Item Description
The "Barber Pole", as it is becoming known, is a beautiful, beautiful thing. It solicits gasps of admiration from non-wet shaving friends; it would be as home in a design exhibition as on a bathroom shelf.
The first thing you notice when taking the razor out of the box is that it is very, very shiny. The top, identical to that fitted to the HD, is mirror polished chrome, and he engraved handle is also covered in a deep, lustrous and shiny finish.
The handle is a lot longer than the HD and has a swirl pattern grip - hence the Barber Pole moniker - in place of the fine gnurled waffle finish of the 34C. The result is reassuring levels of grip, even when the razor is covered in lather and water.
The 38C, like it's baby brother 34C, is made from brass, which not only holds that beautiful chrome really well, it also adds a reassuring sense of weight and heft to the Barber Pole. It feels expensive and well-constructed.
Blade loading is exactly the same as on the HD - unscrew the ring on the end of the handle, remove the top-plate, insert blade, screw back together. It's not as handy as a butterfly mechanism but it's mechanically much simpler and doesn't need as much cleaning. I like simple!
The razor is excellent to shave with. The sheer heft of the thing means that any temptation to apply pressure goes out of the window. You just let it get on with it. It's easier to adjust to, as a first DE, then a shorter handled razor as it roughly matches the dimensions of most cartridge systems.
Aggressiveness is the same as the HD, and so it should be fine for most people. It works very well with Feathers.
The downside to this is that it is trickier to shave the awkward areas such as the moustache area. The Barber Pole is just not as "manouvreable" as an HD.
In conclusion, this a beautiful and well made razor. It won't be to everyones' tastes, but if you have large hands or prefer a bit if of heft of your razor, it just might turn out to be your favourite.
The first thing you notice when taking the razor out of the box is that it is very, very shiny. The top, identical to that fitted to the HD, is mirror polished chrome, and he engraved handle is also covered in a deep, lustrous and shiny finish.
The handle is a lot longer than the HD and has a swirl pattern grip - hence the Barber Pole moniker - in place of the fine gnurled waffle finish of the 34C. The result is reassuring levels of grip, even when the razor is covered in lather and water.
The 38C, like it's baby brother 34C, is made from brass, which not only holds that beautiful chrome really well, it also adds a reassuring sense of weight and heft to the Barber Pole. It feels expensive and well-constructed.
Blade loading is exactly the same as on the HD - unscrew the ring on the end of the handle, remove the top-plate, insert blade, screw back together. It's not as handy as a butterfly mechanism but it's mechanically much simpler and doesn't need as much cleaning. I like simple!
The razor is excellent to shave with. The sheer heft of the thing means that any temptation to apply pressure goes out of the window. You just let it get on with it. It's easier to adjust to, as a first DE, then a shorter handled razor as it roughly matches the dimensions of most cartridge systems.
Aggressiveness is the same as the HD, and so it should be fine for most people. It works very well with Feathers.
The downside to this is that it is trickier to shave the awkward areas such as the moustache area. The Barber Pole is just not as "manouvreable" as an HD.
In conclusion, this a beautiful and well made razor. It won't be to everyones' tastes, but if you have large hands or prefer a bit if of heft of your razor, it just might turn out to be your favourite.
