Hello all,
I used my new RazoRock Hawk v2 for the first time this morning.
Although I've been stuck in the cartridge razor loop for many years, when I first began shaving I did use cheap single edge Bic disposables for a while, so this isn't really my first SE shave - however today's experience was far, far better!
Having recently begun shaving my head and beard lines with a SR, and thoroughly enjoying the learning curve, nonetheless I still require a good safety razor for travel and days when I have little time.
My preference was for one that used the same blades as my Feather Artist Club SS. Want was there for an Oren V2, however this was prohibitively expensive. Not to mention the other beautiful alternatives such as the Cobra Classic. After some forum research, I identified the RR Hawk v2 as a good potential choice.
Razorock Black Hawk V2
RazoRock Hawk V2
Kudos to @Icedorrk and @Viseguy among others for sharing their thoughts and experiences.
My v2 Hawk was sold by rasoimilano on eBay, and arrived quickly and well packaged. I chose the black anodised version. The fit and finish are very good indeed. The CNC machining has been done well and the to me the razor exudes quality despite its relatively low price point. My only note of caution would be to take care when reassembling the razor, as (like all aluminium threads), cross-threading will be easy to do and difficult to fix. I used it with a Feather Pro blade. I have a box of Proguard blades also, but wish to continue using these in my AC SS.
I felt that with care I could avoid serious nicks, given I've been using sharp things on a stick to shave my head and face near-daily for many years.
This was borne out in the shave, despite pretty atrocious technique on my part. I found it very tricky to begin with, getting the correct angle was not easy. I could also feel a big difference between what was needed to take the hair off, and what felt too harsh / aggressive. I also had a few moments where the head skipped over my scalp as I went WTG. This was probably due to trying to use as little pressure as possible.
For lather I used some new Body Shop macca root / aloe cream, whipped with my Vulfix 374s. I was able to complete nearly all of my scalp and beard edges, without re-whipping.
I did a 2-pass shave over my scalp, and finally felt confident enough to venture a single ATG pass on the back as a test. When I go ATG with a cartridge I then need to scrub the skin vigorously to prevent ingrown hairs, so this was intended to see if such would also be required with the Hawk. It's a long-winded process and quite uncomfortable, so I will sometimes go for days without shaving my scalp.
Immediately afterward I noticed that the shave was very smooth, however the level of burn was a little higher than with the AC SS / Proguard combo. Alum was a little uncomfortable over many areas. However! This burn eased very quickly with my usual post-shave routine, and my skin quickly felt fantastic. My partner gives a big thumbs-up, saying the skin feels smoother than with my cartridges. Eight hours later and there are no signs of ingrowing hairs in the ATG area as yet.
With no regrets I've now binned all my cartridge razors. The RR Hawk is exactly what I needed to replace them, allowing safe, fast and (once my technique's improved) fully comfortable daily shaving when I have no time for using my AC SS.
Luke
I used my new RazoRock Hawk v2 for the first time this morning.
Although I've been stuck in the cartridge razor loop for many years, when I first began shaving I did use cheap single edge Bic disposables for a while, so this isn't really my first SE shave - however today's experience was far, far better!
Having recently begun shaving my head and beard lines with a SR, and thoroughly enjoying the learning curve, nonetheless I still require a good safety razor for travel and days when I have little time.
My preference was for one that used the same blades as my Feather Artist Club SS. Want was there for an Oren V2, however this was prohibitively expensive. Not to mention the other beautiful alternatives such as the Cobra Classic. After some forum research, I identified the RR Hawk v2 as a good potential choice.
Razorock Black Hawk V2
RazoRock Hawk V2
Kudos to @Icedorrk and @Viseguy among others for sharing their thoughts and experiences.
My v2 Hawk was sold by rasoimilano on eBay, and arrived quickly and well packaged. I chose the black anodised version. The fit and finish are very good indeed. The CNC machining has been done well and the to me the razor exudes quality despite its relatively low price point. My only note of caution would be to take care when reassembling the razor, as (like all aluminium threads), cross-threading will be easy to do and difficult to fix. I used it with a Feather Pro blade. I have a box of Proguard blades also, but wish to continue using these in my AC SS.
I felt that with care I could avoid serious nicks, given I've been using sharp things on a stick to shave my head and face near-daily for many years.
This was borne out in the shave, despite pretty atrocious technique on my part. I found it very tricky to begin with, getting the correct angle was not easy. I could also feel a big difference between what was needed to take the hair off, and what felt too harsh / aggressive. I also had a few moments where the head skipped over my scalp as I went WTG. This was probably due to trying to use as little pressure as possible.
For lather I used some new Body Shop macca root / aloe cream, whipped with my Vulfix 374s. I was able to complete nearly all of my scalp and beard edges, without re-whipping.
I did a 2-pass shave over my scalp, and finally felt confident enough to venture a single ATG pass on the back as a test. When I go ATG with a cartridge I then need to scrub the skin vigorously to prevent ingrown hairs, so this was intended to see if such would also be required with the Hawk. It's a long-winded process and quite uncomfortable, so I will sometimes go for days without shaving my scalp.
Immediately afterward I noticed that the shave was very smooth, however the level of burn was a little higher than with the AC SS / Proguard combo. Alum was a little uncomfortable over many areas. However! This burn eased very quickly with my usual post-shave routine, and my skin quickly felt fantastic. My partner gives a big thumbs-up, saying the skin feels smoother than with my cartridges. Eight hours later and there are no signs of ingrowing hairs in the ATG area as yet.
With no regrets I've now binned all my cartridge razors. The RR Hawk is exactly what I needed to replace them, allowing safe, fast and (once my technique's improved) fully comfortable daily shaving when I have no time for using my AC SS.
Luke