Cadet Razors

[JSB33]

Has anyone tried one?
I got one the other day, have not used it yet as it has a plating issue and it will be going back. Just waiting to hear back from the merchant.
Looking at it with a blade in it, it looks like it may be a tad on the aggressive side. Is this so?

For the cost the handle alone is worth it. I would be super happy if it didn't have the defect.

Here is the bad plating on the comb

 

[grinbergs]

Sorry to hear that it had the plating issue. I am waiting to hear about the shaving results from this razor from you or anyone else. Looks good and a reasonable price too.

 

[lostgen60]

The Cadet OC is a well known commodity around here. It's a fairly aggressive (but manageable) performer, and a bargain to boot. Cadets are marketed under a number of names. A regular in my rotation.

 

[ronniesoup]

I love my Cadet OC. I have the exact one you bought. I agree it is on the aggressive side but not intolerable. I look forward to this razor when going through my rotation. One of my favs!

 

[mistercitizen]

The Cadet OC provides me with the smoothest shave from a modern open comb. It's an efficient shaver, but smooth.

Ben

 

[Nomad1600]

I like my Cadet... the quality of finish is amazing for the price. While I understand there are always corners cut to hit a price point it seems like you really get your money's worth with cadet.

 

[JSB33]

Thanks for the feedback, as i said, I can't wait to try it.
On the aggressive razor scale, is there anything that I could compare it to in a bit higher end razor?

 

[Rothman]

I love my Cadet so much that I picked up a second as a travel razor. They are towards the top of the aggressive spectrum and take some getting used to.

 

[Chadao]

I am PIFing one. It is gorgeous, but I haven't tried it.

 

[keepcalm]

I'm super happy with my cadet. The S26 OC is beautiful and extremely well priced IMO now that I have been using it for a while... oh and not too aggressive for me either.

 

[Rainlover]

I bought an open comb and the plating was crap with lumps between comb teeth. The handle was ok which I have now put on my Merkur OC and has vastly improved the Merkur due to increased weight. Bit expensive doing a return from Australia back to US. So sucked in to me. I would only buy a cadet if I needed a spare handle.

 

[coyotewhisper]

I'm super ecstatic about my Cadet Mongoose, TTO it is heavy but very well balanced. I happy with both its performance and quality.

 

[SteveWY]

I have an almost new Cadet TP-27 (3 piece open comb) that I bought from a member here. I only used it for about 5 shaves and i had a pretty rocky go of it. I set it aside and have been trying a Gillette New Goodwill with better results. I really like the look and feel of the Cadet. Very nice fit and finish for the price. The handle length is a little longer than I prefer. I am going to give the Cadet another run with a milder blade and see how that rolls. I really want to like this Cadet. If it doesn't work out I will look to sell or trade.

 

[bryan1980]

How do these compare to a short-comb NEW as far as aggressiveness?

 

[damhans]

I have a TP-26 that has plating issues as well. It was a gift though, and I'm not returning it.
It works wonderfully. I'd say it's more aggressive than a SC New, and probably closer to a 2013 R41 in that respect, but that's just my opinion.

 

[DrAwkward]

How do these compare to a short-comb NEW as far as aggressiveness?

Substantially more aggressive. The Cadet OC is a great razor, surprisingly smooth and manageable, but it is not at all in the same ball park as the NEW SC.

 

[DrAwkward]

I am PIFing one. It is gorgeous, but I haven't tried it.

Why not try it first?

 

[Christian_V]

I love my Cadet. It isn't too aggressive and mine had absolutely zero issues as far as the fit and finish. Here is a pic of my Cadet next to my Fatboy. Their handles are absolutely beautiful and offer great weight. Awesome shavers!

 

[oldbluelight]

JSB33, I've got the exact same razor and my experiences with it have been 'mixed' to say the least. It is a truly substantial razor with the handle providing quite a bit of mass. However my Cadet has been difficult to master. It's aggression (perhaps best characterized as outright hostility) has allowed me to achieve only three 'bloodless' shaves. No, I don't have any scars but I've had more weepers than a chick flick audience that bought their tickets in the midst of a severe episode of situational depression. In addition the manufacturing tolerances seem to be on the sloppy side. I have to exert extra effort to mount the blade symmetrically in the head and even when I achieve an even blade exposure from end to end on each side there is a noticeable difference in the amount of blade exposure on opposite sides. I've had the razor for about 9 months and have given it about 10 blade change cleanings with Lysol bathroom cleaner. That limited exposure to this cleaning regime has resulted in a loss of the black coating on the handle that reveals copper colored highlights on the points of the knurling. I have not experienced a similar loss of plating on any of my other razors subjected to this cleaning process. Now that I've bashed it over the head I will say this: it delivers a very close shave with less effort than my other razors. After I've staunched the weepers I always go, "Wow. That's smooooth." Five o'clock shadow doesn't show up before 10 am the next morning. Good luck and keep us informed. My new NEW is a much more forgiving razor. It's positively placid compared to the Cadet.

 

[wurglehound]

Christian, I have the same razor, and I love mine as well. it's quickly become the razor I look forward to using the most. I was worried about the aggressiveness at first, but it hasn't given me any problems at all, and it looks and shaves great. so much so that I've started tracking other open combs on ebay. . .