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Asylum RX razor

I received my RX today after having ordered it around midnight Friday night. Excellent service from BullGoose as always. 1 month ago I had never used a Feather AC blade. My only experience shaving with a single edge was a Straight I inherited from my grandfather years ago. I now own 3 SE's that use Feather AC blades. A Feather AC SS Shavette. A Colonial General, and now of course the RX.

I haven't shaved with the RX yet, but my initial observation is that this is a very well made and well thought out razor. I'm looking forward to giving it a go. Quality appears to be top notch.

I know, pictures required. I snapped a quick pic with my iPhone to show the difference in head design, sorry for the poor quality. The Colonial General is on the left, RX on the right.

I will post a review after I get a couple weeks of shaves under my belt and have had a chance to try both the Feather Pro and Kai Mild blades.

 
Thank you for the explaination, Sceptic Pencil.

I just was unaware of that particular tactic.

I've heard others mentioning stroping the blade in the palm of their hand, but not using it in another razor before.

Again, thank you for giving me more insight on the subject.
 
The post office delivered mine a few minutes ago. I opened the package then the razor to load a blade. The tolerances on the sliding mortise are unbelievable tight. I had to pay attention to align the two parts of the head so that portion was perfectly parallel so it would slide together. I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
 
The post office delivered mine a few minutes ago. I opened the package then the razor to load a blade. The tolerances on the sliding mortise are unbelievable tight. I had to pay attention to align the two parts of the head so that portion was perfectly parallel so it would slide together. I can hardly wait until tomorrow.

I hope it shaves as well as its put together. I'm not a collector by any means and am generally a function over form type of person. I don't care what it looks like as long as it works. That said...the RX is a well designed and finely crafted instrument. I'm not going to get into the debate over price vs value, but if this shaves as good as it looks then its worth every penny to me. I'll report back in a couple weeks.
 
I took mine out to my little shop and looked at the mortise and tenon under a magnifier. I found an almost invisible machining burr on the tenon. I then took a small triangular hard Arkansas stone and removed the burr and barely broke the sharp edges and corners on the leading edge of the tenon where it enters the mortise. It now slides in much easier without any binding. The amount of metal removed is not easily visible by the naked eye and really only shows slightly under a 4x magnifier. I honestly was surprised at the fineness of the fit and the quality of the machining, and in no way could consider what I saw a defect.
 
I had my first shave today with the Asylum Rx. It was simply great.


I chose the soap for today's shave, Dapper Dragon Bakewell, and loaded a Feather Pro which is a blade that I really enjoy shaving with. I use it with every SE that takes these type of blades with great results. I noticed that the head profile of the razor is similar to an injector which is a big advantage of the Asylum, in my opinion. Having shaved with my Schick many times, it was very easy for me to find the correct cutting angle, but it's not difficult to find it anyway, it just differs from the other AC type razors. Also, keep in mind that I haven't tried any Cobra razor, so I can't compare it to these two.

The razor is not as heavy as the Mongoose or the Rocnel SE50. In my opinion, the weight of the Asylum is the ideal for a stainless steel razor. It is one of the best balanced razors I have shaved with. The handle has an amazing grip, it really feels great in my hand. My current rotation consists of razors with smooth handles, like the OneBlade, Alumigoose and others. The Asylum handle is better than any of these razor handles. Also, I almost never switch the handles of my 3- piece razors, but I think it's a great design detail that you can switch it if you wish with another that maybe feels better or looks better to you. For example, you can't do that with the Cobra Classic that shares a similar head design with the Asylum, let's say.

The shave was remarkably smooth. I finished the first pass with two days of stubble growth. No irritation, no redness, nothing at all. What surprised me here is that, while there is some blade feeling during shaving, I didn't have any problem at all. The problem I had with the other AC type razors like Mongoose or Rocnel SE50 was that the first pass was not so smooth. My beard is tough and full, so there were times, especially when using the Mongoose, that the shave was good but not so smooth and I had to apply a good moisturizing balm after the shave. The second pass was as good as the first one, if not better. I finished my shave with one of my favorite lotions, the Aqua Velva, and I'm feeling great.

I know that it's too soon for big words or conclusions but one thing is sure. I enjoyed my first shave with this razor very much. The shave feeling was excellent. The razor is flawless and well designed. I watched a video on Youtube a few weeks ago, dated on 2013, showing the plastic prototype of this razor and a few words from Phil about it. Phil must be very proud that he finally, three years later, managed to make his vision reality. This says a lot of things.

My second shave will be on Saturday, so stay tuned.
 
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I had my third shave with my RX today. As some others have stated, it is taking some time to find the best angle. I will give a full review in a couple weeks.
 
Nicholas,

I wonder, why Phil will not ship to Cyprus but he has done so with you in Greece.
I tried last night to buy a new one while in stock and the site refused shipping to Cyprus.
 
Nicholas,

I wonder, why Phil will not ship to Cyprus but he has done so with you in Greece.
I tried last night to buy a new one while in stock and the site refused shipping to Cyprus.
I don't know why, my friend. You mean that there are no shipment options at checkout for Cyprus?
I know that Phil ships to every country, my package arrived here within 10 days. I'd recommend sending him an email. He responds quickly.
 
After four days of using an Ever Ready Jewel, my face had recovered enough after my last disastrous shave with my Asylum, to give it another try today.

This time, instead of the Feather Pro I used last time, I loaded up a new Kai Mild blade. I gave up trying to use a shallow angle & used a semi steep angle which seemed smoother & more efficient.

I also changed my grip on the Asylum, as I realised that on shaves 2 & 3, I had been using the same grip that I use with my Jewel, with my index finger on the tapered neck of the handle. I think that by using this grip I was applying pressure. I went back to the grip I had used with my first shave with the Asylum, which was index finger & middle finger on the knurling & fourth finger on the flared end of the handle. This is the same grip I use with my Tradere.

I can report that today’s shave was excellent. The shave was a pretty quick job, two passes (WTG/ATG), with minimal touching up. The alum block concurred with me that the shave had gone well, as there was barely a tingle when it was applied.

My only concern now is whether the Asylum’s unique cutting angle (at least in the world of AC blade razors), is going to blunt blades very quickly.
 
I had my second shave a couple of hours ago. I am very satisfied with this razor. First of all, I'd like to mention for one more time how beautiful it is. I have 30 razors, this one is among the very good looking ones. This time I used my favorite CRSW v.2 Citrus and the Feather Pro I loaded two days ago. The shave was very smooth, especially comparing it to the shaves I get from the other AC type razors I have. There are razors, like the Rocnel SE50, which need some SE experience to enjoy them. This one, the Asylum Rx, can be used from a SE newbie with no problems, in my opinion. It's not an aggressive shaving tool nor difficult to find the correct cutting angle. It's a bit milder than Alumigoose, which means it is a lot milder than Mongoose and that's a good feauture of this razor. It's not as mild as the OneBlade, but admittedly OneBlade is one of the mildest SE razors I have, if not the mildest. Comparing it to some vintage SE razors, like the Ever Ready 1912 loaded with a GEM blade, I'd say that it's a little bit smoother. Asylum is an effective yet smooth razor that takes some of the best blades available. I'd like to try it with the Kai Milds also, but I don't have any of them at the moment, I will probably order a package to make some comparisons.
 
Unlike some razors where the band of useable shave angle can be quite narrow I am finding the RX has a wide band allowing the shaver to find the angle best for him. Some say the angle is intuitive, I am finding the opposite. Its taking a number of shaves for me to get it nailed. This isn't a problem at all, actually its an opportunity to find the best shave based on the blade that works best for you. For example, if I use a shallow angle (handle farthest from skin) I find the Feather Pro works best. If I use a steep angle (handle close to skin) the Kai Mild works better as I find the Feather Pro at a steep angle far too harsh, and the Kai Mild at a shallow angle more pulls the whisker from my face more so than cuts them (ouch).

So I can get a great or horrible shave from the FP and the KM blades depending on angle of attack. Regardless of the angle, zero pressure carries the day.

Another week or so of shaves and I'll have it as dialed in as I likely ever will.
 
Quick note on the Asylum vs. Razorock Hawk, even though the latter appears to be in short supply (and indeed, the Asylum might be as well).

First off, they're both well-designed. The Hawk came with it a set of disclaimers that could have negatively influenced some buyers, but at that price and lineage, it probably did the opposite. In black aluminum, it's a beauty and my razor has no issues with alignment. I wouldn't take a microscope but my wife swears it's a beast (in a good way).

If the Hawk delivers an outstanding SE to the masses (or not depending on production), the RX amplifies the precision and power of what can be achieved in this space. Yes, others beat Asylum/BG to their product; yes, it's a pricey piece of shaving equipment. Both the Hawk and RX deliver an outstanding shave; you will have to find your blade, as I did, because there are some nuanced differences for me that may be exaggerated for less experienced shavers. I'm taking the Kai Mild and working up; three passes for both. They feel great on the face; the RX, with its weight and magnet-like face feel, almost seems to demand a wetter and slicker lather. The Hawk is fun and easy to navigate, plus great for touch-ups. The RX brings its weight to deliver incrementally more efficiency and less need for cleanup. Both demand lather even on slick areas; I've surprisingly not had a nick given coming from DE razors and blades, but a few pin-***** weepers are showing up. No major signs of redness; still, this is a change-out from DEs, and those of you coming into the SE realm should be prepared to experience a larger shaving head, a need for some angle experimentation, and a willingness to explore a DE-comparatively smaller range of blades (but at least there's a choice).

I hope this feedback is useful. Both the Hawk (not the subject of this thread) and RX are, in my opinion, very good razors that can deliver great shaves. My gut is that the RX might be a long-term keeper and rotation leader if and when I can find the optimal blade for it. Irrespective of great feel, both SEs are still well behind my current rotation, but more trials are needed to see if that changes.




Todd R.
 
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