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First Shave with the new RazoRock ECO SE (snap any DE blade in half)

Tomorrow will be my first Shave with the ECO. The first thing I'm going to do is remove the gold handle and put on my Stork Titanium (Wolfman Replica). I will be using a DERBY Professional Chromium-Ceramic-Platinum Tungsten and Polymer Coated 1/2 Blades. .10cents/ea. I have 200 of these. The ECO arrives with 100 CROWN Stainless Steel 1/2 bades. Any DE blade can be used, just snap them in half.
RazoRock ECO Safty Razor SE.jpg
 
Well post shave. It was a nice 3 pass shave. The Titanium Stork Handle (Wolfman Replica)MSRP $200US fit nicely on this brand new $30US ($25 if you subtract $5 for the 100 Crown Blades) RazoRock ECO SE Razor. It gave the whole Razor a bit more girth. The Derby blade (.10cents) was smooth and gave some good audio feedback and was nicely locked into place by four pins on the head. The head is Gold painted Aluminum. Its a nice treat to put an expensive handle on a new SE design. Software was RazoRock Don Marco Soap and After Shave. Pulled the blade, cleaned and ready for shave (2) tomorrow. One hour post shave still faceturbating.
RazoRock ECO : Stork Handle.jpg
 
The Titanium Stork Handle adds 17grams to the new RazorRock ECO Razor. OEM weight is 37g . Head with Stork 54g.
ECO on Stork1.jpg
ECO on Stork2.jpg
 
I'm curious. Why is this a better shave tool than an aluminum DE razor? It seems to me that if you are still using a DE blade (half) that other than blade gap and blade exposure of various DE aluminum razors that the shave should be similar and I am not splitting DE blades. Is the ECO a shave similar to the RazoRock Baby Smooth Double Edge Safety Razor?
 
I'm curious. Why is this a better shave tool than an aluminum DE razor? It seems to me that if you are still using a DE blade (half) that other than blade gap and blade exposure of various DE aluminum razors that the shave should be similar and I am not splitting DE blades. Is the ECO a shave similar to the RazoRock Baby Smooth Double Edge Safety Razor?
Not sure if it is or not, I have never shaved with an aluminum DE or their Baby Smooth DE. Basically what you are buying with the ECO is the Head Cap and base. The handle is light, feels cheap and is, in my opinion, too slippery when wet. But the head and cap are only $30 bucks. Throw on your favourite handle you've got yourself a very nice SE. Its nothing to snap a DE blade in half. Just leave it in the paper. I snapped a Feather in half and it fit perfectly in the ECO. That will be my next shave.
 
I decided to snap a new Feather in half for today's shave with my new RazoRock ECO on my Stork Handle.
RazoRock Eco on Stork.jpg
 
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I wonder why they didn't make the cap similar to other SE razors... seems sort of pointless to have "half a DE" in terms of geometry.

I am assuming the blade is held rigidly flat, and not curved? That could impart different shaving characteristics, I suppose.
 
Yes the pictures are not always all that great. Anyway, after the shave I removed the Feather and it was pretty clean, no build up. The three lather channels allow for good lather flow when shaving and the head and blade clean up pretty well with just a quick swish in the sink water. Knowing this I think you would be okay to leave the blade in until you are ready to toss it, just give it a good final rinse. If you are using your own handle and need the handle for other heads, like I do, then use the OEM handle to hold the blade in place until you decide to shave with it again. I was concerned about the raised tabs caused by snapping a blade in half but the ECO seemed to lock that 1/2 blade in pretty tight. I didn't feel any blade vibration and the audio was very good. Its not a big deal but because you need to snap a blade in half and fiddle with the install it can be a bit cumbersome so there is another good reason to just leave it in until you toss it. If you were getting four shaves from a DE blade I guess two and toss would be the norm. Also, I never did try but I can't image holding the ECO upside down and shaving ATG with that OEM handle (it must be quite slippery). If anyone wants to try it and report back on that I'd like to hear it. In the pic the side facing you is the side that sits on top of blade.
ECO1.jpg
ECO2.jpg
 
Yes the pictures are not always all that great. Anyway, after the shave I removed the Feather and it was pretty clean, no build up. The three lather channels allow for good lather flow when shaving and the head and blade clean up pretty well with just a quick swish in the sink water. Knowing this I think you would be okay to leave the blade in until you are ready to toss it, just give it a good final rinse. If you are using your own handle and need the handle for other heads, like I do, then use the OEM handle to hold the blade in place until you decide to shave with it again. I was concerned about the raised tabs caused by snapping a blade in half but the ECO seemed to lock that 1/2 blade in pretty tight. I didn't feel any blade vibration and the audio was very good. Its not a big deal but because you need to snap a blade in half and fiddle with the install it can be a bit cumbersome so there is another good reason to just leave it in until you toss it. If you were getting four shaves from a DE blade I guess two and toss would be the norm. Also, I never did try but I can't image holding the ECO upside down and shaving ATG with that OEM handle (it must be quite slippery). If anyone wants to try it and report back on that I'd like to hear it. In the pic the side facing you is the side that sits on top of blade.
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Yup. It holds the blade as flat as a pancake. Perhaps the V2 version will bend the blade like a DE, if there ever is a V2.
 
I shave with the Focus R48 every day. It too uses a half DE blade kept flat and not bent. What it does do is keep it clamped right up to the cutting edge and continuously across the width of the blade. I don't notice any issues with chatter or flexing. Perhaps the style of clamping makes up for the lack of bend?
 
I shave with the Focus R48 every day. It too uses a half DE blade kept flat and not bent. What it does do is keep it clamped right up to the cutting edge and continuously across the width of the blade. I don't notice any issues with chatter or flexing. Perhaps the style of clamping makes up for the lack of bend?

A Focus R48 flexes that half DE blade by using the left over bend from snapping the blades in half to tension the blade for added rigidity & strength. It's possible that the ECO uses the same method, but I doubt it. In my opinion, while the method kind of works, it's not an optimal solution. In that method, the back of the blade is kept tensed, when it is the cutting edge, near the front that would most benefit by the tension. Secondly, the bent part that provides the blade tension is limited to the two ends, when it is the entire blade that should have been under tension for added rigidity.

Perhaps the yet to be released new half-blade Yaqi SE will bend the blade a bit better.
 
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A Focus R48 flexes that half DE blade by using the left over bend from snapping the blades in half to tension the blade for added rigidity & strength. It's possible that the ECO uses the same method, but I doubt it. In my opinion, while the method kind of works, it's not an optimal solution. In that method, the back of the blade is kept tensed, when it is the cutting edge, near the front that would most benefit by the tension. Secondly, the bent part that provides the blade tension is limited to the two ends, when it is the entire blade that should have been under tension for added rigidity.

Perhaps the yet to be released new half-blade Yaqi SE will bend the blade a bit better.
That's interesting. I don't know much about razor dynamics. Just going on my instincts but keen to learn more.

I look at the razors I use and wonder if I am right in assuming the following:
  • My Merkur DE bends the blade, which forces it up against the top cap. The top cap extends near to the cutting edge while the bottom plate last contacts the blade a fair distance from the edge. My assumption is that it is the pressure of the bend against the top cap that gives the cutting edge rigidity. And the fact that the cutting motion pushes the blade up and not down, means that we only need to worry about rigidity in one direction.
  • My iKon X3 has a twist and it is the torsional displacement that gives the blade rigidity. Similar to the Merkur, the top cap extends near to the cutting edge but, in contrast, the bottom plate is even further back from the edge. But with the torsional rigidty, the bottom plate is less important. In use, the blade feels much more efficient than the Merkur and I assume that means that the torsional displacement provides a more rigid blade than the bend-and-clamp used in the Merkur.
  • The R48, as you say, uses the bent tabs to provide a springiness and ensures that the assembled head fits together tightly while slightly pitching the blade towards the top cap.. I also see that both the top cap and the bottom plate extend close to the cutting edge. Is it the combination of the spring and low amount of blade reveal top and bottom that give the rigidity to the blade? In use, the blade feels very solid and does an excellent job (for me) in going through whiskers. I would say that it is equiavelent to the X3 and better than the Merkur. Except for longer hair, where it is not as effective. But I attribute that to its minimal blade reveal and not to rigidity.
Does this sound right? Or am I out to lunch?
 
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