Help me decide which Yaqi DE head to buy.

[Iridian]

Is this cartridge Yai Halequin much more aggressive even than the Yaqi Telstar?

I don't have a Telstar but given other comparisons it is guaranteed to be more if not much more aggressive.

 

[WVShaver]

This is great info. I would love to try out all the Yaqi & DS offerings but I wish it was easier shopping for them. I’ve never ordered anything on Aliexpress and instead of a list of razors they offer you have to scroll through them all trying to see what’s different.

Also I see for my first purchase on Ali the first item is much cheaper. Can I purchase just 1 item then get the discount on the next single item I purchase or is the discount a one time thing?

For handles I love my RazoRock BarberPole & RadioKnobs. They are cheap, extremely grippy and just feel great. I’d rather every razor was available without the handle since I use the RazoRocks on everything.

I’d love to find one or two more RadioKnobs. Not sure why they were discontinued.

 

[Iridian]

@WVShaver ideally use the browser instead of an app and then go to the store or say Yaqi, DSCosmetic or Yintal. There you get categories like razor head, razor handle, sometimes they mix stuff in though. You can also use there the option to search within the store. Use English as language, it's better translated than the rest.

The first item cheaper thing is more a Banggood and Temu thing. Temu is cheap but they are much more Wild East than AliExpress. They also seem to offer almost no quality razors.

There are regular coin actions (and hopefully no con actions) and welcome back rebates and sales.

One gets the hang of it after a while.

It can't hurt to ask on the forum about experiences with this or that seller. Also regarding quality.

Shield razors doesn't ship to Germany but others here highly recommend them.

 

[Chelko]

@WVShaver, if you check by store, like @Iridian mentioned, you'll mention that Yaqi and DS offer heads only, no need to purchase a whole razor with handle if you don't want to

 

[cjmalagon]

@WVShaver
Links to the official stores:
Yaqi Factory store
DS Cosmetics store

Alliexpress can be a bit overwhelming but it's the better online east web store, their mobile app is not bad but as @Iridian mentioned the desktop site it's a lot better to navigate, they have a very gamified style of web-store (their mobile app a lot more) so it's easy to get overwhelmed. Per personal experience try not to buy from the other "alike" stores, i just had a bad experience, yes i got my money reimbursed pretty fast but even if they said it was an error i can't see how that store send 2 wood pop sticks and not the Tile razor head, they don't even sell other kind of products than shave stuff... very shady if you ask me. The Yaqi official store has never failed me, professional people no doubt the DS cosmetics official store is good too.

And yes you can buy just 1 item and later take advantage of the other discounts, i did that with my brass handle and i get it for a really cheap price.

I am a bit late to the party. Voted Telstar since you said you want a steep angle shaver. But the Telstar is more aggressive than all the 3 past razors you mentioned in your first post. It has 1.15mm gap and some serious exposure. The moment you go to neutral or shallow angle you start getting unexpected cuts.

No problem, i think this post / conversation can help others in the same situation, lastly i didn't got the Tile head so i'm still interested to get another shave head. But after looking at the Yaqi sentinel post that is around here now i have my eyes on other Yaqi heads, but i still like the Tile because the top of the head is very flat, l have trouble shaving under my nose a lot but maybe that's because my technique is not good enough, i feel heads with big round tops make it harder. The Telstar will be my next zinc allow head acquisition.

I have a question for the more experienced shavers, a bigger gap always means more aggression? or blade exposure is a bigger factor. And correct me if i'm wrong, but a more aggressive shave head ≠ more efficiency. Those two factors are somewhat related but they not always go hand to hand.

Lastly, have anyone tried the Hallow Sentinel head? i saw few users speaking about it in the sentinel threat here in B&B but seems nobody pulled the trigger and bough it. Stuff with "unique" aesthetics always grab my attention, I tend to buy things that aesthetically please me as the main factor.

 

[ivan_101]

I have a question for the more experienced shavers, a bigger gap always means more aggression? or blade exposure is a bigger factor. And correct me if i'm wrong, but a more aggressive shave head ≠ more efficiency. Those two factors are somewhat related but they not always go hand to hand.

A bigger gap doesn't always mean more exposure. Imagine a 1.30 gap razor with negative exposure of -0.15. It will not be aggressive neither it will shave close. Actually it probaly won't shave close at all. On the other hand a razor with an exposure of +0.25 but a gap of 0.40 will not necessarily give you a close shave.

The closeness of shave of aggressiveness are not only defined by the gap and the exposure. There are at least 2 other important parameters of a head that are very often ignored. Degree of bending and clamping. The clamping actually can be divided into two or more factors. How strong is the clamping and what percentage of the blade is clamped strongly. I could even tell you there is one more thing related to the clamping - where the blade is clamped. Let's not forget the blade reaveal plays a certain role too (How much of the blade is uncovered by the cap when you look from above, not to be mistaken for exposure).

And finally I can recommend to you the Yaqi scalloped head that looks like DE89. It is more aggressive than DE89, but often you might need a bit of manual alignment. I like it so much that I bought more than 10 spares.

 

[cjmalagon]

A bigger gap doesn't always mean more exposure. Imagine a 1.30 gap razor with negative exposure of -0.15. It will not be aggressive neither it will shave close. Actually it probaly won't shave close at all. On the other hand a razor with an exposure of +0.25 but a gap of 0.40 will not necessarily give you a close shave.

The closeness of shave of aggressiveness are not only defined by the gap and the exposure. There are at least 2 other important parameters of a head that are very often ignored. Degree of bending and clamping. The clamping actually can be divided into two or more factors. How strong is the clamping and what percentage of the blade is clamped strongly. I could even tell you there is one more thing related to the clamping - where the blade is clamped. Let's not forget the blade reaveal plays a certain role too (How much of the blade is uncovered by the cap when you look from above, not to be mistaken for exposure).

And finally I can recommend to you the Yaqi scalloped head that looks like DE89. It is more aggressive than DE89, but often you might need a bit of manual alignment. I like it so much that I bought more than 10 spares.

I think i understood, thanks for the explanation.

Would you say that a bigger blade gap than .40 lets say something around .90 / 1 with positive blade exposure, lets say .25 to .5 would tend to be aggressive?

And lastly, any of those factors could tell you or at least give you an idea if a shave head tends to work better in a shallow or steep angle?

Looking at this image, seems i been mixing what it means shallow and steep angles.

 

[ivan_101]

Would you say that a bigger blade gap than .40 lets say something around .90 / 1 with positive blade exposure, lets say .25 to .5 would tend to be aggressive?

My guess is you didn't exactly catch my point. Gap and exposure are not the only factors. You forget about bending and clamping.
For instance the Greencult razor version 1.0 is something like the figures you mention - 0.95 gap with 0.25 exposure. Since it has a good degree of bending plus strong clamping on around 50% of the blade surface it is an aggressive razor.

Looking at this image, seems i been mixing what it means shallow and steep angles.

Those pictures are very confusing because they don't show a razor but a person. It is about the blade angle ralative to the skin. Shallow means you ride the cap. Steep means you ride the guard (the handle is almost parallel to the skin surface).

 

[spacemonkey42]

@cjmalagon here is a good explanation of shave angles:

 

[Chelko]

Today I had a 5-day beard. I decided it was a good time for a side-by-side comparison:
- Yaqi Sentinel SS 1.55 SB with a Yaqi Saturn handle and a Nacet blade (3rd use)
- DSCosmetic Zamak 1.55 SB with a DSC Destroyer handle and a 7 o'clock yellow blade (brand new).

The comparison is not very scientific but it did leave me wanting to get the AX SS heads from DSC. The quality difference is quite obvious, no surprise,the Yaqi SS looks much better than the zamac counterpart. Both shave very similar and I have to say this head configuration is becoming my favorite. Very efficient shaves on both sides, and I could have just done one pass WTG and have a very nice shave. I did a second ATG pass anyway and to my surprise, the DSC was almost on autopilot. Super efficient but almost no blade feel. No nicks or irritation even with the brand new blade. It is the first time I try the 7 o'clock blade, and it may be that I like it more than the Nacet, but I think is beyond that. I am super pleased with the DSC in zamak and I would like to get the SS head. Has anyone tried that one? Next time I'll compare the 1.35s

 

[WVShaver]

Thanks for the tips on ordering. I’ll likely grab a Romulus or Remus when it’s on sale and one of the AX-SE.

I see a few different cheaper SE heads from the various manufacturers and am trying to figure out which ones are best. I don’t want to just buy them all like I’ve done with DEs in the past but would love to have a couple good modern ones. The Romulus looks to be one of the best regarded cheaper options.

I also love my RazoRocks… all but my Hawk V2 that is. It’s the most aggressive razor I’ve felt and I think something has to be off since I read the opposite all the time. My daily is a GC .84p and the Lupo 95 is the upper limits of my comfort level at the moment but that Hawk is way more aggressive feeling the couple times I tried shaving with it. I’ll probably still try the V3 sometime.

 

[cjmalagon]

My guess is you didn't exactly catch my point. Gap and exposure are not the only factors. You forget about bending and clamping.
For instance the Greencult razor version 1.0 is something like the figures you mention - 0.95 gap with 0.25 exposure. Since it has a good degree of bending plus strong clamping on around 50% of the blade surface it is an aggressive razor.


Those pictures are very confusing because they don't show a razor but a person. It is about the blade angle ralative to the skin. Shallow means you ride the cap. Steep means you ride the guard (the handle is almost parallel to the skin surface).

No, i complete understand what you explained the first time. Maybe i worded my question incorrectly.

Let me try this time with this question. Coming from someone that probably does not have previous experiences with DE razor heads.
Unless you have the value of the 4 factors you mention, you can't know if a razor is aggressive / mild ? As far i have seen manufactures most of the time will only give you 1 or 2 properties.

@spacemonkey42 Thanks a lot!!

@Chelko Great comparison.
Between the two, which one has a lower / flatter top? From your photo looks like the Yaqi has a lower top but it could be that the difference in height and photo angle are just lying to my eyes, other than that they look very much alike.

 

[Pinto90]

I see a few different cheaper SE heads from the various manufacturers and am trying to figure out which ones are best. I don’t want to just buy them all like I’ve done with DEs in the past but would love to have a couple good modern ones. The Romulus looks to be one of the best regarded cheaper options.

I also love my RazoRocks… all but my Hawk V2 that is. It’s the most aggressive razor I’ve felt and I think something has to be off since I read the opposite all the time. My daily is a GC .84p and the Lupo 95 is the upper limits of my comfort level at the moment but that Hawk is way more aggressive feeling the couple times I tried shaving with it. I’ll probably still try the V3 sometime.

Do you find the Hawk V2 aggressive?
I have the Hawk V2 I don't find it very aggressive, I don't own the later V3 but I have Italian friends in the Telegram group on shaving assure me that in comparison the Hawk V2 is much gentler than its successor.

I think in deciding on a good razor IF you steer your choice towards the Chinese Yaqi or Dscosmetics you are not wrong.
I have the first production Yaqi SE Excalibur head and although it has flaws in the geometry it is still a very mild razor.

However I have not tried the later modifications buying Yaqi's new Romulus and Remus, however for what it costs you can try it and see if it shaves smooth and you like it.

 

[WVShaver]

Do you find the Hawk V2 aggressive?
I have the Hawk V2 I don't find it very aggressive, I don't own the later V3 but I have Italian friends in the Telegram group on shaving assure me that in comparison the Hawk V2 is much gentler than its successor.

I think in deciding on a good razor IF you steer your choice towards the Chinese Yaqi or Dscosmetics you are not wrong.
I have the first production Yaqi SE Excalibur head and although it has flaws in the geometry it is still a very mild razor.

However I have not tried the later modifications buying Yaqi's new Romulus and Remus, however for what it costs you can try it and see if it shaves smooth and you like it.

Yes, the couple times I tried shaving with my V2 it felt extremely aggressive. The most aggressive razor I’ve felt out of about 30-40 and not usable for me.

I tried different blades but even the mild ones were harsh. I don’t think all V2 Hawks are like this. I think I just got a bad one or am doing something horribly wrong.

I’ll probably pick up a Romulus and a Hawk V3 or V3A. But I’ve been seeing a lot of people love their La Faulx. If I knew the La Faulx was that much better I’d probably just save up the extra money for it.

I’m sure eventually I’ll figure it out, but the Romulus seems like a good place to start.

 

[ivan_101]

Let me try this time with this question. Coming from someone that probably does not have previous experiences with DE razor heads.
Unless you have the value of the 4 factors you mention, you can't know if a razor is aggressive / mild ? As far i have seen manufactures most of the time will only give you 1 or 2 properties.

That's right. You won't know. Also the majority of manufacturers will not specify gap and exposure. Add to that the factor that many manufacturers are changing their characteristics without any info at all. The major trend in recent years is to make a model milder by reducing gap and exposure. This has been done by many companies: Merkur, Pearl, Lord, Parker, Muhle.

Take for example Lord L6 aka L1822. It has a big gap. A bit more than 1mm. But it is not an aggressive razor, because of a very small exposure.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

SS Mellon. The alloy one is good too, but you will want the SS, so make ducats count.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Let me try this time with this question. Coming from someone that probably does not have previous experiences with DE razor heads.
Unless you have the value of the 4 factors you mention, you can't know if a razor is aggressive / mild ? As far i have seen manufactures most of the time will only give you 1 or 2 properties.

You won't know. And specs only tell one part of the story. Many razors shave much different than the specs would have you believe.

Have you used a DE before? If not, you could start with one of the razors often recommended here. Henson mild, Muhle DE89, Merkur 34c, more recent Gillette Tech, then go from there.

 

[cjmalagon]

You won't know. And specs only tell one part of the story. Many razors shave much different than the specs would have you believe.

Have you used a DE before? If not, you could start with one of the razors often recommended here. Henson mild, Muhle DE89, Merkur 34c, more recent Gillette Tech, then go from there.

Yes i already use and owned few DE razors, i mentioned them in my first post, but i mention them again.

Fatip Lo Storto Originale Gold (OC), Gillette Heritage, Gillette Aristocrat TTO 1946/1947

@ivan_101
Thank you a lot. This solidify my believe that "specs" mentioned by the manufactures are irrelevant, and that to say a DE razor is aggressive / mild etc is basically a personal opinion, maybe between few users of a DE razor could agree that a head is aggressive but not necessarily something that everyone would agree.

I'm of mentality to buy DE heads just by aesthetics because ultimately until i tried the DE razor head i can't know. When asked which DE razor to buy i usually reply "just buy the one you like how it looks or the one you are able to buy and learn to use it"

I think angle of use is a property that i'm more interested to know as is something that has more weight in my future acquisitions.

 

[ivan_101]

Thank you a lot. This solidify my believe that "specs" mentioned by the manufactures are irrelevant, and that to say a DE razor is aggressive / mild etc is basically a personal opinion

It's not a personal opinion. There is quite a lot of objectivity. A Tech is a Tech, a Roedter is a Roedter.