Has anyone looked at iKon razors lately?

[privatizes]

I mentioned Feather because that first DE Razor was a Stainless Ikon B1 which is basically a differently tuned Feather design knock off.
It may work out better to get the original always.

With the exception of my R41 and a carbon steel straight razor all my razors are stainless or titanium now.

I am glad you like your Ikons It was the service not the razors. Part of the issue with the Barbacide is that Ikon would not tell customers what metal they used. I assumed a well plated zinc alloy.

 

[kingfisher]

I will never buy another Ikon razor and wish I had bought a Feather years ago. Back when I got that razor there were few stainless choices and you could not just get a nice razor on Amazon or whatever. The shops in NYC had surprisingly thin stock back then.

That first razor still works but at some point Ikon had a promotion on some nice looking heads and I had early RAD. I ORDERED 3 HEADS. The heads were immediately destroyed by leaving those in Barbarsol JUST A SHORT WHILE! I contacted Ikon and they were horrible.

My Zamac R41 was fine!

I was also always unsure if the Handle on my SS razor was actually solid SS. It looked off. So I do look at the site as I wanted a slant and the x3 had good reviews. I looked a lot and decided that I just can’t buy another Ikon razor Ever!

Why in the world would you put a brand new razor in Babacide? That's mind-boggling to me.

 

[Joezamboni]

Why in the world would you put a brand new razor in Babacide? That's mind-boggling to me.

I won’t be too critical but I always come off believing less is more And comes with less risk. I’m not going to put a razor in my vibratory polisher if it’s in great shape, my ultrasonic or use chrome polish. I understand why people use barbacide but it always seemed overkill IMO compared to scrubbing bubbles.

I have cavicide for other things and may research if that has any reaction issues for curiosity.

 

[LRod]

A drop of Dawn and a soft toothbrush is what I always use. Ultrasonic cleaner for grimy first time vintage razors only (one time).

 

[privatizes]

Because the 3 heads were demos something Ikon was always cagey about why they were selling things cheap or whatever and MRSA is everywhere.

I am fairly careful about hygiene for good reason.

 

[kingfisher]

Because the 3 heads were demos something Ikon was always cagey about why they were selling things cheap or whatever and MRSA is everywhere.

I am fairly careful about hygiene for good reason.

For future reference, 70% isopropyl alcohol kills MRSA just as well as Barbacide. You just have to allow it to air dry.

 

[VBH37118]

Happy New Year too everyone, be safe

 

[Medivh]

I was on the fence about getting the Ikon Deluxe and the Tek, but instead I went with the real Deluxe from Gillette and recently I've got the Sterling razor with the hyper aggressive plate and it's safe to say that I have found (probably) the most aggressive and efficient razor currently made. The other thing is that I rarely buy razors that are made from anything but steel and brass with plating, unless it's something special and the price is right.

 

[ralph029]

I was on the fence about getting the Ikon Deluxe and the Tek, but instead I went with the real Deluxe from Gillette and recently I've got the Sterling razor with the hyper aggressive plate and it's safe to say that I have found (probably) the most aggressive and efficient razor currently made. The other thing is that I rarely buy razors that are made from anything but steel and brass with plating, unless it's something special and the price is right.

"Sterling razor"? Who? "The most aggressive and efficient"; I am very intrigued.

 

[Medivh]

"Sterling razor"? Who? "The most aggressive and efficient"; I am very intrigued.

It's actually Stirling, but my autocorrect once again makes me look like a buffoon . I still haven't used it yet, since I'm out of town, but given how big the blade gap and the blade exposure is and the story behind it it's considered to be (probably) the most aggressive and maybe the most efficient DE razor ever. How true is that? I have no idea, but I'm about to find out in the nearby future.


Here's how the hyper aggressive plate looks like:

 

[ralph029]

It's actually Stirling, but my autocorrect once again makes me look like a buffoon . I still haven't used it yet, since I'm out of town, but given how big the blade gap and the blade exposure is and the story behind it it's considered to be (probably) the most aggressive and maybe the most efficient DE razor ever. How true is that? I have no idea, but I'm about to find out in the nearby future.


Here's how the hyper aggressive plate looks like:



View attachment 1582108

Thank you. I'm going to have to try to track one down. I do like aggressive and efficient.

 

[3oclockShadow]

It's actually Stirling, but my autocorrect once again makes me look like a buffoon . I still haven't used it yet, since I'm out of town, but given how big the blade gap and the blade exposure is and the story behind it it's considered to be (probably) the most aggressive and maybe the most efficient DE razor ever. How true is that? I have no idea, but I'm about to find out in the nearby future.


Here's how the hyper aggressive plate looks like:



View attachment 1582108

I am an aggressive/efficient razor lover, and the Stirling with the HA base plate is the "most" of those two qualities that I have come across so far (at least as modern razors go) short of maybe my Feather DX straight razor. It makes pretty much any other DE razor I have tried seem pretty mild by comparison, but it is also very well made/manufactured.

My only quibble is that I don't love the way it loads blades (on the base plate as opposed to on an upside down top cap). Well that, and you have to take care when using it, but that's par for the course, I think.

 

[Medivh]

I am an aggressive/efficient razor lover, and the Stirling with the HA base plate is the "most" of those two qualities that I have come across so far (at least as modern razors go) short of maybe my Feather DX straight razor. It makes pretty much any other DE razor I have tried seem pretty mild by comparison, but it is also very well made/manufactured.

My only quibble is that I don't love the way it loads blades (on the base plate as opposed to on an upside down top cap). Well that, and you have to take care when using it, but that's par for the course, I think.

Do you notice any blade chatter while shaving? It would be logical for razors with huge blade gaps and exposure to have at least a slight blade chatter, but some say that there's absolutely no blade chatter while others say otherwise.

 

[3oclockShadow]

Do you notice any blade chatter while shaving? It would be logical for razors with huge blade gaps and exposure to have at least a slight blade chatter, but some say that there's absolutely no blade chatter while others say otherwise.

I have razors that have more blade chatter than the Stirling, but yes, I would say it has some blade chatter. Not a lot, but some. Just speculation, but the blade seems clamped pretty tightly to me and the design doesn't leave much room between where the blade is sandwiched between the top and bottom plates near the edge, but there is enough room for the blade to flex just a bit.

 

[Medivh]

I have razors that have more blade chatter than the Stirling, but yes, I would say it has some blade chatter. Not a lot, but some. Just speculation, but the blade seems clamped pretty tightly to me and the design doesn't leave much room between where the blade is sandwiched between the top and bottom plates near the edge, but there is enough room for the blade to flex just a bit.

It makes sense to have at least a little bit of blade chatter and if it's indeed a little then that wouldn't be a deal breaker if the razor performs like I would like to. One last question, does the razor require a steep or a shallow angle? The head doesn't seem too big and I guess I shouldn't have problem shaving under the nose.

 

[3oclockShadow]

It makes sense to have at least a little bit of blade chatter and if it's indeed a little then that wouldn't be a deal breaker if the razor performs like I would like to. One last question, does the razor require a steep or a shallow angle? The head doesn't seem too big and I guess I shouldn't have problem shaving under the nose.

For my purposes, I find the HA plate in particular has a pretty wide range of angles in which it works. My shaving style tends to just feel for what feels to me like the correct angle, so it isn't particularly conscious on my part, but I *think* I tend to use it neutral to steep. The head is a little big and just under the nose is one spot I have nicked myself before with the HA going a little more shallow with it. I do hope you enjoy using it.

As aggressive/efficient as it is, I find that I can use it multiple days in a row if I am using a light touch, but I may well be an outlier in that regard. I also try to minimize the number of passes I make with any razor, but particularly so with the one in question.

 

[ralph029]

For my purposes, I find the HA plate in particular has a pretty wide range of angles in which it works. My shaving style tends to just feel for what feels to me like the correct angle, so it isn't particularly conscious on my part, but I *think* I tend to use it neutral to steep. The head is a little big and just under the nose is one spot I have nicked myself before with the HA going a little more shallow with it. I do hope you enjoy using it.

As aggressive/efficient as it is, I find that I can use it multiple days in a row if I am using a light touch, but I may well be an outlier in that regard. I also try to minimize the number of passes I make with any razor, but particularly so with the one in question.

Do you have a link? I'm struggling to find this razor. You can't mean Stirling Soap, can you?

 

[Big_T]

Do you have a link? I'm struggling to find this razor. You can't mean Stirling Soap, can you?

Stirling Stainless DE Razor

***PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING! Product Description Many of you are aware that about 3 years ago, a manufacturing company we were working with in the US outsourced our job to China without our knowledge. The razors were etched with 'Made in the USA' so we could not sell them until we figured...

www.stirlingsoap.com

 

[3oclockShadow]

Do you have a link? I'm struggling to find this razor. You can't mean Stirling Soap, can you?

Yes - Stirling Soap Company. I think they are sold out now. It was a project they embarked on several years ago and was a bit of a saga to get it manufactured. After a couple of years, they did finally introduce it, but so far only manufactured maybe 300-500 of them -I don't know the exact count. They set out to make them "American made" and ran into some issues with manufacturing in the US. The first couple hundred they released were American made, but actually the second batch manufactured. They released more later on (the first batch manufactured) (this was maybe early 2022?) with a caveat that they were not made in America, but still made to the same specs. If I am not mistaken, Rod of SSC released some Youtube videos about the whole thing along with a shave demo.

 

[ralph029]

Yes - Stirling Soap Company. I think they are sold out now. It was a project they embarked on several years ago and was a bit of a saga to get it manufactured. After a couple of years, they did finally introduce it, but so far only manufactured maybe 300-500 of them -I don't know the exact count. They set out to make them "American made" and ran into some issues with manufacturing in the US. The first couple hundred they released were American made, but actually the second batch manufactured. They released more later on (the first batch manufactured) (this was maybe early 2022?) with a caveat that they were not made in America, but still made to the same specs. If I am not mistaken, Rod of SSC released some Youtube videos about the whole thing along with a shave demo.

Thanks James. I have one on order.