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Asylum RX razor

Congrats on you new RX, it will be interesting comparing it to the other SE's you have.

Thanks!
Just playing with this razor before I go to work and it's such a nice bit of design.

The head is reminiscent of the Cobra, certainly Injector Razor style and the tongue and groove assembly is brilliant:
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And the handle is a lot more attractive in real life than it is in the photos:
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It's got blade stops so again like the Cobra, a Pro Super wouldn't seat properly though this thread shows that others have got away with it.

The triangular recess on the underside of the head and the transverse recess on the top of the head don't seem to serve any functional purpose but they sure look cool and really add to the space age ambience of the design:
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Ha ha - I'm mesmerised already [emoji3]
 
The triangular recess is to enable you to change a blade without fully removing the head. Whilst I think it is a great razor and a wonderful piece of engineering, I have gradually come to realise that my ATT SE1 give a slightly better shave. I would still recommend it as one of the best razors available.
 
The triangular recess is to enable you to change a blade without fully removing the head. Whilst I think it is a great razor and a wonderful piece of engineering, I have gradually come to realise that my ATT SE1 give a slightly better shave. I would still recommend it as one of the best razors available.

Oh thanks! So are the triangular recess and the lateral groove grip points to hold the head while changing the blade?

Someone (sorry I can't remember who!) made the very good point that the different styles of AC Safety Razor head designs appealed to people who had come from different shaving backgrounds, DE SE Injector shavette and straight.

I know the Cobra Classic reminded me of a supercharged Schick Type E and the Mongoose SS of a boosted ER Streamline.
 
Oh thanks! So are the triangular recess and the lateral groove grip points to hold the head while changing the blade?

Someone (sorry I can't remember who!) made the very good point that the different styles of AC Safety Razor head designs appealed to people who had come from different shaving backgrounds, DE SE Injector shavette and straight.

I know the Cobra Classic reminded me of a supercharged Schick Type E and the Mongoose SS of a boosted ER Streamline.

Yes, if you loosen the head and then use your fingernail in the triangle to pull the bottom plate down, it is quite easy to change blades.
I think the point about different styles suiting different backgrounds is a very valid one.
 
The triangular recess is to enable you to change a blade without fully removing the head. Whilst I think it is a great razor and a wonderful piece of engineering, I have gradually come to realise that my ATT SE1 give a slightly better shave. I would still recommend it as one of the best razors available.

This is an interesting observation. I have the v1 SE2, which many describe as being similar to the SE1 in aggresiveness and overall shave. Initially I loaded the SE2 with a Pro Super, and I found it to be quite comparable to the RX loaded with a Pro in both aggresiveness, comfort and shave quality (n=1). Yesterday I loaded a Pro into the SE2 and I found it to be significantly milder than the same razor with the Pro Super or the RX, but I was amazed at the efficiency in which it shaved my whiskers. Probably the cleanest and closest WTG pass I have ever experienced, yet it felt very mild on the face. I typically like an aggressive safety razor, and I shave 98% of the time with a straight, but I was simply amazed at how mild, yet efficient the v1 SE2 was loaded with the Pro blade. This was a brand new blade, so we will see how it shaves over the next 9 or so shaves.

Congratulations on the RX aquisition. I do love mine, and it always stands at the ready locked and loaded on my vanity in case I am running late and have to call it into action. It sits on the flared handle nicely, and does not require a separate base or stand, which I like very much.
 
Well upon closer inspection, the Pro Super blades actually DO fit but they just graze the back of the blade stops, which must change the angle of the blade in the head slightly. Clearly this razor was not designed for the Supers but they can work in it:
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For the first shave however I'm going to play it safe and use a Kai Mild:
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I haven't been this excited about a razor for... well at least 36hrs [emoji3]
 
[MENTION=67066]mjclark[/MENTION] I was wondering when you would get around to getting an RX. Even though Bullgoose says to use only the Feather Pro and Kai Milds, people have been able to fit the Super, but like you found out, it isn't a great fit. What you will find out in your shave is that even though the head reminds you of an injector, I found out that it really doesn't act or shave like one like I originally thought. Maybe because of the weight or wide top cap, but it definitely is a great shaver, you just need to play around with it a bit. Have fun.
 
[MENTION=67066]mjclark[/MENTION] I was wondering when you would get around to getting an RX. Even though Bullgoose says to use only the Feather Pro and Kai Milds, people have been able to fit the Super, but like you found out, it isn't a great fit. What you will find out in your shave is that even though the head reminds you of an injector, I found out that it really doesn't act or shave like one like I originally thought. Maybe because of the weight or wide top cap, but it definitely is a great shaver, you just need to play around with it a bit. Have fun.

Brilliant! Thank you so much!
I'm even more excited now [emoji3]
 
First shave with a Kai Mild (4) and as you say [MENTION=86824]gvw755[/MENTION] the feel is surprising.

Like the Cobra there's a lot of blade feel and a small sensation of blade chatter.

If anything this reminds me of a heavyweight R41 but substantial and well built.
The shave is smooth, the head is very manouverable and there's a big range of effective angles which makes it great round the curves of the jawline.

After the shave my face felt like a piece of stretched suede and, unusually for me with the Artist Club razors, there was absolutely zero irritation even in the troublespots on my neck.

There's a few razors that can give me a gorgeous shave like this - the Shavecraft Tech, 2011 R41, Vision 2000 or Alumigoose v1 - but the Asylum Rx gets me there in the nicest way.

Very impressed, this razor ticks ALL the boxes!
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Marcus, I am glad to see you have an Asylum SE! I really like this razor too![emoji106][emoji41]
I like the language you use to discern the post shave face feel.

There can not be many aggressive razors left that are not represented in your collection [emoji41][emoji33]!!!
 
The Rx gets even better as you gain familiarity with a few shaves. The blade is at a steeper angle relative to the handle than with most razors of this type, making the apparent angle (the handle relative to the face) seem more steep. However, for me it quickly became intuitive.

It helps that the razor is perfectly balanced. Also, it is obvious that a lot of thought went into the handle design - it's much more than the usual knurled cylinder. I've tried several handles, but keep coming back to the original.

It's reminds me more of the Cobra Classic than any of the other AC bladed razors. Actually, the two razors complement each other nicely. The build quality of the Rx is clearly superior (to just about anything, actually), but the Cobra has a lot of old-school nickel plated brass charm going for it.

--Bob
 
Marcus, I am glad to see you have an Asylum SE! I really like this razor too![emoji106][emoji41]
I like the language you use to discern the post shave face feel.

There can not be many aggressive razors left that are not represented in your collection [emoji41][emoji33]!!!

Thanks David! I really value your opinion on these razors and you've pointed me in the right direction quite a few times.

I'm reassured now that this Asylum Rx (as well as the hyperaggressive Alumigoose v1) can give the Cobra Classic a good run for its money and the Rx is just so beautifully designed and constructed that it's top of the heap for me at the moment.

I still want a Barbasol Floating Head and will pick up a Roedter 1909 sometime (although all the indications are that they're rubbish!) but I can't see anything topping the Rx for pure quality.
 
The Rx gets even better as you gain familiarity with a few shaves. The blade is at a steeper angle relative to the handle than with most razors of this type, making the apparent angle (the handle relative to the face) seem more steep. However, for me it quickly became intuitive.

It helps that the razor is perfectly balanced. Also, it is obvious that a lot of thought went into the handle design - it's much more than the usual knurled cylinder. I've tried several handles, but keep coming back to the original.

It's reminds me more of the Cobra Classic than any of the other AC bladed razors. Actually, the two razors complement each other nicely. The build quality of the Rx is clearly superior (to just about anything, actually), but the Cobra has a lot of old-school nickel plated brass charm going for it.

--Bob

I know what you're saying Bob!
The Cobra Classic somehow has the ultimate "cool factor" like when I looked at photos of the Lamborghini Countach when I was a kid.

I never thought I'd own one and then I did and I felt like a million dollars shaving with it, but I didn't like the grip, the build quality was low and the blade loading mechanism was a bit clumsy.
Ha ha - and then I sold it to you [emoji3]

If you get a chance you should definitely try an Alumigoose v1 - it can shave to the level of the Cobra and is super smooth with no blade chatter but it's not very pretty.

The Rx on the other hand is BEAUTIFUL in every way, and your praise of it early on was a major factor in me wanting to own this razor.
 
I'm glad the maiden voyage was so succesful. My experience is that it gets better as well as the nuances of this razor are leatned.
 
So I'm the interests of discovery I tried a Pro Super in the Rx this morning.

As many have said the Rx is not designed for a Super and these wider blades contact the back of the blade stops.
This probably changes the angle of the blade in the head compared to the standard Pros and Kais.

Nonetheless it does fit properly.

This was definitely a harsher shave and unusually even incurred a couple of weepers on the top lip.
But I'm not convinced that the shave was any closer.
Another 12hrs will reveal all.
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As a lot of other people have also said, I was struck by how well balanced this razor feels and what a fantastic grip it has.

One of my biggest problems with the Cobra Classic was the grip which I could never get comfortable on it's short (but very attractive!) handle.

The Rx on the other hand is absolutely superb.
Initially I didn't really like the appearance of the flared base but in practice this could be the best handle I've used.

I'm in UK and the other day at work we were discussing Snap-On tools and just how good American design and engineering is.
I think the Asylum Rx proves this point very well [emoji3]
 
I love the functionality of the flared base, and I don't find it at all obstructive or cumbersome during the shave. But I agree that initially, I thought that the flare took away from the overall esthetics of the handle, even though there are effective balancing elements further up on the handle. Now I view the simple functionality of this design element to be a thing of beauty, and the balancing elements further up the handle are completely effective. Funny how our overall perspectives can change..
 
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