What's new

Above the Tie Windsor Pro SB90

Iridian

Cool and slimy
I got an Above the Tie Windsor Pro SB90 from the shop Two Barbers in Greece. For me as EU Citizen this was a chance to get an ATT razor for a reasonable price in reasonable time. The two days shipping claim could not be held, it was 6, but that's shorter than razors sometimes sit in the customs office and DHL delivery and tracking worked out excellent.

I got a sample of Truefitt & Hill Shave Cream as well as a T&H After Shave Balm, both "West Indies Lime". For the shave I used Cella Crema da Barba Aloe Vera (green), now I get it why they call it vegan, no tallow was used for this version. Usually I go with the almond scented red version. As After Shave I usually use alcoholic splashes, not a fan of balms, but this time I used the Truefitt sample. Instead of the Green Astra blades coming with the razor I used my usual favorite, the Gillette Nacet.

Windsor Pro Polished Stainless Steel Safety Razor - https://www.abovethetie.com/collections/shop-by-style/products/windsor-pro-polished-stainless-steel-safety-razor

The packaging is quite streamlined, there are removable inserts for another handle style or a 2nd razor and extra baseplates. I found no microfiber cloth though, and only one rubber or silicone "razor saver", basically an O-ring between handle and baseplate.

Unlike the Windsor and Classic lines the Pro is made in China for ATT. The razor is very highly polished, the inside of the cap is only sandblasted. Supposedly to keep tolerances tight or just to save on polishing there. The finish was excellent, the simple and clear design is perhaps a bit too sample when it comes to the handle: It is not overpolished and slippery as some DSCosmetics handles, also grippier than the steel handle of the Mühle R41 GS, I would rate it medium. It doesn't have as pronounced knurling as one of my favorites, the Executive Shaving Outlaw, or the Super Knurl handle from Razorock. The butt end is slightly rounded, the Kronos handle can be very much compared to the Bulldog handle by Razorock. Shinier, but not quite as grippy. The handle is perhaps my only major point of criticism, because the head blew me away.


(Prepare for the head to be showered with praise)


Now let me quote the claims on the website:

Notable Improvements

- Facets that contact the blade are bead blasted to remove machine marks and ensure the machining tolerances are preserved.

- Rest of the razor is meticulously polished to a mirror finish.

- Size of the rinse slots have been increased.

- Blade angle adjusted slightly to improve feel.

- Blade exposure adjusted to balance sing and smoothness.

- Blade tabs are covered but can still be held in place with finger and thumb.

- Threads beveled to ease assembly.



Well, I never had a Windsor with any base plate before, so…

I like that the blade angle is a bit steeper, the gap of 0.9 mm gives one enough space to adjust it nicely. The head is rated as "6-9" on their website, I would tend to rate it more towards 9:
It is way more aggressive than a Game Changer .84 SB. Roughly GC .84 OC range, but with a safety bar.
It is also more aggressive than an Alpha Shaving/Executive Shaving Outlaw.
It is about on par with the Razorock Lupo .95, but feels way smoother.

It gives me a marble finish polish on the cheeks that I previously only got with the Mühle R41 (for way more aggression and possible irritation if one doesn't be careful) or the Wunderbar (which is a wonderfully efficient razor, just not enough blade feel for me. I can barely feel it, it's only drawback).

It is a mid to high aggression razor, imo rather going towards the higher end. Not super mild, but very efficient and it gave me an easy BBS with lovely slight exfoliation feeling. I am feeling very good and super clean, still on the morning after the shave. Also lovely: The razor sings. Not quite as loud as the Outlaw, but it does give very good audible feedback while cutting. Absolutely sexy voice.

I will try to get an ATT stand for it, this one deserves it. It's my new Emperor of the HRE (Holy Razor Empire) and will banish another razor on the dread acrylic razor rack in the back of the cupboard.

Truefitt & Hill balm was quite present for a while in my nose, I always apply balm too thick and had to wipe it away. Excuse me, I am just too much used to splashes. But it was very nice to the skin and the scent lovely, now I wonder about the difference between citrus and lemon/lime, but well… hehe. It was good, but I simply prefer alcoholic splashes. The smell was good, but definitely not going to become a favorite of mine. It was also nice to the skin.

I will have another shave with a BIC blade to compare with the Nacet tomorrow evening. The Windsor Pro can cut deep enough to make it 2 days.

I am now interested in testing some more baseplates, wonder about an OC, though the SB90 is quite right for me. I would love to see the Windsor Pro line continued and expanded. Now I would love to hear how the design updates compare to the known Windsor line, maybe someone has both and can tell a bit more about that.

I will try to find a grippier replacement handle, balance wise it is very well done, but the handle is really the only thing about the razor that doesn't enchant me.
 

Attachments

  • Tie1.jpg
    Tie1.jpg
    3.8 MB · Views: 85
  • Tie2.jpg
    Tie2.jpg
    3.6 MB · Views: 84
Got the same razor about 3 months ago very nice indeed but a bit on the heavy side especially with that kronos handle I find the head geometry good but not as good then my $70 RR Lupo 95 which has become my favourite razor
 
Got the same razor about 3 months ago very nice indeed but a bit on the heavy side especially with that kronos handle I find the head geometry good but not as good then my $70 RR Lupo 95 which has become my favourite razor
Thank you so much for explaining the comparison to the Lupo. 95 which I was using.


Lupo was pretty average for me so thanks for the feedback. 👍
 
I got an Above the Tie Windsor Pro SB90 from the shop Two Barbers in Greece. For me as EU Citizen this was a chance to get an ATT razor for a reasonable price in reasonable time. The two days shipping claim could not be held, it was 6, but that's shorter than razors sometimes sit in the customs office and DHL delivery and tracking worked out excellent.

I got a sample of Truefitt & Hill Shave Cream as well as a T&H After Shave Balm, both "West Indies Lime". For the shave I used Cella Crema da Barba Aloe Vera (green), now I get it why they call it vegan, no tallow was used for this version. Usually I go with the almond scented red version. As After Shave I usually use alcoholic splashes, not a fan of balms, but this time I used the Truefitt sample. Instead of the Green Astra blades coming with the razor I used my usual favorite, the Gillette Nacet.

Windsor Pro Polished Stainless Steel Safety Razor - https://www.abovethetie.com/collections/shop-by-style/products/windsor-pro-polished-stainless-steel-safety-razor

The packaging is quite streamlined, there are removable inserts for another handle style or a 2nd razor and extra baseplates. I found no microfiber cloth though, and only one rubber or silicone "razor saver", basically an O-ring between handle and baseplate.

Unlike the Windsor and Classic lines the Pro is made in China for ATT. The razor is very highly polished, the inside of the cap is only sandblasted. Supposedly to keep tolerances tight or just to save on polishing there. The finish was excellent, the simple and clear design is perhaps a bit too sample when it comes to the handle: It is not overpolished and slippery as some DSCosmetics handles, also grippier than the steel handle of the Mühle R41 GS, I would rate it medium. It doesn't have as pronounced knurling as one of my favorites, the Executive Shaving Outlaw, or the Super Knurl handle from Razorock. The butt end is slightly rounded, the Kronos handle can be very much compared to the Bulldog handle by Razorock. Shinier, but not quite as grippy. The handle is perhaps my only major point of criticism, because the head blew me away.


(Prepare for the head to be showered with praise)


Now let me quote the claims on the website:

Notable Improvements

- Facets that contact the blade are bead blasted to remove machine marks and ensure the machining tolerances are preserved.

- Rest of the razor is meticulously polished to a mirror finish.

- Size of the rinse slots have been increased.

- Blade angle adjusted slightly to improve feel.

- Blade exposure adjusted to balance sing and smoothness.

- Blade tabs are covered but can still be held in place with finger and thumb.

- Threads beveled to ease assembly.



Well, I never had a Windsor with any base plate before, so…

I like that the blade angle is a bit steeper, the gap of 0.9 mm gives one enough space to adjust it nicely. The head is rated as "6-9" on their website, I would tend to rate it more towards 9:
It is way more aggressive than a Game Changer .84 SB. Roughly GC .84 OC range, but with a safety bar.
It is also more aggressive than an Alpha Shaving/Executive Shaving Outlaw.
It is about on par with the Razorock Lupo .95, but feels way smoother.

It gives me a marble finish polish on the cheeks that I previously only got with the Mühle R41 (for way more aggression and possible irritation if one doesn't be careful) or the Wunderbar (which is a wonderfully efficient razor, just not enough blade feel for me. I can barely feel it, it's only drawback).

It is a mid to high aggression razor, imo rather going towards the higher end. Not super mild, but very efficient and it gave me an easy BBS with lovely slight exfoliation feeling. I am feeling very good and super clean, still on the morning after the shave. Also lovely: The razor sings. Not quite as loud as the Outlaw, but it does give very good audible feedback while cutting. Absolutely sexy voice.

I will try to get an ATT stand for it, this one deserves it. It's my new Emperor of the HRE (Holy Razor Empire) and will banish another razor on the dread acrylic razor rack in the back of the cupboard.

Truefitt & Hill balm was quite present for a while in my nose, I always apply balm too thick and had to wipe it away. Excuse me, I am just too much used to splashes. But it was very nice to the skin and the scent lovely, now I wonder about the difference between citrus and lemon/lime, but well… hehe. It was good, but I simply prefer alcoholic splashes. The smell was good, but definitely not going to become a favorite of mine. It was also nice to the skin.

I will have another shave with a BIC blade to compare with the Nacet tomorrow evening. The Windsor Pro can cut deep enough to make it 2 days.

I am now interested in testing some more baseplates, wonder about an OC, though the SB90 is quite right for me. I would love to see the Windsor Pro line continued and expanded. Now I would love to hear how the design updates compare to the known Windsor line, maybe someone has both and can tell a bit more about that.

I will try to find a grippier replacement handle, balance wise it is very well done, but the handle is really the only thing about the razor that doesn't enchant me.
I recently bought the Windsor Pro Aluminium, which is the same geometry, except for the materials used. I have to admit it is a really wonderful razor. Unlike you I find a difference with the R41 as I have a very tough beard. The R41 BBS lasts definitely more - until the evening. That said I definitely like the ATT and would even buy a spare. A 0.90mm gap is a good thing for me. After reading a few comments saying the Game Changer 0.84 SB is milder, I decided not to buy it. The ATT is just right.
 
I think I’m going to hold out for the Open comb version of the Windsor pro and just get the base plate and use my classic top cap and handle. Doesn’t appear to be enough reason to purchase another top car or handle
 
Top Bottom