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A tale of shaves

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
@hduty , do your Blackland Era plates both clamp the blade in the same place?

Your photo of the Level 4SB have my fear of missing out piqued.
 
Henson Medium (++)

5 days growth.
Gillette Platinum (1).
One pass WTG.

Haven't tried the Henson with a decent blade yet, so I figured I'd give it another go.

Overall it was a much better shave with the GP than the previous shave with a Nacet blade: significantly smoother and the blade felt sharper, which was evident on my problem area. I could shave it with little discomfort this time, compared to the very painful experience with the Nacet.

Wasn't aware of any suction or drag.

Face felt good after the shave, though not up to SB90 level.

But right from the start and with every stroke it was very evident that the blade/shave feels very steep (i.e. a "scraper"). It feels much steeper than even my Lupo 72 when I go steep with it, i.e. it has more of a scraping feeling. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this in their opinions (with one exception). As such it wasn't as smooth as my previous SB90 shave, as there seems to be more "resistance" with the Henson.
At no point was it harsh or uncomfortable though. Simply different, by design. I think it's more a matter of preference, as opposed to saying that it is worse. Still, I don't think I would mind using the Henson on a regular basis, if my skin can tolerate repeated steep shaves.

An 8/10 shave.
 
Blackland Era, Lvl 4 SB

20220609_075208.jpg


4 days growth.
Gillette Platinum (1).
One pass WTG.

Again no issues with my problem area, just like the ATT Windsor Pro (WP) it was pain free.

The amount of blade feel is very similar to the Windsor Pro: just the tiniest amount of blade feel. The Lvl 4 is the WP's equivalent.
Efficiency is also similar, or a tad above. Around Henson level.

I will reiterate what I've stated so many times: the Era has the stiffest blade edge of any razor, period. It's very noticeable from the first stroke. The Overlander is great, but the Era tops it. The Henson is similar, but as the blade angle is steeper it doesn't cut as smoothly.

For me, there is nothing the Overlander does better than the Era as far the shave goes. Case closed.
Fit and finish is much superior on the Overlander though.

Would prefer a slightly smoother finish on the Era.

A very smooth shave. Still, I think the WP is even smoother, because of the soft feeling blade.
Better? Don't think so, it's primarily a question of preference; I couldn't pick one of the two as my favorite right now, need more shaves with both.

An excellent shave overall, no surprises.

9/10 shave.
 
Above the Tie, Windsor Pro SB90

4 days growth.
Gillette Platinum (3).
One pass WTG.


Second take with the Windsor Pro.

The supreme smoothness of the first shave was present here as well, from the very start. I think the WP handles my problem area even a bit better than the Era. I have many times made the distinction between "scrapers" and "cutters": while the Henson is a total scraper, the WP is a pure cutter, more so than any of my other razors. It'a all cutting, no scraping with the WP.

Again the blade felt sharp in the WP, which I attribute to it being a "cutter".

I do think the efficiency is half a notch, or less, below the Era Lvl 4.

I can't overstate how soft and smooth the WP feels, there was a moment when I didn't even feel the blade at all and I thought I had totally missed the angle - it's that smooth. The face feels great immediately afterwards, even before I towel my face dry. It's almost like I haven't shaved at all, which is remarkable for my sensitive skin.

Some people use cars to describe a razor. With that analogy, the Windsor Pro feels like riding in the back of a Rolls Royce: it's like floating on an extra soft, cushioned cloud.
In contrast, the blade stiffness of the Era is like driving a Porsche GT: you will feel every single pebble under the wheels, both in the seat and the steering wheel.
As they are fundamentally different it wouldn't make sense to state which of the two rides better. It's purely a matter of preference.

My goal is to only keep one razor, but I think there is a very good case to be made to have both the WP and the Era: they overlap so little in how they "ride", yet the journey to the destination is an absolute pleasure in both.

9/10
 
Yates 921-M

yates.jpg


3 days growth.
Gillette Platinum (1).
One pass WTG.

Despite many reporting the Yates is a steep shaver, for this first shave I decided to go neutral, which immediately felt like the right thing to do. No need to adjust the angle, and very easy to keep it. It was a smooth affair from the start. Blade didn't feel forward at all, which aligns with the official specs of being neutral. It didn't feel like a steep shaver. My problem area was no issue at all with the Yates, which to me confirms that it doesn't shave particularly steep - if it did it would have caused discomfort and even pain, akin to the Henson. There was a moment during the shave where I unintentionally went a little steeper, and the experience immediately degraded, which further confirms to me that it's not a steep shaver. Neutral is the way to go.

Blade felt sharper than average. Blade clamping felt OK enough, but nothing extraordinary, despite the significant bending. Still, it didn't impact the shave negatively in any way.

The efficiency was a real surprise: it sits somewhere between the RR BBS and Lupo 72. It punches well above what the modest specs would lead one to believe: 0.64mm gap, neutral exposure. That's Henson Mild, GC 68 territory. So not sure where the efficiency comes from. It's about the maximum I would want to go for efficiency - it's that good. I contemplated getting the H-plate, but very glad I didn't.

The official Overlander specs are 0.73mm gap and 0.70 exposure. Yet there is no contest, it's as if the numbers were the other way round. Someone is misreporting the numbers, I think I know which manufacturer, but will leave it at that.

Face felt great afterwards: it felt like newly shaved, but without any irritation.

I really enjoyed the Yates. Maybe it didn't wow me (besides from the efficiency!) in the same way the Era and the Windsor Pro did - the Era with the incredible clamping, the WP with the absolute smoothness - but based on this first shave alone I still think it could be a contender for the top spot. I have literally nothing negative to say about it: it's very smooth and very efficient, and it shaves different from my other razors, in a good way. It has its own character, which I suspected given the design the of the head, which was what had me interested in the first place. Bottom line: I should have bought it months ago.

While I was ready to chuck the Overlander in the drawer after the maiden shave, I very much look forward to further shaves with the Yates!

9.5/10 shave.
 
Yates 921-M

View attachment 1477022

3 days growth.
Gillette Platinum (1).
One pass WTG.

Despite many reporting the Yates is a steep shaver, for this first shave I decided to go neutral, which immediately felt like the right thing to do. No need to adjust the angle, and very easy to keep it. It was a smooth affair from the start. Blade didn't feel forward at all, which aligns with the official specs of being neutral. It didn't feel like a steep shaver. My problem area was no issue at all with the Yates, which to me confirms that it doesn't shave particularly steep - if it did it would have caused discomfort and even pain, akin to the Henson. There was a moment during the shave where I unintentionally went a little steeper, and the experience immediately degraded, which further confirms to me that it's not a steep shaver. Neutral is the way to go.

Blade felt sharper than average. Blade clamping felt OK enough, but nothing extraordinary, despite the significant bending. Still, it didn't impact the shave negatively in any way.

The efficiency was a real surprise: it sits somewhere between the RR BBS and Lupo 72. It punches well above what the modest specs would lead one to believe: 0.64mm gap, neutral exposure. That's Henson Mild, GC 68 territory. So not sure where the efficiency comes from. It's about the maximum I would want to go for efficiency - it's that good. I contemplated getting the H-plate, but very glad I didn't.

The official Overlander specs are 0.73mm gap and 0.70 exposure. Yet there is no contest, it's as if the numbers were the other way round. Someone is misreporting the numbers, I think I know which manufacturer, but will leave it at that.

Face felt great afterwards: it felt like newly shaved, but without any irritation.

I really enjoyed the Yates. Maybe it didn't wow me (besides from the efficiency!) in the same way the Era and the Windsor Pro did - the Era with the incredible clamping, the WP with the absolute smoothness - but based on this first shave alone I still think it could be a contender for the top spot. I have literally nothing negative to say about it: it's very smooth and very efficient, and it shaves different from my other razors, in a good way. It has its own character, which I suspected given the design the of the head, which was what had me interested in the first place. Bottom line: I should have bought it months ago.

While I was ready to chuck the Overlander in the drawer after the maiden shave, I very much look forward to further shaves with the Yates!

9.5/10 shave.
Excellent write up!
Which finish is this Yates 921? As machined or bead blasted?
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
@hduty ,

Do you have any updates on your razor preferences? Has your shaving schedule and style changed with the advent of razors like the Windsor Pro, Homelike Start, and Era?
 
@thombrogan Sorry for the late reply!

Funny you should ask about shaving frequency, as the my last two shaves were with only 2 days of growth, which is a very first for me, ever.
But there is a caveat: I'm currently on a long vacation abroad, by the Mediterranean coast, and it's very hot and humid here; it's like wearing a hot wet towel on your face 24/7. It makes the shaves noticeably smoother/easier than up north, where the air is colder and drier.

I packed two razors: the Windsor Pro and the Henson medium, which sit on opposite ends and far as cutting/scraping. Back home the WP has given me extremely smooth shaves, but here it was not as pleasant, it actually caused some irritation. I only had one shave with it. Instead it's the "scraping" Henson that has surprised me and given me great shaves here.

Also bought the GC 0.68 OC during my stay here, but it proved too much for me, at least in this climate, though it was very smooth - maybe it would fare better home.

No changes as far as favorites: WP, Era, Lupo 58.
Remains to be seen if the Henson will continue to impress me when I return home.
I also have new razors that arrived at home while I was away: the Merica, the Winning razor and the Henson v2; plenty left to explore :)

Hope your Overlander is treating you well!
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Please enjoy your Mediterranean travels. That’s awesome!

Very surprising that the extra humidity made the Henson switch standing with the Windsor Pro. Also glad that the same weather lets you shave a little more often.

I’ll give the Overlander more work in November — too many happy shaving mobs to populate until then.
 
Thank you!

Very surprising indeed!
Remains to be seen if I will continue to pick up the Henson v1/v2 over the WP once I'm home... Right now I couldn't say.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
@hduty , if you’ve returned from the Mediterranean vacation, have you had a chance to compare the Henson razors and Game Changer 0.68OC with your Windsor Pro and Era in a presumably drier climate?

As the grass is always greener and much less allergenic on the other side, I’ve been reading reviews and reports of the Above The Tie Windsor Pro SB90 and have starting finding myself wondering about the aluminum version.
 
I'm back home home - the 6 weeks abroad was plenty of time to confirm the difference in shave feel and outcome in different climates.

Henson: since I got home I have used the new Henson v2 ++ once, but the shave felt a lot like my v1 ++ always did here: very steep blade which doesn't provide the smoothest shave. I haven't reached for it since. The climate definitely makes a difference, I can say that much.

Game Changer 0.68 OC: I only had one shave with it before I traded the OC plate, while I was abroad, for the 0.68 SB.
The SB plate has given me some very good shaves, in fact it's the razor I've used the most since home. I really enjoy it, every single shave has been very comfortable. If it only were a tiny bit more efficient it would be fantastic. Still, it suits me much better than the Mambas, for sure.
That said, I wish I had tried the OC plate in this climate also, so I am now on the hunt for it - I expect to have it again very soon!

Windsor Pro + Era: I haven't used them since I returned to be honest - I've mainly been enjoying the GC.
(The Merica razor has also been fantastic, but that's another story....). When I get around to the WP again I will let you know which of the two (WP - Henson) I prefer up here.

I also looked at the WP SB90 aluminum before I got the SS, it has a larger blade reveal (not sure about the exposure) and all reports indicate it's more efficient (aggressive?) than the SS: I can't confirm it, but the specs certainly indicate that.
Should you get the WP? Not sure tbh, it feels different from all my other razors (beyond the incredible smoothness), e.g. the blade gap, though it's .90, feels like a .70, at most. Blade feel is non-existent, yet it cuts with extreme ease - a Gillette Platinum feels like a Feather.

It is different enough from the razors I think you like (Overlander, JAWS, etc.) that I'm a bit hesitant to recommend the WP. Also, keep in mind I only do one pass WTG (which was the downfall of the Overlander for me): I can't say anything about how it performs on multiple passes, i.e. if the smoothness prevails.
But if you know that you want to try a razor like the WP, then my recommendation is to buy it from their Scratch & Dent section; if I lived in the US I'd be happy to send you mine for you to try, but alas...

FWIW: my dad has also tried most of my razors. Only two razors have impressed him: the Taiga (Feather) and the WP SB90 (Gillette Platinum). The rest left him completely underwhelmed, he didn't say anything positive about them. On the other hand the WP, he said, very much reminded him of the Taiga, which is the reason he liked both so much: exceedingly smooth while efficient.

Whatever you decide, I look forward to reading about your journey to greener pastures, wherever they may be :)
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Welcome back and thank you for your detailed experiences with those razors!

How you were able to return instead of claiming asylum in Sardinia is beyond me.

It is likely another razor wouldn’t exceed the results I’m getting from RazoRock’s JAWS 0.84 and Hawk V3OC, but the ATT Windsor Peo and the RazoRock Game Changer 0.68P place are now under more cons
 
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