Mine was used off BST and didn't look like that. As others have said Photos and an email to him to straighten it out and then Shave with it while waiting for replacement.....You've waited long enough !!!
Karve Diem
- Thread starter East coast shaver
- Start date
I was a fairly early adopter to the Karve and have received three brass razors, one for the son, one’s at the polisher, and I have ordered extra plates. I received one plate with marks/scratches which are from the foam inserts and travel. Chris inspects them all carefully. Those marks should just work themselves into the patina.
I shaved with my Wolfman .74 WRH7 for the first time in a while yesterday and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) I much prefer the brass Karve. I love this metal now and think it’s actually as well built as the Wolfman and it’s certainly a better shaver.
I shaved with my Wolfman .74 WRH7 for the first time in a while yesterday and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) I much prefer the brass Karve. I love this metal now and think it’s actually as well built as the Wolfman and it’s certainly a better shaver.
I've had my Karve razor about 3 months now. B plate. It's a perfect mild shaving razor for me. Not any better than my old Gillette tech or my feather as d2. But the equal of those 2.
The main reason I bought it was I love the look of darkened aged brass. After 3 months of daily use the handle is darkening beautifully. The cap is darkening a little bit but I imagine it will do that even more do as the months and years go by.
This razor is a keeper for me for sure. Just wanted to share.
The main reason I bought it was I love the look of darkened aged brass. After 3 months of daily use the handle is darkening beautifully. The cap is darkening a little bit but I imagine it will do that even more do as the months and years go by.
This razor is a keeper for me for sure. Just wanted to share.
Attachments
My pleasure. Wolfman razors (I’ve owned and used 3) are beautifully built razors but I found the R&D was lacking when it came to the actual shave. The shaves were good not great and lacked the smoothness found in the Karve and other razors. Of course, ymmv, but when people pay that kind of money a natural reaction is to praise it attributes.
Thanks for sharing, I've been looking at these lately.
I like it. The character of patina'd brass is beautiful.
Well, I couldn't take the pressure any longer. I ordered one with a 3" handle and C and D plates. Afterall, it's my birthday next month. LOL.
I received my Karve this past Friday and have now shaved with it 3 times in a row. I believe even at this early stage, there is some good information I can share with you (even though I will keep updating this thread as my impressions deepen over time).
The first shave was with the C Plate, the second with the D Plate and the third with the C Plate again. Otherwise, the setup was identical across the three shaves:
Pre-Shave: Proraso White
Soap: Noble Otter
Blade: Astra SP
Razor: Karve CB with 3.5" handle
Brush: Muehle 22mm Kosmo Synthetic
AS Balm: Eufros
AS Lotion: Lather Bamboo Creme
Visual and Tactile Impression:
The Karve is an exceptionally beautiful razor. The finish is matte, but it is perfectly executed on all surfaces. The 3.5" handle DOES look too big. I ordered it because it was the middle option which I deemed relatively safe. I knew the handle would be a bit longer than the handle on my Fatip, but I figured that would be OK. What I, unfortunately, did not account for is that the Fatip handle is hollow and the Karve solid...what that means is that there is way more weight in the handle of the Karve than the Fatip I normally use which results in less weight felt in the razor head. For some people that won't matter, but I certainly wish I had ordered the 3" handle.
The blade installs easily and snugly into the razor head and sits tight when installed. This is, however, where I believe a minor design error was made. The fact that the blade tabs are exposed means that when you want to tighten the razor head or unscrew it after the shave (more on that later), you CAN cut yourself on the razor tabs. In order to not do so, one can try to grip the razor head elsewhere which has also resulted in me almost cutting myself. By now, I use a towel over the end of the razor tabs on both sides to secure or unscrew the razor head.
The Shave:
The first shave (with the C Plate) was a success. As advertised, the blade rigidity is fantastic, and that renders an ultra smooth shave with practically zero blade chatter. After my normal post-shave routine, I ended up with a BBS and facial skin that didn't feel like I had just shaved. No irritation, no redness, no cuts or weepers and no burn from the AS balm (which includes alcohol, menthol, and malic acid, so it burns slightly if you've removed skin layer). The BBS was very fleeting though as I didn't get as close as I had hoped I would have.
The second shave (now with the D Plate) was very different. From the start, I could SEE that the blade gap was substantially larger. And on the face, this acted more like an open comb Fatip Grande than the Karve with C Plate. The blade was definitely noticeable and as a result, I went fairly shallow on the angle. Despite the shallow angle and deliberate razor strokes, I did end up with some tiny nicks on the neck. But the shave just wasn't as smooth as the day prior even if the BBS was slightly longer lasting than the BBS of the day prior.
The third shave this morning was back on the C Plate. As this was my second time shaving with this plate and having experienced the D...I decided to try to go at my face with a little steeper angle as that wasn't bothering my face nor made the shave feel less smooth. The end result was and still is a textbook BBS with zero nicks, weepers, or irritation and soft feeling skin that felt undisturbed. Will it last as long as a Fatip BBS? I somewhat doubt it, but it is a more comfortable option to get 95% of the way there.
The Post-Shave:
This is the first brass razor I have owned that is not Chrome plated...so I did not disassemble the razor for drying and just dried it like I normally would. If you think of buying this razor, you should know that the blade will stain the brass surface of the top cap and plate if they are not disassembled and immediately dried. If you don't mind that kind of Patina, no sweat. If you do...be aware of the requirements of this razor.
The temporary verdict:
For me, the Karve with a C plate is the smoothest razor I own and really a razor I can shave quickly with and without much care and it'll still deliver a smooth and close shave. Compared to the Fatip Gentile, Fatip Grande or ATT M1, the Karve C is smoother but slightly less efficient.
While the D plate provides more efficiency, the blade gap made the shave rougher for me, so at the D plate, a Fatip Gentile will deliver similar efficiency with greater smoothness and a Fatip Grande and ATT M1 will deliver similar efficiency and smoothness.
For now, I believe this is a razor that deserves to be in every wet shavers den and one that can 100% be used by noobs to the hobby as it is so easy to get the shave right at practically any angle (at least with the C plate).
I will continue to test the D plate and C plates and keep updating this thread when I have something new to share. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions, give feedback or make suggestions.
The first shave was with the C Plate, the second with the D Plate and the third with the C Plate again. Otherwise, the setup was identical across the three shaves:
Pre-Shave: Proraso White
Soap: Noble Otter
Blade: Astra SP
Razor: Karve CB with 3.5" handle
Brush: Muehle 22mm Kosmo Synthetic
AS Balm: Eufros
AS Lotion: Lather Bamboo Creme
Visual and Tactile Impression:
The Karve is an exceptionally beautiful razor. The finish is matte, but it is perfectly executed on all surfaces. The 3.5" handle DOES look too big. I ordered it because it was the middle option which I deemed relatively safe. I knew the handle would be a bit longer than the handle on my Fatip, but I figured that would be OK. What I, unfortunately, did not account for is that the Fatip handle is hollow and the Karve solid...what that means is that there is way more weight in the handle of the Karve than the Fatip I normally use which results in less weight felt in the razor head. For some people that won't matter, but I certainly wish I had ordered the 3" handle.
The blade installs easily and snugly into the razor head and sits tight when installed. This is, however, where I believe a minor design error was made. The fact that the blade tabs are exposed means that when you want to tighten the razor head or unscrew it after the shave (more on that later), you CAN cut yourself on the razor tabs. In order to not do so, one can try to grip the razor head elsewhere which has also resulted in me almost cutting myself. By now, I use a towel over the end of the razor tabs on both sides to secure or unscrew the razor head.
The Shave:
The first shave (with the C Plate) was a success. As advertised, the blade rigidity is fantastic, and that renders an ultra smooth shave with practically zero blade chatter. After my normal post-shave routine, I ended up with a BBS and facial skin that didn't feel like I had just shaved. No irritation, no redness, no cuts or weepers and no burn from the AS balm (which includes alcohol, menthol, and malic acid, so it burns slightly if you've removed skin layer). The BBS was very fleeting though as I didn't get as close as I had hoped I would have.
The second shave (now with the D Plate) was very different. From the start, I could SEE that the blade gap was substantially larger. And on the face, this acted more like an open comb Fatip Grande than the Karve with C Plate. The blade was definitely noticeable and as a result, I went fairly shallow on the angle. Despite the shallow angle and deliberate razor strokes, I did end up with some tiny nicks on the neck. But the shave just wasn't as smooth as the day prior even if the BBS was slightly longer lasting than the BBS of the day prior.
The third shave this morning was back on the C Plate. As this was my second time shaving with this plate and having experienced the D...I decided to try to go at my face with a little steeper angle as that wasn't bothering my face nor made the shave feel less smooth. The end result was and still is a textbook BBS with zero nicks, weepers, or irritation and soft feeling skin that felt undisturbed. Will it last as long as a Fatip BBS? I somewhat doubt it, but it is a more comfortable option to get 95% of the way there.
The Post-Shave:
This is the first brass razor I have owned that is not Chrome plated...so I did not disassemble the razor for drying and just dried it like I normally would. If you think of buying this razor, you should know that the blade will stain the brass surface of the top cap and plate if they are not disassembled and immediately dried. If you don't mind that kind of Patina, no sweat. If you do...be aware of the requirements of this razor.
The temporary verdict:
For me, the Karve with a C plate is the smoothest razor I own and really a razor I can shave quickly with and without much care and it'll still deliver a smooth and close shave. Compared to the Fatip Gentile, Fatip Grande or ATT M1, the Karve C is smoother but slightly less efficient.
While the D plate provides more efficiency, the blade gap made the shave rougher for me, so at the D plate, a Fatip Gentile will deliver similar efficiency with greater smoothness and a Fatip Grande and ATT M1 will deliver similar efficiency and smoothness.
For now, I believe this is a razor that deserves to be in every wet shavers den and one that can 100% be used by noobs to the hobby as it is so easy to get the shave right at practically any angle (at least with the C plate).
I will continue to test the D plate and C plates and keep updating this thread when I have something new to share. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions, give feedback or make suggestions.
thanks
Good write up! Please do continue to update with your thoughts!
And I do agree about the handle also. I ordered it because it was the middle option, but now wished I had ordered the 3" handle. But it is the exact same length as the Parker Variant handle which I don't mind at all on that razor.
And I do agree about the handle also. I ordered it because it was the middle option, but now wished I had ordered the 3" handle. But it is the exact same length as the Parker Variant handle which I don't mind at all on that razor.
Just placed an order for a 3” handle with plates A, B & C!
So 2 shaves in with 3”F and one with 3”D. I have to say the F is not as scary to me as the R41 and gives me a 9/10 (closeness of shave) with maybe one nick when the R41 would give my a 10/10 but some definite razor burn.
I would pick the Karve CB in a heartbeat over the R41 when I want that super close shave because it’s less painful and I can shave again the next day if I want without he fear of sensitive skin. However when I get a 10/10 shave with R41 I don’t feel the need to shave the next day anyways even though I shave daily.
As for the D plate, one shave in I would say it is easily a daily shaver and I can shave relatively quick with it but I would be tempted to compare it to the C plate to find out if I can get a similar shave using an ever quicker technique. I typically use a 51 Aristocratic or Rockwell plate 4/5/6 for daily shaving.
I would pick the Karve CB in a heartbeat over the R41 when I want that super close shave because it’s less painful and I can shave again the next day if I want without he fear of sensitive skin. However when I get a 10/10 shave with R41 I don’t feel the need to shave the next day anyways even though I shave daily.
As for the D plate, one shave in I would say it is easily a daily shaver and I can shave relatively quick with it but I would be tempted to compare it to the C plate to find out if I can get a similar shave using an ever quicker technique. I typically use a 51 Aristocratic or Rockwell plate 4/5/6 for daily shaving.
Yes, good info and thanks, especially about the handle.
AA
AA
Great write-up! Thanks!
I particularly like that you compare the Karve to Fatip razors, as Fatip is my reference standard, and I really love my Piccolo. I got the 3" handle D & F, still haven't used it, but have assembled it and handled it a bit to get a feel for it. I like it, and believe the 3" is likely the right choice for me. I may also drop my initial impressions here, too - if you don't mind?
I can't wait to try my D with a Feather!
I particularly like that you compare the Karve to Fatip razors, as Fatip is my reference standard, and I really love my Piccolo. I got the 3" handle D & F, still haven't used it, but have assembled it and handled it a bit to get a feel for it. I like it, and believe the 3" is likely the right choice for me. I may also drop my initial impressions here, too - if you don't mind?
I can't wait to try my D with a Feather!
Nice informative write-up, thank you!
It was mentioned in another thread about blades "staining" the cap and the base plate. Has anybody seen this? I only have 7 shaves on mine and I don't do any disassembly or special drying routines. After a month or so I may take a soft bristle tooth brush to the razor in order to remove soap from the head, but nothing else.
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Sent from my Samsung using Tapatalk
Great review and initial thoughts!
The razor is quite remarkable for the shave, price point, and materials. I could care less about blade tabs, frankly I’m not sure what the big deal is some folks have with seeing or having them exposed; they’ve yet to ever cause me any problem (*knock on wood*).
The razor is quite remarkable for the shave, price point, and materials. I could care less about blade tabs, frankly I’m not sure what the big deal is some folks have with seeing or having them exposed; they’ve yet to ever cause me any problem (*knock on wood*).
