Epic shave den DE showdown!

[kingfisher]

Today was shave one of the battle between the shore comb New and the Karve D open comb from the last battle.

Left side with the SC New, right side with the Karve. Two days' growth. I used Blue Devil Shave Soap. Sadly, the last shave from this puck and the company is out of business. One of the best soaps I have ever used. Sad to see them go.

I will make this one short. First pass went well on both sides with similar reduction. Second pass felt smoother on the face with the Karve, and reduction overall was slightly better. After touchup I was DFS on both sides.

Once again the Karve surprised, and punched above its weight class. I am giving the nod to the Karve for today's shave.

As long as you keep a shallow angle, the Karve is smooth and comfy. The comb edges are fat and rounded, so even the open comb has a nice, smooth feel on the face.

 

[kingfisher]

Shave two went differently.

I decided that maybe one of the reasons I preferred the Karve might have been because the SC New was so much heavier, and that maybe I just prefer lighter razors. So in an effort to test this hypothesis, I paired the SC New head with a small, light titanium handle. It felt really head heavy, but I went with it anyway.

Karve was on the left.

Oh, and the lather was my first try ever with Shannon's Soaps. It was a sample of their regular soap in the Black Magic scent. It lathered up great. If you are a fan of a 'low-structure' type, dense lather you will love this soap. If you prefer a thicker, foamier lather it might not be to your liking.

Anyway, the first like pass with the Karve felt tuggy and kind of rough, but the SC New was smooth and comfortable. Reduction after the first pass was essentially equivalent.

On the second pass the Karve felt fine, so it wasn't a problem with the blade. After two passes the shave was similar, but I preferred the feel of the SC New during the shave. After touch-ups, it was DFS territory. Little to no sting with the aftershave.

For this shave I greatly preferred the SC New. I thought it felt a lot better when coupled with a light handle than it had when I used a heavy stainless handle.

I'm learning some things about myself and my shave preferences by going through this process. It seems that I prefer lighter razors that ask for shallow angles.

 

[JAHE]

How could I miss this thread until today? Awesome approach.

Perhaps I'll do something similar in the future. Whilst I might not be striving for a "two razor selection", I'd be happy to have a "top 10 selection" which doesn't comprise more than, say, two dozen razors

Thanks for sharing your tournament reports... will follow with interest, bro!

 

[kingfisher]

Today I started the first shave in the final category: dual comb razors. Although over the years I have had quite a few of these, I only have two remaining, and both were made by iKon.

The first is the iKon Shavecraft 101, the very first razor in the Shavecraft line. It was an homage to a vintage razor whose name escapes me right now. (For the record, at one point in time I had a chance to purchase the original, and since I liked the 101 so much, I bought it; it was NOT a good razor.)

Anyway, the 101 was also the first razor they made in their presumably proprietary aluminum blend. It is much heavier than aluminum, but it is not stainless steel. The 101 was a mild and very smooth razor that I liked so much I actually bought a back-up, mostly because I was worried that the threads would eventually fail. like really wish they had made the threads out of stainless, but I digress.

The other razor for this shave-off was the iKon S3S. This one was designed essentially like the Pils and the Tradere, with a very boxy head. IKon made several of this style of razor back in the day; the S3S may have been the only one that was a three-piece razor. I bought this head used from a fellow shaver, and I pair it with whatever handle I wish. I have always really enjoyed this razor.

Anyway, on to the shave. I used the 101 for the left side and the S3S for the other. As I remembered, the 101 was very smooth. I had forgotten that the two sides were never equivalent, and perhaps the opposite of what you would expect; namely, the open comb side is much milder than the safety bar side.

I used Shannon's again, and the lather is so thick and dense that at times the open comb side would lather-plane of I wasn't careful.

The S3S felt great on both sides. It seems to be an exception for me, in that even though it is heavy I really like how it feels on my face.

Reduction was similar after the first pass; after the second pass I think reduction was better on the S3S side. After cleanup the shave was CCS+ and comfortable.

I like the looks of the 101 a lot and thought it would likely win the battle, but this round goes to the S3S.

 

[Guido75]

It was an homage to a vintage razor whose name escapes me right now.

The Punktal 101. Emir also made one like it I believe.

 

[kingfisher]

The Punktal 101. Emir also made one like it I believe.

That's it. Thank you.

like I said, the Punktal itself was a horrible razor. Well, at least the example I got. Maybe it was dropped or something? But it was really harsh.

 

[Guido75]

That's it. Thank you.

like I said, the Punktal itself was a horrible razor. Well, at least the example I got. Maybe it was dropped or something? But it was really harsh.

Given that 193/4/5’s German razors were primarily cast iron razors that could very well have been the case. Dropped and then misaligned. Or cast with presumably more liberal tolerance than Ikon used.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[kingfisher]

The Punktal 101. Emir also made one like it I believe.

I had completely forgotten about the Emir. Beautiful razor. This photo is from our own Jake.

 

[kingfisher]

This is the best pic I could find of the Punktal that originally inspired the SC 101.

 

[kingfisher]

Second shave of the iKon versus iKon battle, this time with Ethos Bergamotto and the S3S on the left side.

Today's shave was nice and smooth on both sides, but there was a clear winner in today's shave, and it was the S3S. The SC 101 is actually too mild on the open comb side. I loved it. It was my favorite razor. It's the only razor I ever bought a back-up for.

What changed, you ask? Back when it was my favorite razor, I shaved every single day, 365 days a year. Now I shave four times a week. It works great for daily shaving, but it is just not enough for 48-hours' growth.

So, the S3S is the winner.

I guess the obvious next shave-off should be the S3S versus the Pils, since they are both the same head style.

 

[JAHE]

@kingfisher - have you found that your preferred blades translate equally across your razors - that you don't prefer blade A with razor #1 and blade B with razor #2?

I may have missed that, but it seems as if not accounting for this could dramatically change your results.

Thom,
Tbh, that's been exactly my thoughts whilst I made my way through Randell's reports.

I have nveer really noticed that much difference in terms of blade-razor combos.

That's a very surprising point you are making here. FWIW, if someone had asked me, I would have come to the opposite conclusion. I have experienced "day and night" with two different blade variants of the same razor. Certainly not every razor is blade sensitive, but I can only confirm that it has a significant impact on the shaving experience with most razors that I own, when different blades are used.

I'm absolutely not stating you are wrong, Randall, since we have likely entered YMMV territory...

Anyway, thank you for this interesting challenge

Cheers,
Guido

 

[kingfisher]

Guido, I find that interesting. I glt hooked on Polsilver SIs a long time ago and I used them exclusively in all my razors for over a decade. They seemed to work for me in every razor I ever tried, so I glt it into my head that if you had a good blade for you, it would work well in any razor.

I am going to use a different blade for the Pils vs S3S battle. Since both razors are essentially the same design, the same blade should perform similarly, I think.

But overall I have not my razors to be that blade specific. Since I almost ran out of Polsilvers I have tried Gillette blacks, Astra stainless, Gillette Silver Blues, and Tetra and have found them all to be ok. I can tell there are differences among them, but they seem to feel about the same regardless of what razor I put them in.

 

[sm29]

@kingfisher I have found your shave-offs interesting and less conclusive than I originally expected. What seems clear to me is that you have many razors that you enjoy but won’t make the arbitrary cut and that you might eventually miss.

My humble suggestion (and it worth no more than you paid for it) is to pack your razors in a shoebox or similar and put them away on an out of the way closet shelf. As the mood strikes you take an old friend out, use it and put it away until the mood strikes again.

In my case, when home, I use my Ti Blackbird most days, but do enjoy the occasional variety. I’ll probably use my birth quarter C4 Superspeed on my birthday, my A4 Red Tip on my late wife’s birthday. Other days might find an Old Type or a Goodwill on my late parents’ birthdays. While these razors are not my daily drivers, they do provide some enjoyment and are worthy of the limited space they take up.

 

[kingfisher]

First shave-off of 'like versus like', Pils vs S3S. The S3S ls definitely an homage to the Pils, if not a straight rip-off. Differences are that it is a dual comb, which Greg at iKon loved back then, and that it is a three-piece, which allows the user to use whatever handle they want.

One of the biggest complaints about the Pils was that the handle was too thin and too slick. The other was that the razor is overly head heavy. Other than that, it was known as a fine piece of German engineering, and it was one of the first true upscale, expensive, all stainless steel, CNC milled modern razors. It spawned several homages, including the legendary Tradere and several razors from iKon.
Side by side, in the pics below, you can see how similar the two razors really are.

Advantages of this design are that they tend to feel gentle on the face, the blade angle is easy to find, and that they look cool. They obviously completely enclose the blade. Disadvantages are that blade loading can be a bit tricky, especially with the S3S. Both razors have just the two tiny raised spots on the baseplate over which the narrowest part of the blade cutout rests. The head of the Pils rotates freely on its handle, so once the top cap is in place, one can spin either the handle or the head and it tightens up. Kind of a cool feature. With the S3S, you have to pinch the top cap and base plate together and hold them that way while you tighten up whatever handle you are using.

So I lathered up another sample of Shannon's, this one in the 'lavender-lemongrass' scent. Compared with the other sample I got, Black Magic, this one was much more scent-forward. I love the scent of this soap, but it smelled pretty much like straight lemongrass with maybe only a hint of lavender in the background, so if you are not a fan of lemongrass, I don't think you would enjoy this one. The lather was unctuous and beautiful, and it shaved great.

I loaded both razors up with fresh Polsilvers from the same tuck (for the blade aficionados, these were single wrapped with two glue spots, so the newer production).

Pils on the left and S3S on the right. First pass went well. The Pils has a bit more blade feel on the face, but it is not much at all. By comparison the S3S feels almost like it has no blade loaded; like you are just wiping the lather off your face with a steel cloth. After the first pass, reduction was better with the Pils.

The second pass also went well, but afterward there was still quite a bit of cleanup remaining on both sides. Neither razor is super efficient.

After cleanup, the shave was DFS. There was mild irritation on the low neck, S3S side.

Overall, a good shave. The Pils emerged victorious for being easier to load and for having slightly better efficiency and no irritation.

Again, I really thought the S3S would win. I had decided, a few months ago, to keep only one of these two razors because they were so similar, and I had tried to sell the Pils on the BST but nobody bit. Yet again I am, I guess, grateful that I was unsuccessful. If the Pils wins the next battle, I will put the S3S up for sale instead.

 

[kingfisher]

Second shave of Pils v S3S last night, on 48 hours' growth.

Lather was Wickham's Club Cola with a dollop of a Schick shave gel that was made for the Japanese market. I love Club Cola but it doesn't have enough glycerin for my taste. I used to have some glycerin, and the lather was always better with 2-4 drops added. I ran out of glycerin, but I found that this Japanese stuff does the same thing but maybe a little better. I had a fantastic lather for this shave.

This time it was the S3S on the left and the Pils on the right. Both razors performed admirably and felt good on the face. Reduction was slightly better on the Pils side.

Second pass was also smooth. Both sides were about the same. After touch-ups, I had an excellent shave on both sides.

There was a bit more sting on the left, so the Pils wins again, and this battle is over. The Pils was the winner.

Of note, since I knew I was going to shave again with the same razors in two days, I had left the blades loaded in blth razors. When I took them out after the shave, I found the blade in the Pils was beginning to rust, and it left a bit of rust marks on the razor, which I cleaned. Just to point out that when you use these box-head razors, you absolutely have to take the blade out after every shave.

 

[kingfisher]

Well, although all the planned battles are over, at least one person expressed interest in a battle that crossed categories. In that spirit, last night I pitted the Chiseled Face Legacy against the lowly post-war Tech; these were among the last two standing in the modern and vintage categories, respectively.

The razor heads are similar in many ways, but differ very obviously in one respect. That's why this shave was the Tale of Two Gaps. The Legacy's gap is 1.2. I'm not sure what the gap of the Tech is, but I would guess that it is likely close to 0.5. Today's pic attempts to show the huge difference in gaps.

Lather was Stone Cottage soap works cream. As an aside, this is a grossly underestimated cream. Really nice lather.

The left side got the Legacy, and the right side got the Tech. It was a real pleasure putting the Legacy to my face again after a long absence. There is something about the smoothness of the feel on the face that is just fantastic. I think it is the way there is a gentle upturn on the outside of the safety bar (see pic
). The Tech has a tiny bit more blade feel, and it was harder for it to get through the thickest stubble, but it is also darned smooth.

Reduction after one pass was better on the Tech side, counterintuitively, but this was nit-picking.

The second pass went well on both sides, but like required a third pass for DFS, because both razors are very mild.

After the third pass the rinse revealed a truly fantastic shave, and there was no sting with the aftershave.

I give this one to the Legacy by a small margin. I just enjoy the face feel of the razor a bit more. Both are capable, mild shavers.

Only one thing about the Legacy that I don't like, and that it that during the first pass I noticed that the handle had loosened a bit, and I had to tighten it up. This was not the first time it has happened to me, either. The post is plenty long, so I don't know why this happens. It bothers me a bit to have to check and recheck during the shave because now I feel like I can't trust that it will stay tight. I never had this problem when I paired it with other handles, by the way.

Despite that, I give the nod to the Legacy. I don't know how to express this properly, but there is something about this razor that makes it seem truly different from all my other razors.

 

[JAHE]

Randall,
another set of excellent shave reports.
Thank you for sharing them with us.

In retrospective - isn't it cool that the Pils didn't sell on BST? Now you can keep the eventually better shaving razor of these two... "Glück im Unglück" is the german saying for it (blessing in disguise).

The Pils is such a classic. The design is austere and minimalistic - yet beautiful.

I have a like-mint Pils 101NE waiting for her maiden voyage on my face. I already bought it back in 2022 and kept the razor unused as some sort of incentive. My might wonder why. I expected RAD-related "troubled waters" to come up in course of my GRUYERE 2023 journey, so I decided to keep something if RAD showed up. But it didn't became necessary to fight RAD-related temptations as yet. So the box stayed in the drawer and I didn't bother with this shaver anymore.

Your thread brought her back to my attention. I guess I'll give her a spin soon.

Besides, as of yet I really don't think the razor is head heavy. No doubt about it, the box styled head looks bulky. However, it has to be tested in an actual shave if it feels/is bulky when shaving under the nose. It would surprise me, since the balance point can be found in the area of the first ridge (when looking down from the head). When I weighted her back and forth in my hand, she didn't feel head heavy, but surpringly balanced instead.
Sure, the handle is on the thinner side of the spectrum, but the handle is hefty - and it's not a short one. The handle kind of gives a counter-weight to the head.

Perhaps my opinion might be subject to change once I have actually shaved with the razor.

We shall see, I guess...

Cheers!
Guido