Five days with an Eclipse Red Ring

[wulfgar1976]

The first thing I noticed about the Red Ring is how solidly it is made. The design of the head is rather unique but the question was whether it would live up to its reputation or whether it was over-engineered.

I put a Gillette Bleue Extra in and tightened the handle all the way. It has a marker for adjustment but it is like a three-piece razor in that you can loosen the handle to adjust the blade exposure and angle.

Due to the shape of the head, it is impossible to shave with the wrong angle with a Red Ring. It glided across my face with ease and at no time became clogged with soap. It seems more aggressive than the open comb razors I normally shave with but not to the extent that it demanded particular caution in use. A lot of thought clearly went into the design of the Red Ring and it resulted in an extremely efficient razor that is easy to use.

Each day I used the Red Ring, I achieved a BBS shave without particularly aiming for it. The only downside is that achieving such a close shave each day carries the risk of irritating my skin, but the Red Ring is one of the smoothest razors in operation so the risk is minimised.

I paid a lot for this razor but it was worth every penny. As much as I love my Old Types, it makes them look and feel primitive in comparison. I used one this morning and got just as good a shave but it felt a bit clumsy after five days with the Red Ring.

Oh, and the magnet in the handle for picking up blades is very cool.

 

[global_dev]

sounds like a great razor...

although i have seen the comment about the magnet often. i haven't encountered often when i would use it. Is it for if you accidentally drop the blade on the floor or something like that?

 

[wulfgar1976]

sounds like a great razor...

although i have seen the comment about the magnet often. i haven't encountered often when i would use it. Is it for if you accidentally drop the blade on the floor or something like that?

I find it can be useful for picking the blade up when you unwrap it, but if it has fallen onto a flat surface it is particularly useful. It's just a nice touch, really. Sometimes the little details are what makes something seem complete.

 

[Sledgehammer39]

Man I have seen pictures of that razor and it's awesome. For me it's the holy grail of razors.

 

[Bestarrkin]

The first thing I noticed about the Red Ring is how solidly it is made. The design of the head is rather unique but the question was whether it would live up to its reputation or whether it was over-engineered.

I put a Gillette Bleue Extra in and tightened the handle all the way. It has a marker for adjustment but it is like a three-piece razor in that you can loosen the handle to adjust the blade exposure and angle.

Due to the shape of the head, it is impossible to shave with the wrong angle with a Red Ring. It glided across my face with ease and at no time became clogged with soap. It seems more aggressive than the open comb razors I normally shave with but not to the extent that it demanded particular caution in use. A lot of thought clearly went into the design of the Red Ring and it resulted in an extremely efficient razor that is easy to use.

Each day I used the Red Ring, I achieved a BBS shave without particularly aiming for it. The only downside is that achieving such a close shave each day carries the risk of irritating my skin, but the Red Ring is one of the smoothest razors in operation so the risk is minimised.

I paid a lot for this razor but it was worth every penny. As much as I love my Old Types, it makes them look and feel primitive in comparison. I used one this morning and got just as good a shave but it felt a bit clumsy after five days with the Red Ring.

Oh, and the magnet in the handle for picking up blades is very cool.

Firstly congratulations. For me, It is a great razor for mild shave. I can always get a BBS when I choose it. The paired comb and head of this razor is just pure engineering.

On the other hand, you did not pay much for that Eclipse. You had raised your bid two times at last day. That showed your maximum bid is above £150-160. If the seller had given a decent shipping option to me, I would have raised that bid to hell which I have no idea you are a B&Ber. Frankly, in that auction you were so vulnerable. I would suggest for next auctions you should use a sniper which is more logical.

 

[wulfgar1976]

Firstly congratulations. For me, It is a great razor for mild shave. I can always get a BBS when I choose it. The paired comb and head of this razor is just pure engineering.

On the other hand, you did not pay much for that Eclipse. You had raised your bid two times at last day. That showed your maximum bid is above £150-160. If the seller had given a decent shipping option to me, I would have raised that bid to hell which I have no idea you are a B&Ber. Frankly, in that auction you were so vulnerable. I would suggest for next auctions you should use a sniper which is more logical.

I normally see them going for not more than £120 without a case, but I think the price was still good given the condition of the razor. Normally I try to bid at the last minute but the auction was ending at the time I would most likely be on the Underground and I really wanted this one.

 

[moshulu]

It seems more aggressive than the open comb razors I normally shave with but not to the extent that it demanded particular caution in use.

Oh, and the magnet in the handle for picking up blades is very cool.

I regularly shave with a Red Ring + Feather, and I would never describe it as aggressive, certainly not compared to open-comb Gillettes. I do not think that it has any special clogging tendencies. But it's all part of YMMV, I suppose.

The adjustability of the RR is marginal. Frankly, I just make it tight without any special attempt to keep to a particular setting.

The magnet is handy. This very morning, I dropped a blade into the sink and would have had a tricky time getting it out with just my fingers. But with the handle of the RR - no problem.

Every serious DE shaver needs one of these marvelous razors. The prices have shot way up in the past year, so now is the time to buy.

 

[wulfgar1976]

I regularly shave with a Red Ring + Feather, and I would never describe it as aggressive, certainly not compared to open-comb Gillettes.

I tend to find Gillette open comb razors to be quite mild, although my Sheraton and NEW razors behave more aggressively with a Gillette Platinum in place.

That touches upon the issue of adjustability as I find the choice of blade is the best method of adjustment. If I want a mild shave then a 7 O'Clock Permasharp or Super Platinum is in order. If I want something more aggressive, a Gillette Platinum, Super Thin Platinum or Feather will do the trick.

 

[moshulu]

That touches upon the issue of adjustability as I find the choice of blade is the best method of adjustment. If I want a mild shave then a 7 O'Clock Permasharp or Super Platinum is in order. If I want something more aggressive, a Gillette Platinum, Super Thin Platinum or Feather will do the trick.

With respect, I don't find this to be true. For me, a duller blade just makes shaving more difficult and more irritating (because you have to bear down harder) no matter what the razor. Think of Merkur blades - they are an abomination in any razor. But a sharp blade in an aggressive OC razor (say, an Old Type or a New) spells trouble for me.

 

[Merkur25]

Great post. I hope one day to find a Eclipse for my collection

 

[wulfgar1976]

With respect, I don't find this to be true. For me, a duller blade just makes shaving more difficult and more irritating (because you have to bear down harder) no matter what the razor. Think of Merkur blades - they are an abomination in any razor. But a sharp blade in an aggressive OC razor (say, an Old Type or a New) spells trouble for me.

I find that dull blades, like the Derby, are unusable. I prefer sharp blades but within the range of sharpness that works for me, there can be a big difference in terms of how they shave in any given razor. I find an Old Type to be mild but efficient and I can use any blade with no problems, whereas my Parker 98R, depending on the choice of blade, can go from being a mild, comfortable shave that is very forgiving of bad technique to being an aggressive monster that demands the utmost caution because one small mistake will result in a nasty cut. The NEW falls between the two, responding differently depending on the blade being used but much more consistent and predictable than the 98R.

The qualities of any given razor will, of course, vary from person to person. I'm always surprised when people say that the Old Type is aggressive but that's my experience, whereas what seems aggressive to me will be just as mild to someone else.

 

[rajagra]

Does the "micrometer adjustment" click as I have read, or rely on friction? Were you lucky enough to get the art deco eclipse logo on the head? I nearly bought a damaged one off ebay just to get a logo'd one, but I think the damage (missing rivet) was actually on that part.

 

[wulfgar1976]

Does the "micrometer adjustment" click as I have read, or rely on friction? Were you lucky enough to get the art deco eclipse logo on the head? I nearly bought a damaged one off ebay just to get a logo'd one, but I think the damage (missing rivet) was actually on that part.

The adjustment on mine doesn't click. I don't have the logo on the head, which I understand means that it's a fairly early model - at least from what I have read.

 

[Frowzy]

not enough pictures.

 

[Frowzy]

So pretty... yeesh.

 

[Bestarrkin]

The adjustment mechanism was a quarter of a century ahead of the Gillette Fat Boy, it works in a similar manner to today’s Merkur Progress, you turn a knob on the bottom (which has an arrow on it) up fully for mildness then slacken it off slightly for more aggression, there are markers on the handle so you can calibrate your setting.

I do not agree with you. That arrow symbol is a logo and also there is two of them not one like Merkur Progress. It is just working for tightening the mechanism and this gives a "closer" shave and also it will give you a "nice crack" on the Eclipse's neck.

James Neil & Co became a part of Spear and Jackson, which is still thriving today. If they still have the tooling for this razor they could put it back into production to satisfy the demand and we would have a rival for Merkur.

I totally agree with you. In B&B forum there are nearly 33.000 members. If the %3 of total members which is approximately 1.000 fellows are potentially consumers who are intended to buy an Eclipse if it will be on production. I think it is time to make a "Production for Buy" list. Besides, I think some of members will buy new Eclipses more than one. IMHO $100 price etiquette does not hurt anyone where Cobra is sold for $145 with expensive blades.

 

[ezmike]

I want one, I want one, I want one...

Mike

 

[RocketMan]

For those of you concerned with the high price - I guess you missed this one!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170574515190&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT

Gotta keep a keen eye out!

 

[Bestarrkin]

For those of you concerned with the high price - I guess you missed this one!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170574515190&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT

Gotta keep a keen eye out!

Ahh Eclipse which has not a rivet and the magnet, for these issues there are no genuine repair actions. This price is normal for that condition. Besides, nobody wants to shave with a DE razor which has a misaligned head. Actually we passed this one.

 

[ezmike]

Ahh Eclipse which has not a rivet and the magnet, for these issues there are no genuine repair actions. This price is normal for that condition. Besides, nobody wants to shave with a DE razor which has a misaligned head. Actually we passed this one.

Me too! For the life of me I could not think of a way to do that repair unless I found a truly junk razor that I could get the rivet out and the rivet was exactly the right size and shape... In the end there were way too many ifs.

Mike