My Jaws came yesterday afternoon. I was pretty excited to get my hands on this razor. Once I opened it though, excitement gave way some and fear started creep in. I'm not an evening shaver so I knew I would have to wait until morning. The first thing I noticed was the handle on the Jaws and realized that, while the super knurl handle would not have been my first choice, I was damn impressed. I was a little comforted knowing I was going to get very good purchase with this handle. I would by a razor with this handle any day. I was pretty concerned about the blade reveal. I decided to only do a single pass with clean up today. I typically shave for a DFS but occasionally go for the BBS. Today I wan't to feel what this could get with only a single pass. I have found that what works for me is an aggressive razor with a milder blade. As soon as I have to start dragging a blade multiple times across my face to get a decent shave, my face gets pretty irritated. I have found that the Astra SP blade is my go to blade, tried may times and trusted to perform.
First thing I noticed was the angle on this razor was much more upright for me. I was taken a little off guard by that but realized how much I enjoyed that. By the time I had finished my first cheek I realized how much I was enjoying this beauty! Damn efficient, smooth, and requiring noticeably little effort on my part. I was very concerned about the area directly under my nostrils. If I'm going to get a nasty cut, it's going to be there. No problem handling the nostril to lip transition area! I do have a few trouble spots on my face (as most of us do) and this razor still struggled in those areas, BUT for a single pass WTG shave, the Jaws did a respectable job on them. All in all, it was a very nice shave.
Some things I noticed... I usually have enough residual soap on my face to do a water only clean up pass but this time there was a lot less slickness with just the water pass. I went easy with the clean up rather than reapply soap. I really wanted to know how a one pass shave was going to hold up. I had zero irritation with this shave, I mean ZERO! This was very surprising to me. The third thing I noticed is how dry my face feels. I always apply a shave balm after shaving, but my face still feels pretty dry, almost chapped. I'm going to have to keep an eye on this.
One thing I did not like... This is probably preference on my part and I'll explain why I don't like it. The posts that secure the blade in position are on the plate and not the top cap. In the rinsing and cleaning of the razor on the days where I am not swapping blades, I do not take the razor apart to clean it. This design allow the top cap, plate, and blade to all spin independently. Considering it's a BLADE and my hands are wet and there is still soap everywhere at this point, I like it when the entire razor head separates to allow water to liberally pass through as a complete unit a time when it's a little safer to handle a BLADE. Just my personal preference.
Overall the razor is pleasant to use, the handle provides outstanding purchase and is finely crafted. Considering the stupid amount of money I have spent over the years this is one of my best purchases. Oh and one more thing... This razor looks like it should be in a horror movie! That's a plus in my book!