Advice on getting negative exposure razor 🙏

[Jhona1971]

Like Jay said, it's the same razor. Viking admitted that Baili makes it for them, but claimed that they required higher quality control than Baili does for their own Baili 179. Supposedly you're paying more for that.

It's a decent shaver, but the mechanism feels pretty janky. Pick up a cheap Super Speed and you'll see and feel a huge quality difference. The only advantage that the Baili has is that it covers the blade tabs whereas on the Gillette they are exposed.

Oh no im not surprised Im going to buy a the Viking razor that I saw for 10 bucks at a local marshals store. I have several tto Gillette razors. I actually opened the box when I was there. Its the cheapest feeling razor I've ever touched. Honestly its just a cheap experiment to see if a negative exposure razor is even worth getting. If the tto razor shaves decent and doesn't irritate my face then Ill invest in a more premium product. Hopefully it works cuz I would love to recommend the razor to first timer because of the cost.

 

[Jhona1971]

I can confirm a few things based on using card stock and my own razors.

The Merkur 15c has negative exposure.

The GC 68 P seems to be neutral.

If you want a cheap negative exposure razor experiment, the Baili TTO is one and it shaves great.

Hey brotha. Went to Marshalls today to check out that razor. The box was already opened but I brought my own Gillette nace blade to rest out the exposure. It snagged on the box and one of my old credit cards unfortunately. Definitely not negative exposure at least not with this blade. I'll provide a pic. I couldn't get it close to the camera without it getting blurry.

 

[Jay21]

Hey brotha. Went to Marshalls today to check out that razor. The box was already opened but I brought my own Gillette nace blade to rest out the exposure. It snagged on the box and one of my old credit cards unfortunately. Definitely not negative exposure at least not with this blade. I'll provide a pic. I couldn't get it close to the camera without it getting blurry.

The razor there is also known as the "Van der Weishi." That razor is made my Weishi (relabeled as Van der Hagen) and most definitely has positive blade exposure and very little blade bend. I have that exact razor and personally dislike it. I can assure you the one by Baili and the Vikings Blade rebranding has negative blade exposure.

The Weishi and Baili razors are very different. I've used both plenty and I don't care for the Weishi.

 

[Jhona1971]

The razor there is also known as the "Van der Weishi." That razor is made my Weishi (relabeled as Van der Hagen) and most definitely has positive blade exposure and very little blade bend. I have that exact razor and personally dislike it. I can assure you the one by Baili and the Vikings Blade rebranding has negative blade exposure.

The Weishi and Baili razors are very different. I've used both plenty and I don't care for the Weishi.

Oh shoot your right. For some reason I just automatically read it as Viking. Cuz from my memory they have the same color packaging. And they both start with "V". My bad

 

[Jay21]

Oh shoot your right. For some reason I just automatically read it as Viking. Cuz from my memory they have the same color packaging. And they both start with "V". My bad

No worries, it happens.

L to R

Baili, real Weishi, Van der Weishi.

 

[Jhona1971]

No worries, it happens.

L to R

Baili, real Weishi, Van der Weishi.

View attachment 1721826

Honestly I just ordered the merkur 1904 cuz it has overnight shipping and I want a another open comb that's not my Gillette New SC. If the fitting isn't good I'm returning it and never buying another merkur razor ever again. The 34c is a commonly recommended razor for newbies but honestly a new user may not even be aware to check the blade alignment and can cause someone to get some really bad shaves. It also might make someone give up on wet shaving altogether. I almost did till I did some research and found it to look for that. To this day I don't pick up my 34c cuz it's alignment is just terrible on mine. Definitely not a razor I would recommend a newbie for a hassle free shave.

 

[Jay21]

Honestly I just ordered the merkur 1904 cuz it has overnight shipping and I want a another open comb that's not my Gillette New SC. If the fitting isn't good I'm returning it and never buying another merkur razor ever again. The 34c is a commonly recommended razor for newbies but honestly a new user may not even be aware to check the blade alignment and can cause someone to get some really bad shaves. It also might make someone give up on wet shaving altogether. I almost did till I did some research and found it to look for that. To this day I don't pick up my 34c cuz it's alignment is just terrible on mine. Definitely not a razor I would recommend a newbie for a hassle free shave.

My Merkur 15c has the same head as the 1904. Be prepared because you do have to fuss to get the blade aligned, but once you do, it’s a marvelous shaver. I really like mine. Incidentally, the blade alignment on the Baili TTO is perfect every time and rivals the precision of CNC razors.

 

[Jhona1971]

My Merkur 15c has the same head as the 1904. Be prepared because you do have to fuss to get the blade aligned, but once you do, it’s a marvelous shaver. I really like mine. Incidentally, the blade alignment on the Baili TTO is perfect every time and rivals the precision of CNC razors.

Oh my gosh lol welp I can always return it if it's really bad.

 

[Jhona1971]

My Merkur 15c has the same head as the 1904. Be prepared because you do have to fuss to get the blade aligned, but once you do, it’s a marvelous shaver. I really like mine. Incidentally, the blade alignment on the Baili TTO is perfect every time and rivals the precision of CNC razors.

Which one do you find more mild the 15c or baili? Yeah I've never had to fiddle around with any tto I've owned. I think it's just the nature of the design that makes the alignment great.

 

[Jay21]

Oh my gosh lol welp I can always return it if it's really bad.

IMHO, it’s one of the razors worth the blade alignment fuss because it’s such a magnificent shaver. Very mild but mows down whiskers.

 

[Jay21]

Which one do you find more mild the 15c or baili? Yeah I've never had to fiddle around with any tto I've owned. I think it's just the nature of the design that makes the alignment great.

It’s a tough call. They are pretty similar in that regard, but I’d say the Baili is milder and less efficient, but I love shaving with it. You can’t go wrong with the Baili or 1904. Both wonderful mild shavers.

 

[Alp Akman]

Tatara Masamune (even with Nodachl base plate)
Feather AS-D2
Charcoal Goods with Level 1 base plate

 

[Jhona1971]

It’s a tough call. They are pretty similar in that regard, but I’d say the Baili is milder and less efficient, but I love shaving with it. You can’t go wrong with the Baili or 1904. Both wonderful mild shavers.

Yeah might just pick it up too. Their are a few folks I want to get into it so they can get away from those 5 blade nonsense razors. 10 bucks seems like a much easier pill to swallow.

 

[railer489]

If you're looking for a negative exposure razor then the Merkur open comb head (15C, 41C etc.) will definitely hit the spot. It is inexpensive, the top-cap & baseplate clamps the blade very close to the business end of the blade, the blade alignment is very good and it is a very intuitive razor to use.

I like the Merkur 41C quite a bit. Looks intimidating with it's open comb, but it's really a gentle shaver for me.

 

[VerbaVolant]

...All my razors either have positive to neutral exposure...

Take one of your razors with neutral exposure and add tape or a reversed shim to the top plate.

Here, that's how it's done. Easy-peasy.

Another easy one, in case you have one of those.

I must admit, I like the start better though:

Hey guys just looking for some advice on a razor acquisition.

 

[PurpuraPuer]

Hello!
I have Merkur 41C, DE89, Dscosmetic T7 (CNC SS) and T7-SE (Zamac).
T7 will not cut even if you rub the paper against the head. It's definitely a negative exposure. No issues with build quality and blade alignment.
T7 is a copy of Mamba 70. Several people have reported that Mamba is almost identical to DE89. T7 is much milder than my DE89.
I think the T7 has a structure that allows for a closer shave than the 41C. By the way, my T7-SE was a defective product with slightly uneven plating and the handle post screws were too thick. I've only shaved a few times, but to be honest, T7 may be my holy grail.
I was able to achieve BBS by shaving with short strokes while stretching the skin with my left hand. The damage to my skin was far less than all my positive exposure razors.

 

[cpcohen1945]

i have a dumb question:

If I understand right, a "negative exposure razor" has the blade edge behind the (imaginary) line from the safety bar (or comb) to the top cap.

So, if you pull it over flat card stock, the blade won't touch the paper.

Now my question:

. . . If you don't apply any pressure to the razor head, it will move over skin just as it moves over
. . . card stock -- the blade edge will be off the skin.

. . . Doesn't that mean that, to shave beard hairs down to skin level, you _must_ apply pressure to the razor's head,
. . . . to get the blade edge to _not_ ride above the skin surface?

I've spent a long time practicing "no pressure" shaving (with a Feather blade). I hate to think that I've wasted all that training, and that a negative-exposure razor would have been simpler and just as effective.

OTOH, I suppose that with negative exposure, "just the right amount of pressure" can be difficult to achieve.

Thanks --

. Charles

 

[Jhona1971]

i have a dumb question:

If I understand right, a "negative exposure razor" has the blade edge behind the (imaginary) line from the safety bar (or comb) to the top cap.

So, if you pull it over flat card stock, the blade won't touch the paper.

Now my question:

. . . If you don't apply any pressure to the razor head, it will move over skin just as it moves over
. . . card stock -- the blade edge will be off the skin.

. . . Doesn't that mean that, to shave beard hairs down to skin level, you _must_ apply pressure to the razor's head,
. . . . to get the blade edge to _not_ ride above the skin surface?

I've spent a long time practicing "no pressure" shaving (with a Feather blade). I hate to think that I've wasted all that training, and that a negative-exposure razor would have been simpler and just as effective.

OTOH, I suppose that with negative exposure, "just the right amount of pressure" can be difficult to achieve.

Thanks --

. Charles

Not a dumb question at all!

Hi! Well it really all depends on your beard type if this type of format is good for your skin. Now granted I did buy a negative exposure razor its a Razorock sloc. Its definitely mild but I have to go against the grain to get a decent shave. I think this razors main issue is not so much that the exposure is negative but its small blade gap. Even on a negative blade exposure the skin with wiggle itself between the blade gap and blade allowing a cut. Ive have good experience with both positive and neutral blade exposure razors. The Merkur 34c is a pretty neutral and Ive gotten pretty good shaves from it. I have really course and sensitive skin so I need a sharp blade thats decently forgiving. Honestly from all the razors I have the easiest and smoothest shave has been from my schick hydromagic. The thicker blade and its firm hold on the blade has been great for me and honestly If I started with a schick I probably would have never looked for anything better because I havnt found It yet. I have 15+ razors at this point.

 

[PurpuraPuer]

After all, the biggest obstacle to cutting beards is the lubricating film of soap. Multiple strokes remove the soap film from the beard surface like a wiper, scraping away the toughest beard surfaces, allowing for a successful beard cut even with very low pressure.

And the technique of stretching the skin with the left hand is far more important than the right hand handling the razor.
YMMV

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

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