3D Printed razor heads

[gvw755]

After reading the thread by @Merkuryrising about a 3D adjustable razor, and hearing a comment by @efsk about how the designer also produced some slant razors, I immediately went to the web site and found an option to get a slant and OC razor head, and so I immediately ordered that. The heads arrived today and I had time to test fit them with a blade and mount them on a handle. They do require a 5mm screw to mount on a handle.

Overall, the quality of both heads were very good and looked durable. They both secure the blade with the two pins and additionally have corner tabs, like the Techs. The slant has the corner tabs on the top cap and the OC has the tabs on the base plate. Both ensure that the blade locks into place well.

The slant is a domed head type that torques the blade in a couple of different directions, but not as severely as the Fine or Wunderbar slants. What is also unusual is that it does not have a safety bar, but not quite an open comb. It is more like buck teeth. Because the pins on the top cap are very shallow, and the blade does get torqued, it took some care to load the blade. The fact that the screw head was not locked in any way did make it harder as the screw began to turn when tightening.

Having just spent a week with another plastic razor, the OneBlade Core, I felt that my face needed a couple of days to get adjusted to normal shaving again, and so I went back to my Weck straight razor, then a triangle slot Tech, and tonight was my Variant. On deck for tomorrow will be the slant and Sunday will be the OC. Hopefully these shaves will go better than the Core.

Stay tuned....

 

[Merkuryrising]

Nice I'm definitely curious to hear what you have to say about these. I think mine is waiting for me at home. Looking forward to trying it out.

 

[efsk]

I'll be following this thread with interest.

 

[gvw755]

Just got done with the slant head tonight. Officially it is called the Whalebone by the creator @drone115b . Cutting to the chase - anyone that thought a plastic 3D printed razor was not ready for prime time, put that out of your mind right now! This was a very good, two pass slant razor. Okay, so nobody will mistake it for a Wunderbar, but it is on par with the PAA BOCS and an O Ring modified X3. There is significant blade exposure, and with it's plastic construction, there was also a lot of audio feedback, not unlike the Fine or PAA salnts. This was a good thing because I would adjust the angle shallower until the noise is minimized. This gave me the perfect angle. One problem was that there is a very small sweet spot. Too shallow of an angle and I was just moving lather on my face. Not a major problem as I have a couple of razors like that. WTG and ATG passes went very well. While shaving, I did notice another major problem was that the base plate had a combo thick comb and holes to manage the lather. This did not allow for the lather to escape well and I found that I had to rinse the razor off more than I usually do. The blade feel was very significant, however it was not uncomfortable, and became extremely efficient once the proper angle was found. This one is definitely a keeper. On deck for tomorrow is the OC, which is officially called the Manatee.

 

[Komboloi]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this stuff.

 

[BSAGuy]

Very cool.

 

[Merkuryrising]

Wow.. very refreshing. I look forward to hearing about your experience with the OC

 

[Komboloi]

I've not been a big fan of the ultra-lightweights I've tried (e.g. PAA Bakelite Slant), because I felt like they were chattering over my beard rather than bearing down to business. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts after attaching a stainless handle to that plastic OC head.

 

[gvw755]

I've not been a big fan of the ultra-lightweights I've tried (e.g. PAA Bakelite Slant), because I felt like they were chattering over my beard rather than bearing down to business. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts after attaching a stainless handle to that plastic OC head.

I have a bunch of non metal razors such as the Merkur Bakelite, PAA BOCS, Slant Stroke, and these two. I am finicky and not like ultra-light or ultra-heavy razors and so all of my plastic razors have other handles on them, either stainless steel, brass, or wood. Most of my stainless steel razors also have wood handles on them. This does present a problem with the razor being either bottom or top heavy, but I think that I got better control of the razor that way. This razor had a short brass handle and so the weight was not that far off and I could easily control the angle. With the head being on the small sze, I usually like to use a short handle. For razors like the Wunderbar, I like to use a longer handle.

 

[efsk]

Great info, thanks. My experimenting with the Whalebonehead was with the complete razor, so including its 3dprinted lightweight grip, in the grey material. The grip gets an extra piece of builders hardware added t the end to give it extra weight and move the balance away from the nut and bolt in the head.

This way it is very manouvrable and, like @gvw755 wrote, quite a good shaver. I agree with having to rinse often, and it being finicky placing the blade. This last part is a problem with the other two 3d printed razors, the sharkbone and the kraken, as well.

 

[Hoka Hey]

Great info, thanks. My experimenting with the Whalebonehead was with the complete razor, so including its 3dprinted lightweight grip, in the grey material. The grip gets an extra piece of builders hardware added t the end to give it extra weight and move the balance away from the nut and bolt in the head.

This way it is very manouvrable and, like @gvw755 wrote, quite a good shaver. I agree with having to rinse often, and it being finicky placing the blade. This last part is a problem with the other two 3d printed razors, the sharkbone and the kraken, as well.

That's actually more attractive than I thought it would be. Of course my mind goes to if I could get them to print a wax version, I could cast it in Brass.......

 

[Merkuryrising]

I have a feeling with OC you won't have to rinse nearly as much. My experience with the OCs I have reflects this. I'm actually really starting to like open comb razors more. Especially if you have days or even weeks worth of growth open comb mows the whiskers down with ease. Not that sb's and slants don't I just find I have to rinse more often.

 

[gvw755]

I have a feeling with OC you won't have to rinse nearly as much. My experience with the OCs I have reflects this. I'm actually really starting to like open comb razors more. Especially if you have days or even weeks worth of growth open comb mows the whiskers down with ease. Not that sb's and slants don't I just find I have to rinse more often.

I am sure the lather will not be a problem with tonight's shave. I just want to see whether it will fall on the side of the Gillettes or the Fatips. My first experience into OC was with a couple of Fatips and a Maggard, which didn't do much for me and so I sold them. Then I got the RR Old Type and was impressed and so I got a Gillette New, and the flood gates were open after that - a second New, Gillette Old Type, Single Ring, and this guy.

 

[engblom]

When it comes to open combs, I see only one big advantage: They are less prone to clog. Because of this some geometries, like having almost no gap, is possible with open combs. Some open combs do not have this benefit as they have too wide comb pins, allowing some clogging under the pin.

When looking at the pictures of this 3D-printed open comb, I think I would have made each comb pin shaped as a V to make it less prone to clog.

 

[Groomatorium]

How is the finish? I've heard that 3d printed plastic parts have small pits and voids that can harbor bacteria. Is that still the case, or are they good now?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[gvw755]

How is the finish? I've heard that 3d printed plastic parts have small pits and voids that can harbor bacteria. Is that still the case, or are they good now?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

The finish is solid. No pits or voids, however it is not a smooth finish like chrome plating. Probably something a little rougher than a matte finish on most razors. I thought that would make a difference in the shave characteristics, but at least for the Whalebone, it did not. I will see if it affects the shave with tonight's OC head. The creator @drone115b does occasionally visit this board, and so he could probably answer the question about harboring bacteria.

 

[gvw755]

Just got finished with tonight's shave with the Manatee head. From the first WTG stroke, my question of whether it was going to feel more like a Gillette or a Fatip was answered. The Manatee will not be mistaken for a Gillette New (or Old). Once again, audio feedback was significant and remained significant even when adjusting the angle. As with the Whalebone, blade feel was significant, slightly more uncomfortable than the Whalebone, but still within acceptable range. I would rate this between the Fatip and R41, especially with ATG. I had to use a slightly steeper angle than last night, but in the end, I had a great two pass plus touch up shave.

Overall for both nights, I have to say that I am impressed with these 3D razors and would encourage anyone even slightly interested to try them out. These two heads was about $14, which would be slightly less than the price of a RR German 37 and RR Old Type head (which are fantastic heads), but the experience will be great. You can also get these razors with the handles, which @efsk showed his Whalebone, and you can get the razors done with metal particles in the plastic to make the finish better and stronger. These razors are the real deal and not toys or gimmicks.

 

[drone115b]

How is the finish? I've heard that 3d printed plastic parts have small pits and voids that can harbor bacteria. Is that still the case, or are they good now?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

As long as you dry out your razor, like most people do, you should be fine. (I am the designer of the razor.)

 

[Komboloi]

@drone115b :

@gvw755 generously let me try out the Manatee head. I haven't shaved with it yet, but I thought I'd share some photos of the steampunk look I gave it. That's a 1955 Gillette Tech handle attached to the head with a round head 5 mm .8 16mm machine screw, with a washer under the base plate. I chose the round head screw over a flat head screw to give it the appearance that the handle was extending all the way up through the head. I checked the clearance, and the raised screw head should not inhibit the shave angle.

Although I haven't shaved with it yet, I'm impressed how tightly everything fits. gvw755 described the pin and blade retention system in a post above.

Bacteria are a complete non-issue with 3D razor components, imo. Razors live life in hot soapy water, and besides, look at all the nooks and crannies on every other razor. If concerned with bacteria on razors, a regular alcohol dip works.

 

[HippieDave]

Just found this thread and I think I'm getting these two heads as I love slants and trying out different handles with different heads. Thanks.