Item Description
Was looking for some razor cases on Ali, and stumbled upon this great looking razor that was just over $5. So, I figured I could risk a few dollars to try it.
The razor came yesterday, and I put it to test with a fresh Indian Astra SP blade and a 1.5 day long stubble, with my usual daily routine (hot shower, face-lathered Arko stick).
The razor does indeed look stunning. It is a two-piece, with a great frosted aluminum finish. The "aluminum alloy" description made me wonder whether this was zamac, but it's way too light for that. Almost feather-lite. So I do think that it's mainly aluminum. I ordered a "silver" one, they also have "frosted gray" and gold finishes. The aesthetic design and execution of this razor are top notch.
The razor came with a case, nothing fancy. Unlike Baili cases, it doesn't have a mirror or a place for a tuck of blades, although you can easily store a few blades in wrappers along with razor in it.
The tabs are completely enclosed. The blade alignment and gap consistency are perfect. However, the design of the base plate made me think that there's not enough clamping going on, and indeed there's quite a bit of blade flexibility once installed (i.e. if I press with my fingernail on top of the blade, it flexes more than in most other of my razors). This may result in excessive chatter. I did not have any issues with blade skipping, but I also use razors that don't necessarily clamp the blade super tight (like Parker Variant) without problems.
I am not great at eyeballing the gaps, but I'd say that it's slightly less than Maggard V3A, with about the same amount of blade exposure.
Now, about shaving...
This is not a mild razor. I wouldn't call it very aggressive either, but it's certainly mid-aggressive.
Probably along the lines of V3A, but less smooth.
It is very loud.
It is also rather sensitive to the shaving angle, not nearly as much as vintage Gillettes, but more so than my Variants or Bailis or that Maggard. After a bit of experimenting, I think that it likes a neutral shaving angle. The steep angle seems too aggressive, and the shallow one too inefficient.
The handle is great in every respect. Just long enough for my taste, grippy and comfortable.
I did 3.5 passes with cleanup, but much of that was due to me trying to figure out the shaving angle.
I expected lots of weepers but only got one, which went away after cold wash. The shave was very close, full BBS everywhere.
I did end up with some irritation on my jaw line and under the chin. However, part of it may be because I am used to and prefer heavier razors, so with this very lightweight one I may have been applying too much pressure. I'll give it a few more shaves before I make the verdict. But I can already say that this one is neither mild nor really smooth. It is beautiful, so I hope I can make it work as a daily shaver.
The razor came yesterday, and I put it to test with a fresh Indian Astra SP blade and a 1.5 day long stubble, with my usual daily routine (hot shower, face-lathered Arko stick).
The razor does indeed look stunning. It is a two-piece, with a great frosted aluminum finish. The "aluminum alloy" description made me wonder whether this was zamac, but it's way too light for that. Almost feather-lite. So I do think that it's mainly aluminum. I ordered a "silver" one, they also have "frosted gray" and gold finishes. The aesthetic design and execution of this razor are top notch.
The razor came with a case, nothing fancy. Unlike Baili cases, it doesn't have a mirror or a place for a tuck of blades, although you can easily store a few blades in wrappers along with razor in it.
The tabs are completely enclosed. The blade alignment and gap consistency are perfect. However, the design of the base plate made me think that there's not enough clamping going on, and indeed there's quite a bit of blade flexibility once installed (i.e. if I press with my fingernail on top of the blade, it flexes more than in most other of my razors). This may result in excessive chatter. I did not have any issues with blade skipping, but I also use razors that don't necessarily clamp the blade super tight (like Parker Variant) without problems.
I am not great at eyeballing the gaps, but I'd say that it's slightly less than Maggard V3A, with about the same amount of blade exposure.
Now, about shaving...
This is not a mild razor. I wouldn't call it very aggressive either, but it's certainly mid-aggressive.
Probably along the lines of V3A, but less smooth.
It is very loud.
It is also rather sensitive to the shaving angle, not nearly as much as vintage Gillettes, but more so than my Variants or Bailis or that Maggard. After a bit of experimenting, I think that it likes a neutral shaving angle. The steep angle seems too aggressive, and the shallow one too inefficient.
The handle is great in every respect. Just long enough for my taste, grippy and comfortable.
I did 3.5 passes with cleanup, but much of that was due to me trying to figure out the shaving angle.
I expected lots of weepers but only got one, which went away after cold wash. The shave was very close, full BBS everywhere.
I did end up with some irritation on my jaw line and under the chin. However, part of it may be because I am used to and prefer heavier razors, so with this very lightweight one I may have been applying too much pressure. I'll give it a few more shaves before I make the verdict. But I can already say that this one is neither mild nor really smooth. It is beautiful, so I hope I can make it work as a daily shaver.
