And why?
What's your opinion about the Deluxe, and particularly those of you who have tried both versions, which one is your favorite?
I've read many threads about NEWs, and many comments about the Deluxe in particular, and the 15mm doesn't seem to be very popular among those who have tried both versions. I've read about its harshness, some blade chatter, and uncomfortable shaves. For this reason, and also because the 15mm is not easy to find, I haven't been actively trying to get my hands on one of these. I have been extremely happy with my 17mm Deluxes and I thought the 15mm wouldn't be any better.
Then, Doc scores this 15mm on eBay for a ridiculously low prices, and comes up with the ''15mm Challenge'', which I obviously accepted. I received the razor on loan from Doc, and I quote ''for an extended testing period (1 year, 2 years, whatever).''
I believe the first shave was more than enough to form my opinion, but even so I wanted to use it a few more times before posting my thoughts.
There's no doubt in my mind, the 15mm is the better shaver, IMO of course! How is that even possible, I LOVE my 17mm Deluxes! But the reality is that the 15mm is at least as efficient, and even smoother than the 17mm.
Looking at the baseplates side by side from above, they are indistinguishable, there's no difference except the wider hole of my 17mm which obviously doesn't affect the shave. The surface where the blade sits is EXACTLY the same.
a side view, again exactly the same thing:
The only difference is really the bottom of the baseplates. The teeth of the 15mm are cut slightly deeper into the baseplate (exactly 0.5mm on each side). Will that influence the way it shaves? I don't think so, but I'd like to hear your opinion.
If anything, this will make it easier for the lather to clear out from the edge of the blade, but that's it, IMO.
So, if the baseplate is not the main reason why they perform differently, the cap must be it, right? I think so.
The exposure seems to be similar, as well as the blade gap. But the cutting angle does look slightly different. I actually measured it using ScreenScales and there's a difference of 2 or 3°s. Is this what makes them different? I don't know, but they're definitely not the same. Would Gillette pair the 15mm only with 15mm-specific caps? Highly unlikely, but who knows.
The other part of the challenge was using the 15mm baseplate paired with a tabless cap from a UK Flat Bottom NEW. I used this combo today, and I'll confess - I used it for the first pass only. Then I swapped the caps again, I was missing the efficiency of the original 15mm. The tabless cap does indeed make the razor a little bit smoother, perhaps too much. I prefer the original cap, and I think it is more than smooth enough, YMMV of course.
Next challenge, and only to confirm that the caps do indeed make the difference, I'll be using the 17mm baseplate paired with the cap of the 15mm. If I'm right, it'll shave just like the original 15mm, if I'm wrong ... I'll be very confused and I'll have no idea what makes them perform differently.
So, after reading this extremely boring post, which one is your favorite, and why? Pictures of your Deluxe would be appreciated too.
What's your opinion about the Deluxe, and particularly those of you who have tried both versions, which one is your favorite?
I've read many threads about NEWs, and many comments about the Deluxe in particular, and the 15mm doesn't seem to be very popular among those who have tried both versions. I've read about its harshness, some blade chatter, and uncomfortable shaves. For this reason, and also because the 15mm is not easy to find, I haven't been actively trying to get my hands on one of these. I have been extremely happy with my 17mm Deluxes and I thought the 15mm wouldn't be any better.
Then, Doc scores this 15mm on eBay for a ridiculously low prices, and comes up with the ''15mm Challenge'', which I obviously accepted. I received the razor on loan from Doc, and I quote ''for an extended testing period (1 year, 2 years, whatever).''
I believe the first shave was more than enough to form my opinion, but even so I wanted to use it a few more times before posting my thoughts.
There's no doubt in my mind, the 15mm is the better shaver, IMO of course! How is that even possible, I LOVE my 17mm Deluxes! But the reality is that the 15mm is at least as efficient, and even smoother than the 17mm.
Looking at the baseplates side by side from above, they are indistinguishable, there's no difference except the wider hole of my 17mm which obviously doesn't affect the shave. The surface where the blade sits is EXACTLY the same.
a side view, again exactly the same thing:
The only difference is really the bottom of the baseplates. The teeth of the 15mm are cut slightly deeper into the baseplate (exactly 0.5mm on each side). Will that influence the way it shaves? I don't think so, but I'd like to hear your opinion.
If anything, this will make it easier for the lather to clear out from the edge of the blade, but that's it, IMO.
So, if the baseplate is not the main reason why they perform differently, the cap must be it, right? I think so.
The exposure seems to be similar, as well as the blade gap. But the cutting angle does look slightly different. I actually measured it using ScreenScales and there's a difference of 2 or 3°s. Is this what makes them different? I don't know, but they're definitely not the same. Would Gillette pair the 15mm only with 15mm-specific caps? Highly unlikely, but who knows.
The other part of the challenge was using the 15mm baseplate paired with a tabless cap from a UK Flat Bottom NEW. I used this combo today, and I'll confess - I used it for the first pass only. Then I swapped the caps again, I was missing the efficiency of the original 15mm. The tabless cap does indeed make the razor a little bit smoother, perhaps too much. I prefer the original cap, and I think it is more than smooth enough, YMMV of course.
Next challenge, and only to confirm that the caps do indeed make the difference, I'll be using the 17mm baseplate paired with the cap of the 15mm. If I'm right, it'll shave just like the original 15mm, if I'm wrong ... I'll be very confused and I'll have no idea what makes them perform differently.
So, after reading this extremely boring post, which one is your favorite, and why? Pictures of your Deluxe would be appreciated too.