade forward razors.
But it also excels in efficiency (crazy high efficiency!)
When I first used it back then, I was unable to get any smoothness out of the shaves. It always felt like a rough shave no matter what. Now I'm thinking that maybe I had a defective one that was bent or something. I had read of some past QC issues with Ikon razors! I remember having to align the blade but this one has no issues like that at all. Both my Tek and short comb seem to be flawless. You drop in the blade, tighten and it perfectly lines up.
Anyways, my Tek shave was a drama free, relatively smooth and irritation free shave. I managed on getting some smoothness by maintaining a steep shaving angle. I actually felt the safety bar doing some work this time around. Is it super smooth? No! Impossible since it's so incredibly blade forward. But the end result is as close as you can get with any razor. I'd say straight razor close!
For anyone like me that loves aggressive razors, the Tek should definitely be part of your collection. The other 2 super aggressive razors I've had were the Merkur Futur and the Yaqi slant aggressive. I didn't like either. The Futur was a good aggressive razor on the higher settings but the head was uncomfortably huge. And the Yaqi was scary on every shave because of it's massively ridiculous blade gap. Combined with it's super blade forward design, it wasn't very pleasant. The Tek seems to blend in what you would actually expect in a useful aggressive razor. It's not only aggressive and efficient but the head is slim which makes it very nimble. I don't think it would be my #1 choice for a daily razor but for me it would be perfect for every other day. It's not that I would be afraid of any irritation but it's a matter of it's efficiency. As fast and thick as my whiskers grow, I know that tomorrow night I won't have enough to shave off with the Tek. So tomorrow I might use something like the my Greencult 2.0 level II which is milder for days of less growth. The Ikon short comb would be perfect too!
So the bottom line is that I really like both the Tek and the short comb. Two very different razors but both are enjoyable and fun. And again, for the $45 price, they're a bargain. Excellent build quality and excellent shaves!
LRod

 

[VBH37118]

First shave tonight with the Tek!
2 pass WTG/XTG, using yesterday's Personna Lab Blue blade!
As I had mentioned, I had one before and sold it. Now I have it again because it came as a combo along with the short comb. First of all, it's nothing like the short comb. The Tek is definitely the king of aggressive & blade forward razors.
But it also excels in efficiency (crazy high efficiency!)
When I first used it back then, I was unable to get any smoothness out of the shaves. It always felt like a rough shave no matter what. Now I'm thinking that maybe I had a defective one that was bent or something. I had read of some past QC issues with Ikon razors! I remember having to align the blade but this one has no issues like that at all. Both my Tek and short comb seem to be flawless. You drop in the blade, tighten and it perfectly lines up.
Anyways, my Tek shave was a drama free, relatively smooth and irritation free shave. I managed on getting some smoothness by maintaining a steep shaving angle. I actually felt the safety bar doing some work this time around. Is it super smooth? No! Impossible since it's so incredibly blade forward. But the end result is as close as you can get with any razor. I'd say straight razor close!
For anyone like me that loves aggressive razors, the Tek should definitely be part of your collection. The other 2 super aggressive razors I've had were the Merkur Futur and the Yaqi slant aggressive. I didn't like either. The Futur was a good aggressive razor on the higher settings but the head was uncomfortably huge. And the Yaqi was scary on every shave because of it's massively ridiculous blade gap. Combined with it's super blade forward design, it wasn't very pleasant. The Tek seems to blend in what you would actually expect in a useful aggressive razor. It's not only aggressive and efficient but the head is slim which makes it very nimble. I don't think it would be my #1 choice for a daily razor but for me it would be perfect for every other day. It's not that I would be afraid of any irritation but it's a matter of it's efficiency. As fast and thick as my whiskers grow, I know that tomorrow night I won't have enough to shave off with the Tek. So tomorrow I might use something like the my Greencult 2.0 level II which is milder for days of less growth. The Ikon short comb would be perfect too!
So the bottom line is that I really like both the Tek and the short comb. Two very different razors but both are enjoyable and fun. And again, for the $45 price, they're a bargain. Excellent build quality and excellent shaves!
LRod

I feel the same way having used both, the tek is a bit more efficient, You can’t go wrong with either one.

 

[LRod]

First shave tonight with the Tek!
2 pass WTG/XTG, using yesterday's Personna Lab Blue blade!
As I had mentioned, I had one before and sold it. Now I have it again because it came as a combo along with the short comb. First of all, it's nothing like the short comb. The Tek is definitely the king of aggressive & blade forward razors.
But it also excels in efficiency (crazy high efficiency!)
When I first used it back then, I was unable to get any smoothness out of the shaves. It always felt like a rough shave no matter what. Now I'm thinking that maybe I had a defective one that was bent or something. I had read of some past QC issues with Ikon razors! I remember having to align the blade but this one has no issues like that at all. Both my Tek and short comb seem to be flawless. You drop in the blade, tighten and it perfectly lines up.
Anyways, my Tek shave was a drama free, relatively smooth and irritation free shave. I managed on getting some smoothness by maintaining a steep shaving angle. I actually felt the safety bar doing some work this time around. Is it super smooth? No! Impossible since it's so incredibly blade forward. But the end result is as close as you can get with any razor. I'd say straight razor close!
For anyone like me that loves aggressive razors, the Tek should definitely be part of your collection. The other 2 super aggressive razors I've had were the Merkur Futur and the Yaqi slant aggressive. I didn't like either. The Futur was a good aggressive razor on the higher settings but the head was uncomfortably huge. And the Yaqi was scary on every shave because of it's massively ridiculous blade gap. Combined with it's super blade forward design, it wasn't very pleasant. The Tek seems to blend in what you would actually expect in a useful aggressive razor. It's not only aggressive and efficient but the head is slim which makes it very nimble. I don't think it would be my #1 choice for a daily razor but for me it would be perfect for every other day. It's not that I would be afraid of any irritation but it's a matter of it's efficiency. As fast and thick as my whiskers grow, I know that tomorrow night I won't have enough to shave off with the Tek. So tomorrow I might use something like the my Greencult 2.0 level II which is milder for days of less growth. The Ikon short comb would be perfect too!
So the bottom line is that I really like both the Tek and the short comb. Two very different razors but both are enjoyable and fun. And again, for the $45 price, they're a bargain. Excellent build quality and excellent shaves!
LRod

Well, just as I suspected: 24 hours have passed since the shave with the Tek and I barely have any stubble. Face is still relatively smooth. But I still have to shave daily no matter what. So tonight it was with my Greencult 2.0 Level II.
No way I would have been able to use the Tek tonight. As I said before, it's definitely an "every other day" razor for me. I'd be afraid of irritation if I were to use it with such little growth. It's perfect for 2+ days of growth!
It's pretty remarkable though that it shaves so close. So the Tek stays with the title of "King of Efficiency".
No doubt about it!
The GC 2.0, Tatara Nodachi, ATT X1 slant and Ikon short comb are a notch behind it but have the "comfort" factor built in as well. Any of those are definite daily drivers!
I'm totally enjoying them all!

 

[ivan_101]

I am surprised you say the short comb is a mild razor. What angle do you use with the Short comb and the Tek? When used with the shallow angle (riding the cap) they are significantly milder than when used with the steep angle. With both razors only the steep works with my whiskers, since they are hyper tough. With shallow I don't get a close enough shave, especially with the Short comb.
About the alignment. I believe I bought both heads a year ago. Both are bad with the alignment, often takes me a few minutes and a few attempts to align the blade evenly (yes, I load with the top cap put upside down). Nevertheless I am not sorry I bought those two heads.
I also have the Deluxe OC head, which is significantly milder than the Short comb and the Tek.

 

[LRod]

I am surprised you say the short comb is a mild razor. What angle do you use with the Short comb and the Tek? When used with the shallow angle (riding the cap) they are significantly milder than when used with the steep angle. With both razors only the steep works with my whiskers, since they are hyper tough. With shallow I don't get a close enough shave, especially with the Short comb.
About the alignment. I believe I bought both heads a year ago. Both are bad with the alignment, often takes me a few minutes and a few attempts to align the blade evenly (yes, I load with the top cap put upside down). Nevertheless I am not sorry I bought those two heads.
I also have the Deluxe OC head, which is significantly milder than the Short comb and the Tek.

It's not mild. Maybe I worded it wrong. It's "milder" than the Tek. I used a neutral angle with it and it seemed to be the sweet spot for me. With the Tek I used a steep angle which worked best in order to get some level of smoothness. Regardless, they're both hyper efficient. And luckily as I said they require no alignment. I guess I got a good top cap!

 

[never-stop-learning]

It's not mild. Maybe I worded it wrong. It's "milder" than the Tek. I used a neutral angle with it and it seemed to be the sweet spot for me. With the Tek I used a steep angle which worked best in order to get some level of smoothness. Regardless, they're both hyper efficient. And luckily as I said they require no alignment. I guess I got a good top cap!

I use both the B1 Standard and the Tek occasionally. Both are quite efficient.

 

[VBH37118]

It's not mild. Maybe I worded it wrong. It's "milder" than the Tek. I used a neutral angle with it and it seemed to be the sweet spot for me. With the Tek I used a steep angle which worked best in order to get some level of smoothness. Regardless, they're both hyper efficient. And luckily as I said they require no alignment. I guess I got a good top cap!

Milder than the tek, nail on the head, not a mild razor for sure

 

[LRod]

I use both the B1 Standard and the Tek occasionally. Both are quite efficient.

B1 standard looks interesting. What do you think about it? (smoothness, efficiency, aggressiveness, etc..)
What other razor can you compare it to?

 

[never-stop-learning]

B1 standard looks interesting. What do you think about it? (smoothness, efficiency, aggressiveness, etc..)
What other razor can you compare it to?

B1 Standard:
Post in thread 'Comparison of DE Razors in My Den From ~$75 to ~$125 (USD)' Comparison of DE Razors in My Den From ~$75 to ~$125 (USD) - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/comparison-of-de-razors-in-my-den-from-75-to-125-usd.600310/post-11361452

 

[LRod]

B1 Standard:
Post in thread 'Comparison of DE Razors in My Den From ~$75 to ~$125 (USD)' Comparison of DE Razors in My Den From ~$75 to ~$125 (USD) - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/comparison-of-de-razors-in-my-den-from-75-to-125-usd.600310/post-11361452

I really didn't need to read that!
God knows I don't need another razor!
Interesting that you would choose the B1 over the Yates since I've read so many positives with Yates. (I've never tried one). Seems like you highly regard the Ikon. I guess my surprise is because Ikon has pretty much been forgotten for the most part and so many others have taken the limelight. But that goes to show that for some, the latest and greatest is not always best. I think that's what I see as well with the Ikon's. For the price they seem like very solid performers.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I really didn't need to read that!
God knows I don't need another razor!
Interesting that you would choose the B1 over the Yates since I've read so many positives with Yates. (I've never tried one). Seems like you highly regard the Ikon. I guess my surprise is because Ikon has pretty much been forgotten for the most part and so many others have taken the limelight. But that goes to show that for some, the latest and greatest is not always best. I think that's what I see as well with the Ikon's. For the price they seem like very solid performers.

I've really tried to like the Stainless Yates, but don't care for the way they feel against my face. My favorite Yates is the Brass 921-HYB:

I like the B1 Standard. It is highly efficient, smooth, fairly nimble & maneuverable, fairly predictable and definitely effective.

My top two razors in that group are the Karve Brass SB-G:

and the Rex Envoy:

The new Blackland Razors Dart is above the US$75 - US$125 or I'd include it.

Hope this helps.

 

[privatizes]

I will never buy another Ikon razor and wish I had bought a Feather years ago. Back when I got that razor there were few stainless choices and you could not just get a nice razor on Amazon or whatever. The shops in NYC had surprisingly thin stock back then.

That first razor still works but at some point Ikon had a promotion on some nice looking heads and I had early RAD. I ORDERED 3 HEADS. The heads were immediately destroyed by leaving those in Barbarsol JUST A SHORT WHILE! I contacted Ikon and they were horrible.

My Zamac R41 was fine!

I was also always unsure if the Handle on my SS razor was actually solid SS. It looked off. So I do look at the site as I wanted a slant and the x3 had good reviews. I looked a lot and decided that I just can’t buy another Ikon razor Ever!

 

[privatizes]

I meant barbacide

 

[LRod]

I will never buy another Ikon razor and wish I had bought a Feather years ago. Back when I got that razor there were few stainless choices and you could not just get a nice razor on Amazon or whatever. The shops in NYC had surprisingly thin stock back then.

That first razor still works but at some point Ikon had a promotion on some nice looking heads and I had early RAD. I ORDERED 3 HEADS. The heads were immediately destroyed by leaving those in Barbarsol JUST A SHORT WHILE! I contacted Ikon and they were horrible.

My Zamac R41 was fine!

I was also always unsure if the Handle on my SS razor was actually solid SS. It looked off. So I do look at the site as I wanted a slant and the x3 had good reviews. I looked a lot and decided that I just can’t buy another Ikon razor Ever!

Sorry to hear your experience! My Ikon's are pretty flawless which leads me to believe that at some point the quality improved. Regardless, My Tek & Short comb with a Stainless handle was a bargain at less than $50!
They aren't necessarily part of my rotation as I will use them whenever I want to shave with something different.
I've already acquired the razors that I consider as "best on my list" and those are the ones I use daily.
I've never bought the Feather but have seen it and it seems to be superbly built. But it's a mild razor which I dislike.
It was never on my list of razors to buy for that reason. Glad you enjoy it though!

 

[Legion]

I contacted Ikon and they were horrible.

Knock me over with a feather.

 

[Joezamboni]

I meant barbacide

Know your pain, it’s sadly a topic that comes up pretty often here with aluminum razors.

Search results for query: Barbicide aluminum

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[VBH37118]

Sorry to hear your experience! My Ikon's are pretty flawless which leads me to believe that at some point the quality improved. Regardless, My Tek & Short comb with a Stainless handle was a bargain at less than $50!
They aren't necessarily part of my rotation as I will use them whenever I want to shave with something different.
I've already acquired the razors that I consider as "best on my list" and those are the ones I use daily.
I've never bought the Feather but have seen it and it seems to be superbly built. But it's a mild razor which I dislike.
It was never on my list of razors to buy for that reason. Glad you enjoy it though!

I also bought the same two ikon razors a few weeks ago and love them, no regrets

 

[VBH37118]

I will never buy another Ikon razor and wish I had bought a Feather years ago. Back when I got that razor there were few stainless choices and you could not just get a nice razor on Amazon or whatever. The shops in NYC had surprisingly thin stock back then.

That first razor still works but at some point Ikon had a promotion on some nice looking heads and I had early RAD. I ORDERED 3 HEADS. The heads were immediately destroyed by leaving those in Barbarsol JUST A SHORT WHILE! I contacted Ikon and they were horrible.

My Zamac R41 was fine!

I was also always unsure if the Handle on my SS razor was actually solid SS. It looked off. So I do look at the site as I wanted a slant and the x3 had good reviews. I looked a lot and decided that I just can’t buy another Ikon razor Ever!

I will never buy another Ikon razor and wish I had bought a Feather years ago. Back when I got that razor there were few stainless choices and you could not just get a nice razor on Amazon or whatever. The shops in NYC had surprisingly thin stock back then.

That first razor still works but at some point Ikon had a promotion on some nice looking heads and I had early RAD. I ORDERED 3 HEADS. The heads were immediately destroyed by leaving those in Barbarsol JUST A SHORT WHILE! I contacted Ikon and they were horrible.

My Zamac R41 was fine!

I was also always unsure if the Handle on my SS razor was actually solid SS. It looked off. So I do look at the site as I wanted a slant and the x3 had good reviews. I looked a lot and decided that I just can’t buy another Ikon razor Ever!

Too bad, on your experience, welcome to the club