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Thiers-Issard AOS

Pros: actually shave ready! good balance
Cons: none
usually AOS is overpriced on every thing, I found this to be a great quality and amazing shaver for the price. this is the only product I would pay AOS prices for.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Lasting Edge
5.00 star(s)
Craftsmanship
4.00 star(s)
Easy to Sharpen
4.00 star(s)
Easy to Maintain
4.00 star(s)
Shaving Smoothness
4.00 star(s)
There has been a lot of hype with these blades. I picked up a used AOS TI with plain black plastic scales off the B/S/T mainly for curiousity and it is indeed a well made, if somewhat heavy blade.

The box has a sticker saying Carbonsong C135 steel and the price on the box is $135. It looks like the current photo below from AOS, except is has two lines on the tang between the logo and the blade. There is no initial on the back of the tang on the one I have.

The list price is not cheap for a beginning straight and is in the same ballpark as the Dovo Special, Boker Edelweiss, Dovo Ebony, and a number of other blades in the market. So, for price, to me at retail only about average.

The craftsmanship is very, very good on this razor. Very substantial feel, even, nice grind and a nice finish. High marks here.

The razor was easy enough to sharpen. I did a complete re-honing from resetting the bevel to finish in about an hour. Due to heavier weight of the blade than many full hollows it did take a few minutes longer. But, perfectly acceptable and in the range of very good. Blade was flat on the hones and the wear was even indicating a good even grind.

Edge has lasted well with a week of just stropping and has not shown any appreciable degradation. Again good marks here.

Shaves just fine. Not the best I have used, but surely not the worst. It does tend to want you to go for more, as noted above, and the heavier weight than some of my other blades did take a bit getting used to. But, it gives a nice DFS to BBS shave in the regular number of passes for me.

I have only used it a week, so no real long term maintainability comments.

Overall, not a bad razor. Some nice points are the fine workmanship, and nice feel and finish. If you have a heavier beard this may be a good choice, as it feels like it would mow down a lawn, if it had too. If you are into more delicate and singing blades, this is not one and should not be confused with the full hollow and singing TIs that are out there.
Price
2.00 star(s)
Lasting Edge
4.00 star(s)
Craftsmanship
4.00 star(s)
Easy to Sharpen
3.00 star(s)
Easy to Maintain
4.00 star(s)
Shaving Smoothness
4.00 star(s)
The AOS TI, my very first straight razor, is worth every penny, which is helped by the fact that it doesn't cost all that many pennies.

It provides a very satisfying shave without too much pomp. I have the simple black scales, giving the blade a very streamlined, classic feel and which helps keep cost down. There is sometimes a stiffness in the joints, but if you work it out a bit, there's no problem.

This is the razor I learned on, and has been very good to me, very forgiving for all of my mistakes. I highly recommend it, in this regard.
I picked up one of these razors a few weeks ago and I am very happy with it. I grade on a bell curve with 5 meaning average. A score of 8 in my book is a very high score.

The razor came ready to shave right out of its leather pouch. I stropped it on leather, lathered up, then let her rip. The blade glided nicely over my face. There was a bit of chattering but for the most part a very nice shave.

I took it to a Spyderco ultra fine hone and tried it again. All blade chattering was gone and the razor made my cheek feel BBS. As odd as it sounds the blade felt gentle on my face. My wife couldn't stop touching my cheek saying "OOOOh. This feels niiiice." I have mainly used Dovos in the past and feel very comfortable with them. The only downside with this razor, however, is I have a tendency to overshave and give myself a touch of razor burn.

The appearance of the blade is nice. There is a satin finish on the blade. I prefer shiny but hey, this is a tool not a piece of art. (or is it?) The blade fits into the horn scales perfectly. There is absolutely no slop in the hinging with the blade being firm but not tight.

The price is average at $205 and I got a $25 certificate off of my next purchase.

I would probably opt for the simpler scales to save the extra cash if I had it to do over again. All in all I am very happy with this razor. An excelent value.
Price
3.00 star(s)
Lasting Edge
4.00 star(s)
Craftsmanship
4.00 star(s)
Easy to Sharpen
4.00 star(s)
Easy to Maintain
4.00 star(s)
Shaving Smoothness
4.00 star(s)
Picked this up on Ebay for @67.00. It sells at AOS for 135. This is the new production steel and design for T-I on this bargain razor. This is apparantly the standard AOS str8 offered by them. Looking at it it matches the description of the New Steel/Blade in another review post. As can be seen from the picture it has the elongated monkey tail, the shine, and the two lines on the tang. Also on the other side is a stamped with a letter.
The other review of the pre production razor holds true with this. When got it it had declined and the edge was a mess. After @20 laps on the DMD Extra Extra Fine and 100 on the 12K, I then went to a pasted balsa for another 100. Stropped it and shaved with it. It performed exceptionally well. On a prior post the pricing and availability was not clear- Well, here this product is and apparantly available from AOS.
Headdoc

CAN'T GET MY PHOTOS UP- THE BLADE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE BLADE ON THIS POST (ALTHOUGH THE INITIAL ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE TANG IS DIFFERENT, THE HANDLE IS BLACK, AND AOS LABELING IS ETCHED ON THE BLADE)
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=T&t=23598
Price
5.00 star(s)
Lasting Edge
4.00 star(s)
Craftsmanship
5.00 star(s)
Easy to Sharpen
5.00 star(s)
Easy to Maintain
4.00 star(s)
Shaving Smoothness
4.00 star(s)
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