@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.
Your photo of the Level 4SB have my fear of missing out piqued.
That was actually my Lvl5 that arrived just today@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.
Excellent write up!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.
As machined, it probably didn't come across because of the profile picExcellent write up!
Which finish is this Yates 921? As machined or bead blasted?