Half DE razor suggestions

[thirdguess]

I was thinking of picking up something SE that takes half DE blades. I might try out some other SE's at some point, but since I have a lifetime supply of DE blades...

Anyway, my preference in a DE razor is fairly aggressive, so I assume it's going to be the same with an SE.
My current favorite de razor is a karve with an E bar, I'm not against something more aggressive, but would prefer anything I get to not be much less aggressive.

I would appreciate suggestions in any price range, and I might end up going for the gusto on my first buy, or I might end up deciding to play it safe, who knows?

Thanks!

 

[Halfblade]

I currently know of several razors of the halfblade type. I'm still looking for a good one though.

The ones that I know of are, Focus Dynamic, Broman, Leaf & it's younger brother Twig, Yaqi's Katana, the SE-P from Rocnel,GSC Challenger/Vishw, O9 TTO, & Razorock Eco. There's also a new one from Germany .

With the exception of the SE-P & O9 TTO, none of the others bends the blade for rigidity, so they have a tendency to let the blade chatter/vibrate a little- except for the Focus, which uses the left over bend from snapping the blade to tension it.

All of those mentioned are aggressive. Try Yaqi's Katana or Razorock Eco. Both are reasonable. If you want something really cheap, try tha GSC Challenger.

 

[Ivo4u2]

Most pivot head razors (Broman, focus dynamic) are pretty mild which you can beef up slightly with a Kai blade but it is still mild. I like mild so happy with them.

afaik the leaf twig is mild too.

the Yaqi katana is on the agressive side and cheap so I would suggest that one.

there are more se razors classic and new but most of these will be ac, injector, Gem or feather fhs based.

and of course there are the multi blade se razors like the leaf which shave different again.

 

[Halfblade]

I stand corrected. I'd forgotten that the pivoting head ones were mild.

 

[jeffmudrick]

Leaf Twig Thorn, Shake Sharp

Shake Sharp is SE using full DE blade.

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[DaveHStone]

I was thinking of picking up something SE that takes half DE blades. I might try out some other SE's at some point, but since I have a lifetime supply of DE blades...

Anyway, my preference in a DE razor is fairly aggressive, so I assume it's going to be the same with an SE.
My current favorite de razor is a karve with an E bar, I'm not against something more aggressive, but would prefer anything I get to not be much less aggressive.

I would appreciate suggestions in any price range, and I might end up going for the gusto on my first buy, or I might end up deciding to play it safe, who knows?

Thanks!

I wouldn't... 'cause DE blades are thin and flimsy and when snapped in half they have zero lock. That results in blade skipping and chatter. Bottom-line: poor shave / shaving experience.

If SE is your thing, I'd opt for tried and tested systems like Feather AC, Schick injector or GEM.

 

[Halfblade]

DE blades are thin and flimsy and when snapped in half they have zero lock. That results in blade skipping and chatter.

True enough, but that can be fixed by designing the razor appropriately. Unfortunately, most half-blade razors treat that half-blade like an SE & pay no attention to torsioning it for blade rigidity. But a half-blade needs to be bent for rigidity, just like a full DE blade. Without the bend, chatter is to be expected. The only razors that do bend it are the Rocnel & O9. I've not tried the Rocnel, & the O9 is too blade forward for me. I prefer mild razors. I'm thinking of trying to modify it a bit.

 

[DaveHStone]

True enough, but that can be fixed by designing the razor appropriately. Unfortunately, most half-blade razors treat that half-blade like an SE & pay no attention to torsioning it for blade rigidity. But a half-blade needs to be bent for rigidity, just like a full DE blade. Without the bend, chatter is to be expected. The only razors that do bend it are the Rocnel & O9. I've not tried the Rocnel, & the O9 is too blade forward for me. I prefer mild razors. I'm thinking of trying to modify it a bit.

I've no interest in anything utilizing half DE blade

 

[jeffmudrick]

I've no interest in anything utilizing half DE blade [emoji52][emoji52]

That's more half blades for the rest of us. Love both of my non skipping non chattering Leafs.

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[Whiterook]

I've used my Eco only once, so far, and it did a pretty good job. It unsurprisingly shaves like a DE razor. I think an injector or a Gem is a better foray into the SE world. Blades aren't that costly!

 

[Halfblade]

I've no interest in anything utilizing half DE blade

I'm fascinated by the idea. So much so that it's my username.

You see, in my opinion, the main reason safety razors have taken a back seat to cartridge razors was largely because of deficiencies in the blade, in that the original DE blade was thicker & had just 3 holes, leaving it fairly rigid. Later changes in the blade to make it compatible with other razors resulted in the entire center of the blade being removed, with a substantial effect on blade rigidity.

The only DE razor type that can approach the rigidity of cartridge razors is the slant.

Another problem is that DE blades were designed over a century ago & dimensional accuracy between different blade brands isn't great - because there's really no standard.

Cartridge razors don't have that problem. Manufacturers can design blade & plastic casing to micrometre tolerances.

A half blade cannot solve the tolerances issue, but a properly designed blade holder (razor) can be made such that it can bend a half-blade to fairly rigid levels, as there's no centre hole. As the blade width is almost ⅓ that of a full DE blade, it's rigidity is three times higher for that reason alone.

 

[Ivo4u2]

I like mild razors pretty happy with my broman. But the oneblade genesis was good and my occam Oren is no slouch either but to be honest my snmirn and qshave adjustable do outshave them result wise.
And a leaf twig is on my yes/no list

 

[jeffmudrick]

I'm fascinated by the idea. So much so that it's my username.

You see, in my opinion, the main reason safety razors have taken a back seat to cartridge razors was largely because of deficiencies in the blade, in that the original DE blade was thicker & had just 3 holes, leaving it fairly rigid. Later changes in the blade to make it compatible with other razors resulted in the entire center of the blade being removed, with a substantial effect on blade rigidity.

The only DE razor type that can approach the rigidity of cartridge razors is the slant.

Another problem is that DE blades were designed over a century ago & dimensional accuracy between different blade brands isn't great - because there's really no standard.

Cartridge razors don't have that problem. Manufacturers can design blade & plastic casing to micrometre tolerances.

A half blade cannot solve the tolerances issue, but a properly designed blade holder (razor) can be made such that it can bend a half-blade to fairly rigid levels, as there's no centre hole. As the blade width is almost ⅓ that of a full DE blade, it's rigidity is three times higher.

Thanks for that . I was looking for a reference on the rigidity of the half blade without luck.

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[kingfisher]

I'm fascinated by the idea. So much so that it's my username.

You see, in my opinion, the main reason safety razors have taken a back seat to cartridge razors was largely because of deficiencies in the blade, in that the original DE blade was thicker & had just 3 holes, leaving it fairly rigid. Later changes in the blade to make it compatible with other razors resulted in the entire center of the blade being removed, with a substantial effect on blade rigidity.

The only DE razor type that can approach the rigidity of cartridge razors is the slant.

Another problem is that DE blades were designed over a century ago & dimensional accuracy between different blade brands isn't great - because there's really no standard.

Cartridge razors don't have that problem. Manufacturers can design blade & plastic casing to micrometre tolerances.

A half blade cannot solve the tolerances issue, but a properly designed blade holder (razor) can be made such that it can bend a half-blade to fairly rigid levels, as there's no centre hole. As the blade width is almost ⅓ that of a full DE blade, it's rigidity is three times higher for that reason alone.

No matter what you do with it, a half DE blade can't ever compete with an AC blade for rigidity, and it's not even close.

 

[jeffmudrick]

No matter what you do with it, a half DE blade can't ever compete with an AC blade for rigidity, and it's not even close.

It's a different thing. The wide format ain't for everybody (raising hand).

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[kingfisher]

It's a different thing. The wide format ain't for everybody (raising hand).

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They seem not wide at all to me, at least after I spent a year shaving with straight razors.
It is all relative.

To me the AC blade is vastly superior, and learning how to shave with a wider blade is mainly a matter of practice. Once you get it down you can enjoy a better blade for the rest of your life, if you wish, so it seemed like the right thing to do. YMMV.

 

[ouchyfoot]

It's a different thing. The wide format ain't for everybody (raising hand).

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The longer AC formatted razors just do not fit my face.

 

[jeffmudrick]

The longer AC formatted razors just do not fit my face.

Or my head.

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[thirdguess]

I currently know of several razors of the halfblade type. I'm still looking for a good one though.

The ones that I know of are, Focus Dynamic, Broman, Leaf & it's younger brother Twig, Yaqi's Katana, the SE-P from Rocnel,GSC Challenger/Vishw, O9 TTO, & Razorock Eco. There's also a new one from Germany .

With the exception of the SE-P & O9 TTO, none of the others bends the blade for rigidity, so they have a tendency to let the blade chatter/vibrate a little- except for the Focus, which uses the left over bend from snapping the blade to tension it.

All of those mentioned are aggressive. Try Yaqi's Katana or Razorock Eco. Both are reasonable. If you want something really cheap, try tha GSC Challenger.

It's the rocnel se-p still made? I've been googling and can't seem to find them... I definitely like the idea of the bend. In the mean time, I'll throw a yaqi in my cart and see how long it takes me to pull the trigger

Edit: I can't find the o9 either... maybe my google skills suck...

 

[Ivo4u2]

Mwah the focus uses the bend end taps to lock the top cap in place the blade is hold flat
The Broman uses a plastic top cap blade is flat
Neither of them give me chatter
The Yaqi katana bends slightly and can be shimmed for more rigidity
The occam Oren uses a more or less floating blade ac design does chatter and gives no real problems.
The one blades have a floating feather fhs design atg some chatter but no issues
Yaqi Excalibur uses a fixed ac blade design. Does not chatter but I am not fond of the shave either prefer my adjustables which more or less glide through.

My snmirn and qshave de have chatter atg and when the blade is done you are reminded to change it. Blade is bent and for me the razors glide through my stubble.

i doubt chatter makes the biggest issues. I might get a Henson in time which is rigid but otoh also locks in the proper angle which also minimize irritation
I tried two different classic gem razors. If you want rigid try that. They are not my cup of tea but they are rigid and efficient.

I still have to add a decent adjustable injector to my list but is waiting for a Dutch located one.