Classic Shaving Enoch AC Razor Experience

[roosty]

Mine came today with extra items as well. I’ll be curious to see how this shaves compared to my Asylum Rx (which I haven’t reached for in awhile).
They look very similar. I actually had forgotten about this razor until the ship notice. I think I ordered it in July?

 

[GlazedBoker]

So, saw the notification that it was out for delivery this morning. I wouldn't normally shave at 2 in the afternoon knowing that I have to shave tomorrow morning for church, but hey, I can ask for help/forgiveness for my lack of self control while I'm there.

Arrival:
Well-taped box within a bubble envelope. Nice box with fitted foam insert. Couple of shave oils, unscented from blades soap, and alum block were included as gifts (not ordered but will be appreciated).

Setup:
Enoch loaded with Schick ProLine. Heard the faintest chatter and tightened handle a touch. Chatter went away. Soaked my Rudy Very emillion / ShaveMac 2-band silvertip, then loaded it with C&S Oxford. I find this to be a good, slick baseline soap.

The Shave:
First thing I noticed was the angle. Almost parallel to my face. Definitely a change from my other razors. Next was the sound. Felt very loud with lots of feedback. Not bad, but you can tell you're cutting whiskers. The shave was fairly effortless. Did a quick 2 passes. 1 tiny weeper on the neck, but I blame the pimple more than the razor. The Enoch has good weight and feel. Gave me a really good shave for 2 passes, and it compares favorably to my aluminum General. I'd consider both medium in terms of aggressiveness/feel. As similar as the results may be, the paths to get there are very different. The aluminum General seems to need a little more pressure and shorter strokes. The Enoch's weight allows it to do more of the work and with longer strokes. The Enoch is probably slightly more aggressive. The General maneuvers the chin area a little better, but Enoch cleaned up the cleft now easily (to be fair, can't judge Enoch completely on 1 shave).

Overall, initial impression is favorable. Wasn't happy with the repeated production delays, but in the end, the product delivered met expectations for performance and quality. Looks like this will be a keeper.

Look forward to reading others' reviews.

Kostas (Gus)

Nice initial assessment. I’m really looking forward to my fist shave with the Enoch.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Short and sweet. How did it shave? Very well thank you very much. First things first is this is not an original Occam’s or O.R.E.N razor in feel and performance. The floating blade design is now replaced by the traditional rigid and vice like hold and full support of the top and bottom plates. Does it just as good as an Rx, Vector, ATT SE1 and any other AC designed razor. The razor feels balanced along the whole length of it with a high quality look to it.

The shave itself with the Enoch was efficient in that 2 passes and some minor buffing along the chin and jawline produced A BBS result. The shave was comfortable and smooth yet, there is enough blade feel that in no way is this considered a mild razor. Actually, it’s very similar in shave feel to the Blackland Vector and shares the small head profile along with being very close in design (nearly identical) to the Asylum Rx, though nowhere near as blade forward feeling. It has design attributes of both yet still exhibits it’s own feel and performance. It has a nice balance of smoothness & efficiency and shaves equally as good as any other AC styled razor.

I’ll shave with it for a full week and see how it delivers and performs with other brands of blades. I have no doubt that it will be a consistently good performer.....

 

[GlazedBoker]

Shave #2 just as good if not better than the first with the Enoch. The Feather Pro blade can feel a bit harsh like on its first to second shave. None of that with the Enoch as it really just feels comfortable and gives direct feedback on exactly what the blade & razor are doing in unison. Almost Cobra like on how it takes down the whiskers. Very impressive so far....

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I was away for the past week and arrived home to find my Enoch razor waiting for me. Like others have said, the package included a few extras as a gift - perhaps partly as an apology for the delays.

This morning I gave it a try. I loaded it with a new Schick Proline blade, lathered up with some CRSW soap and proceeded to my normal two pass (plus touch-up) shave. The Enoch is very well balanced and intuitive to use. It's neither particularly heavy nor is it a lightweight like my other AC style razor, the aluminum RazoRock Hawk. I found it to be very non-aggressive with minimal blade feel. During my trip I had been using my Game Changer OC, and that provides significantly more blade feel than the Enoch. In fact, all of the DE razors I use (Game Changer, Fatip OC, Rocca and Futur) have more blade feel than the Enoch. With the Enoch I had to check a couple of times to make sure that I wasn't riding the cap to the point that the blade wasn't even touching my face, but in all cases it was doing it's job.

I never had any sense that I was in danger of a cut, nick or irritation, and I never felt as much as a pull or tug over the course of the two passes. The handle wasn't quite as grippy as I thought it would be, and I found it helpful if not necessary to swipe my fingers across the alum block from time to time.

Based upon the results, i.e. the closeness of the shave, I'm not yet sure that the Enoch is going to be a keeper. The shave was close, but I don't feel as if it's as close as I prefer. Of course, this was only the first shave, and it is quite possible that as I get used to the Enoch, I will get it to perform better for me. Also, I will start doing a few side by side shave with my other razors to see how it stacks up to them.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

This morning I did a side-by-side shave with my Enoch and Rocca. So far, the Rocca is the razor that consistently gives me the closest shaves.

Shave #2 with the Enoch was a significant improvement over the first shave. I seem to have figured out how to best handle it, and this time I never had any sense of the handle slipping in my fingers. I still found that there were times that it didn't feel as if it had a blade in it, but now I know that it just has little blade feel and on a second pass or touch up it can feel as if it is just gliding over your face, even though it's actually cutting down the remaining stubble. As I said yesterday, it is very well balanced and today it was just a pleasure to use.

The Rocca has lots of blade feel, and I always need to pay attention. After the first few shaves with it a while ago, I never cut or nick myself, but I'm always aware of the fact that I could. The Enoch, like my RazoRock Hawk, never gives me a sense that there is any danger whatsoever.

Both my wife and I (she is my official "closeness tester") agree that the Rocca still holds the top spot in terms of providing the closest shave, but the difference is very minor. I'm revising my verdict of yesterday - the Enoch is definitely a keeper. Except for the Rocca, it shaves as closely and and as comfortably as any of my razors.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

The Enoch and HIRAM Commander are on sale now for $115.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Super smooth with the Schick was the Enoch. Had to take a quick looksy to make sure I installed one. But, still removed the whiskers effectively without a single issue. BBS in a glorious 3 passes with no buffing required. A real good shave truth be told. The Enoch has been a wonderful surprise so far. A great evening and shaves to all...

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Shave #3 with the Enoch, and it just keeps getting better each shave. After the first I thought “maybe I’ll keep it, and maybe not.” Shave #2 made it clear that it was a keeper, and today’s shave has moved it further up in my estimation. After two passes I usually do some touch up, but after two passes with the Enoch, I couldn’t find anything to touch up.

Today’s shave with the Enoch was as close as I’ve managed with any razor, but the razor glided over my face with no pulling, tugging or drag. To date it is the best combination of close and comfortable that I have found from any razor.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Shave #4

Now that was a feisty shave! Not intimidating but, I had to pay more attention and stay in tuned with the shave using the Enoch and Feather Pro Super combination. A wonderful 2 pass and slight touch up shave. Smooth, smooth finish that was nic and cut free. Just the tiniest bit of irritation on the chin and Sir Adam’s area from the touch ups. Gone though after the splash and a few minutes. Fabulous shave, period. Blade feel is certainly amped up in the Enoch with the Super but, still a comfortable shave as long as presence of mind is used knowing that the Super is a more aggressive blade with a bit more blade exposure. The Enoch works with any blade you throw at it and does it extremely well with each one. If you don’t have a Classic Cobra or King and want to experience what it would be like to shave with either one of those razors, the Enoch gets you pretty darn close to that experience. I have no reserves in recommending this razor to any wet shaving enthusiasts that desires to step into the Artist Club SE razor format. It delivers on all fronts on construction, quality and shave performance. A wonderful day and great shaves to all...

 

[Leverspro]

Shave #4

knowing that the Super is a more aggressive blade with a bit more blade exposure.

Thanks for the write ups on this razor. I knew that blades make a big difference in the shave on any given razor, but I did not know that a different blade in the same razor can have different blade exposure. Wouldn't that necessarily require the blade to be a different size?
Thanks again for your comments on this razor. I've only explored AC razors a little bit but plan on exploring more.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Thanks for the write ups on this razor. I knew that blades make a big difference in the shave on any given razor, but I did not know that a different blade in the same razor can have different blade exposure. Wouldn't that necessarily require the blade to be a different size?
Thanks again for your comments on this razor. I've only explored AC razors a little bit but plan on exploring more.

Yes. The Feather Pro Super is a wider blade than the Pro. Plus, it has a more acute blade edge bevel.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Shave #4 with my Enoch, and I continue to improve my technique with it. Today was a side-by-side comparison with my Muhle Rocca, which until now had never lost one of these "shave-offs", but it has now been surpassed by the Enoch.

I haven't experimented with different blades; all of my shaves have been with a Schick Proline. Since I have a bunch of them, I'll probably try it with a Feather Pro when it's time to change blades. I don't feel a need to go with the more aggressive Feather Pro Super, or at least not yet.

 

[Hobart]

Hi, all. I can't seem to find any reviews of the HIRAM Commander from Occam on here. Do any of you know how that one performs? Also, CS website says it takes Feather AC and Kai blades, but does not mention Schick Proline. Obviously, based on this thread, the Enoch takes the Proline, but does anyone know about the HIRAM? Thanks!

 

[GlazedBoker]

Hi, all. I can't seem to find any reviews of the HIRAM Commander from Occam on here. Do any of you know how that one performs? Also, CS website says it takes Feather AC and Kai blades, but does not mention Schick Proline. Obviously, based on this thread, the Enoch takes the Proline, but does anyone know about the HIRAM? Thanks!

Occam's Razor ENOCH or HIRAM

Got my Hiram a few days ago and tried it out today using a Feather Pro blade. I just have done something wrong because it did not shave at all. After multiple passes it had hardly removed any hair. I’ve watched a few videos and as far as I can tell I’m loading the blade correctly. Anyone else...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Kostas1]

So, quick update after 6-7 shaves with the Enoch.

Overall, the shaves have been very positive. I've used it with different brush/soap/cream combinations and it performed well with all of them.

These are my observations after (almost) 2 weeks.
1. The Enoch is fairly intuitive and gives a close, comfortable shave...usually 2-3 passes are perfect for me.
2. Compared to my other favorite SE (aluminum Colonial General), the Enoch is slightly more efficient and has more blade feel. This also means that carelessness can more easily result in a little aftershave sting, but should not be a problem with a proper shave.
3. Also compared to aluminum General, my shave takes a couple more minutes with the Enoch due to extra care required.
4. Surprisingly, Enoch gets into nooks and crannies (e.g. chin cleft) better than the General, but not as good as Vector and some thin-head DEs.
5. The blade has the slightest bit of play. I can't emphasize slightest enough. We're talking minuscule/tiny. Just enough to hear the tiniest bit of movement when I shake it under water during rinsing.
6. Handle is surprisingly comfortable and flaring at the end is perfect for resting on finger while shaving.
7. Still getting used to "shaping" with this head design. Basically, DEs and some SEs feel easier to trim and shape sideburns because the blade location is more intuitive, but I'm guessing this will come with experience.
8. After (almost) a couple weeks, I don't feel any itch to spread the love and pick up another of my razors.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

So, quick update after 6-7 shaves with the Enoch.

Overall, the shaves have been very positive. I've used it with different brush/soap/cream combinations and it performed well with all of them.

These are my observations after (almost) 2 weeks.
1. The Enoch is fairly intuitive and gives a close, comfortable shave...usually 2-3 passes are perfect for me.
2. Compared to my other favorite SE (aluminum Colonial General), the Enoch is slightly more efficient and has more blade feel. This also means that carelessness can more easily result in a little aftershave sting, but should not be a problem with a proper shave.
3. Also compared to aluminum General, my shave takes a couple more minutes with the Enoch due to extra care required.
4. Surprisingly, Enoch gets into nooks and crannies (e.g. chin cleft) better than the General, but not as good as Vector and some thin-head DEs.
5. The blade has the slightest bit of play. I can't emphasize slightest enough. We're talking minuscule/tiny. Just enough to hear the tiniest bit of movement when I shake it under water during rinsing.
6. Handle is surprisingly comfortable and flaring at the end is perfect for resting on finger while shaving.
7. Still getting used to "shaping" with this head design. Basically, DEs and some SEs feel easier to trim and shape sideburns because the blade location is more intuitive, but I'm guessing this will come with experience.
8. After (almost) a couple weeks, I don't feel any itch to spread the love and pick up another of my razors.

I'm curious to hear how you would compare the Enoch and the Vector. For a long time the Vector has been the AC razor I wanted to buy, but I couldn't get used to the idea of a $200 razor. That's about 3 times what the Enoch cost me and 6.5 times what the aluminum Hawk cost. So leaving price aside, how would you rate the Enoch and Vector. I know that you've already said the Vector is better at navigating tight spots. What are the relative strengths of each beyond that?

 

[Kostas1]

I'm curious to hear how you would compare the Enoch and the Vector. For a long time the Vector has been the AC razor I wanted to buy, but I couldn't get used to the idea of a $200 razor. That's about 3 times what the Enoch cost me and 6.5 times what the aluminum Hawk cost. So leaving price aside, how would you rate the Enoch and Vector. I know that you've already said the Vector is better at navigating tight spots. What are the relative strengths of each beyond that?

Definitely a YMMV thought here:
Vector is a great razor. Very nimble and gives a good shave. But for me, it didn't provide a better or more comfortable shave than my aluminum General. I let a buddy borrow it, and his experience was the opposite.

Strictly comparing the Vector and the Enoch:
Blade feel: more on the Enoch
Smoothness/Comfort: Enoch better
Closeness of shave: Enoch better
Maneuverability: Vector better (of all the SEs I've tried, not sure anything could beat the Vector in this category)

At the end of the day, I'd rather have the benefit of the first 3 categories and use a DE or the shaper on a Fusion cart.

Not knocking the Vector, like I said, YMMV...but it might not. You could always place a WTB/WTT on the BST for a Vector...worst case, you're out shipping and PP fees, but then you'll know which camp you fall into.

Hope that helps.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Definitely a YMMV thought here:
Vector is a great razor. Very nimble and gives a good shave. But for me, it didn't provide a better or more comfortable shave than my aluminum General. I let a buddy borrow it, and his experience was the opposite.

Strictly comparing the Vector and the Enoch:
Blade feel: more on the Enoch
Smoothness/Comfort: Enoch better
Closeness of shave: Enoch better
Maneuverability: Vector better (of all the SEs I've tried, not sure anything could beat the Vector in this category)

At the end of the day, I'd rather have the benefit of the first 3 categories and use a DE or the shaper on a Fusion cart.

Not knocking the Vector, like I said, YMMV...but it might not. You could always place a WTB/WTT on the BST for a Vector...worst case, you're out shipping and PP fees, but then you'll know which camp you fall into.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, that was very helpful. For now I think I’ll use the razors I have. Between the Enoch and Hawk for SE and my Rocca, Futur, Game Changer OC and Fatip OC for DE, I never get a bad shave.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Used one of the best surprises and overall a top 3 AC SE shaver to come out in’19. The Enoch has never failed to give me smooth, efficient performing shaves. Choose your blade, lock it down and you’re off to the races. I have a nice collection of SE’s but, the Enoch has been getting more and more attention as of late. Works with any blade you use (I can’t speak of the guarded ones but, I’ll assume they’ll work too) and it shaves with a comforting authority. Can it bite? Yes, if you’re a bit on the careless/lackadaisical side of your shave regimen but, that goes for just about 98% of all razors out there. Zen like concentration is not needed. Just a good methodical approach and as we say in the shave game “let the razor do the work”. Perhaps just a tiny bit more attention is required compared to the Blackland Vector or SS General. But, it will reward you with as good a shave as those 2 aforementioned stalwarts if not better. It’s significantly lower in cost if one is looking for a sub $100 AC SE razor ($99 gets you into the club for the Enoch) with an alloy that matches in terms of durability. Quality has been quite good and fitment is up there as well. Perhaps if the blade holder studs were a bit more pronounced it would make it easier to install the blade but, that’s just nitpicking on my part. Overall it’s a good value in price/performance ratio.

I do have the Razorock Hawk V3-A on order and am looking forward to comparing that razor with the Enoch. Certainly in price the V3 Hawk has the Enoch but, we’ll see how it goes in the whisker reducing department in a few. For now though, the Enoch is a razor to be reckoned with....