Seygus Zeppelin v2

[gvw755]

Back in December @Asafiev informed the community of a new "slant" razor that Seygus was working on. At that time I said that I was not sure if it really was a slant, however I followed the Seygus FB page and after discussing things with my slant mentor @efsk, we both decided that it was a slant even though it did not torque the blade in a traditional way. The design of the Seygus Zeppelin was to bend the blade on the cutting edge, essentially creating a slight frown on each side. It was also designed to have differential shaving sides originally with one side being a smooth guard at .3 gap and a scalloped guard side being .5 gap. Initial testing by folks in the shaving community said that the .3 gap was way too mild and so it was decided that the production version would have the smooth guard side at .5 gap and the scalloped guard at .7. This is the reason for a v2 designation, even though a v1 was never put in wide production. When it became available, I ordered the head only option directly from Seygus Razors in Spain.

It shipped at the beginning of February and arrived in Seattle in slightly over a week. It then sat at DHL Seattle for four days before the snow melted enough for it to be delivered to me.

The head came in a leather pouch of very high quality and the head itself was made of stainless steel and very well built. The bottom of the base plate was engraved and had a .5 and .7 in the middle of the corresponding sides in very small numbers. Personally, it would probably be easier for me to remember that the .5 side had a smooth guard and the .7 side a scalloped one. The handle in the pics are there just for mounting purposes. I have not decided which handle to use just yet.

Because I already shaved for the night and because I am in the middle of Frankenrazor February, I don't know when I will do a complete shave with the Seygus, but I might slip in a one pass touch up somewhere.

 

[L.A. Jones]

I think a one shave Frankenrazor February waiver is appropriate... for the greater knowledge/good of the B&B community.

 

[mawashi]

Truly a Frankenrazor, a frown instead of a twist... What will they think of next... A Pretzel twist ?

 

[ajkel64]

Cool, thanks for sharing.

 

[BigJ]

REALLY INTERESTING!! Keep us posted after a few shaves (PLEASE!!)

 

[Esox]

Hmmmm, that is a curious design.

My 1916 Gillette Single Ring had a frown like that when I got it from a bent baseplate.

It shaved pretty well like that in all honesty. The caps corners were also bent and rolled over clamping the edges of the blade to the base. It was a smooth shave, but I felt considerably more blade in the center than I did towards the sides. It was also more efficient in the center.

Seygus makes nice razors. I'll be glad to hear what you think of it as you use it and learn it.

 

[gigetto]

it is not a slant...

 

[gvw755]

Okay, so I did my first shave with the Zeppelin tonight. I know a bunch of you will be scratching your heads saying that I just posted in another thread that I shaved with a Yagi Beast Hybrid clone tonight, but just like network TV, that Frankenrazor shave happened shortly after I received the DOC head at the ending part of January.

So on with the shave report! I settled on my Oristo handle, which was compact and had good weight to it and gave the razor a classy look, which it deserved. With a blade loaded, the edge was bent, but not by much, and definitely not as much as those vintage female razors. From the pics, you can see that the convex curvature of the cap is more extreme than the bend of the blade edge. One thing I noticed immediately is that although the cap was designed to cover the blade tabs, it did not fully cover the ends of the blade edge, which came as a surprise when I tightened it. This was not a problem once I knew about this quirk.

I started with the .7 gap side, which was the scalloped guard. WTG pass went very smoothly without blade feel and the angle was partially defined by the convex shape of the cap. There was almost no blade feel, but I knew it was doing it's work when I could hear it under my chin. I have no idea if the design of the razor was for this purpose, but shaving along the lines of my jaw just felt effortless with one pass. After the first pass, I noticed that there were some areas where more whiskers were left than usual.

ATG pass was with the .5 gap, which was the smooth guard. Again, very comfortable and effortless. This time I made sure to shave carefully around the areas where I remembered was not cleared out from the first pass. Because the head was so gentle, I was able to buff more than I usually do. I ended up with something better than a DFS and so lathered up only along my chin and below and did an XTG pass, this time using both sides depending on whether there was still something to clear, or just touch up. I ended up with an extremely comfortable two and a half pass BBS.

In comparison, the .5 gap was the gap of the original Mamba (and the Oristo), and the .7 gap is what the new Mamba is. Comfort and efficiency wise, I still prefer the original Mambas, but I think in time, the Zeppelin will definitely make it's way in my rotation because this was just a little too hard to manage:

 

[Asafiev]

I purchased this razor as well. Boy is this one a lot of fun to use. Lots of personality and the shave is comfortable. My razor head has a small scratch and what looks like a minor ding that was almost buffed out of the top cap. I don't care about that. The guys behind this razor are weekend warriors who occasionally throw the switch for limited runs of their designs. They are not a self sufficient company. Most of the time I just shave without looking at which side I am using. I have to admit, this one was worth the price of admission. YMMV

Side note, @gvw755, I also own an Oristo razor.

 

[gvw755]

I purchased this razor as well. Boy is this one a lot of fun to use. Lots of personality and the shave is comfortable. My razor head has a small scratch and what looks like a minor ding that was almost buffed out of the top cap. I don't care about that. The guys behind this razor are weekend warriors who occasionally throw the switch for limited runs of their designs. They are not a self sufficient company. Most of the time I just shave without looking at which side I am using. I have to admit, this one was worth the price of admission. YMMV

Side note, @gvw755, I also own an Oristo razor.

I see where we both are attracted to similar type of razors. I haven't had too much time with the Zeppelin, but I have used it for second passes and touch up since my initial shave. I am in agreement with you that the differential sides are not that different and I have flipped it over just because it was a clean side and not because of more or less aggression. I think the design is one which it is so comfortable that you really can't feel the difference.

Seygus has been around for a while and I remember their original aluminum razor and the brass one with two base plates. This is my first Seygus, and I will admit that I am impressed.

 

[ischiapp3]

@gvw755
@Asafiev
@efsk
Please, can you Sir help me to understand how this Seygus Zeppelin V2 is a slant razor?
Maybe some pic (and a clear explanation) of the detail I miss, that could be helpful.

Thank You in advance.

 

[gvw755]

@gvw755
@Asafiev
@efsk
Please, can you Sir help me to understand how this Seygus Zeppelin V2 is a slant razor?
Maybe some pic (and a clear explanation) of the detail I miss, that could be helpful.

Thank You in advance.

A torsion slant razor bends the blade to increase the stiffness. Traditionally, this has been done by twisting the blade along the tabs so that each side of the blade lays flat but the entire blade is stiffened. The Seygus bends the blade differently along the cutting edge and you can see that in the design of the base plate where the blade support area is thicker in the middle, and you can see it in the top cap where there is an indentation along the middle of the each side. This creates a frown when the blade is loaded and you can see that in the later pics. After a brief discussion, @efsk and I agreed that this could be called a slant.

To be totally honest, Seygus NEVER referred to the Zeppelin as a slant.

 

[ischiapp3]

This creates a frown when the blade is loaded and ... I agreed that this could be called a slant.

On the opposite side, in the same way a smile blade SR for you is a slant?
If I understand, It's about not-linear cutting edge ... more than rigidity.
As in schrägschnitt safety razor.

 

[efsk]

As in schrägschnitt safety razor.

Which in the English language is called a slant as well, see for instance the Alpha Ecliptic or the iKon 102. It is easier in Dutch, where I refer to torsion-type slants as bent, and to diagonal razors as diagonals. This Seygus is definately bent

 

[ischiapp3]

@efsk
Lots of geometry bends the blade.
Just one is slant.
I'm lost.

I can't see It on 3D.
When I think slant, I see a non-ortogonal edge.
Where is It here?

 

[efsk]

@ischiapp3 would you agree that the following razor has a non-ortogonal edge:

The Zeppelin has a similar curve, just less pronounced.

 

[ischiapp3]

The Zeppelin has a similar curve, just less pronounced.

Really?

I see a frowned shape of the top cap.

View attachment 952943

But a straight edge and parallel to the guard (then orthogonal).

View attachment 953961

Still, I can't see the slant geometry.

 

[gvw755]

If it will help you out, I apologize for calling the razor a slant. I used the term to describe what I thought fit into the definition of a slant, but like I mentioned earlier, Seygus never called it a slant. They just produced a razor that created a rigid blade using a different method from the traditional. I got one and gave a shave report on it. Life goes on.

 

[uptown]

Ordered the last one from Shave Nation. Should arrive tomorrow. Mine comes in a tin box instead of a leather pouch. Also comes with a handle. Pictures and report upcoming.

 

[gigetto]

Interesting question but how do it feels?