Hawk V3 blade choices?

[JackJ]

I just used my new RR Hawk V3 regular head for the first time yesterday, paired with a Kai Captain Titan Mild blade that had been used twice before in a Kai Kamisori razor.

The shave was good, but milder than I expected. After 4+ passes I wasn't quite at BBS, though the shave was smooth and will little irritation. I've got the Artist Club sample pack coming from tryablade.com. I'm wondering how much more efficiency I might expect from the Feather Pro, Pro Super, and the Schick P-30. I've got the guarded blades coming too, just out of curiosity, but I'm especially interested in getting a closer shave with one of the unguarded options. How different from each other are these blades in the Hawk?

 

[Sinnbad11]

I don't have a hawk, so take this how you will, but in my vector there is a pretty significant difference between the different blades. I expect the pro supers will be a notable step up in the hawk as well.

 

[luv2shave]

Shick proline work very good in the Hawk v3 standard head. Very efficient shave!

 

[kingfisher]

The Kai Mild Pink blades are excellent blades. The Schicks are really good, too; perhaps a bit sharper.

I don't think any of the Feather blades are better. The Pro Super will stick out further and so it will be "more aggressive."

Another way to get a more aggressive shave would be to go back to one of the earlier versions of the Hawk; the latest one is the mildest.

 

[thombrogan]

Schick Proline P series are great in the Hawk V3.

 

[never-stop-learning]

To make the RR Hawk V3 Standard more aggressive:

1. Use the Feather Pro Super
2. Get the V3-OC plate
3. Do both.

YMMV

 

[shave/brush]

I fine the Hawk V3 just fine with either a Schick Proline blade or a Feather Pro. Great razor for any price.

 

[JackJ]

Hawk V3 shave number two this morning with a Schick Proline. Now that's more like it! Nice middle of the road efficiency, and very smooth. 2 passes and a little buffing got me to BBS apart from the trick sections on my neck. This blade suits me fine, but curious to try the Feathers next.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Hawk V3SB is now my only AC safety razor. My perfect setup for it is the Hawk V3SB head, West Coast Shaving 84S handle, and a Kai Captain Mild Pink blade. It's mild but efficient. Also a little boring because the blade typically lasts three weeks. But I can live with boring -- I'm in Canada where This Hour Has 22 Minutes has noted that "It's the country where 'bland' is not an insult."

Memory says the Proline is a tidge wider than the Kai, so the edge is going to be a bit more exposed. If that's working for you, then I'd say you've found your hot setup.

O.H.

 

[DaveHStone]

Hawk V3-SB design has almost zero blade gap, that's why it such a mild razor.

The two blades I've been using with my Hawk are Feather Professional and Pro Super.

The Super to me is a better choice, as the blade is not only wider, but a tad bit ticker too, thus it (minimally) increases not only the blade exposure, but also the blade gap. With a larger gap, you can operate the razor with more freedom when it comes to the blade's angle of attack. Do note that this difference in blade gap between the Pro and Super is cosmetic nonetheless.

What I have found really helpful shaving with the Hawk is to ride the top cap with the handle almost perpendicular to your face, as shallow as possible and always using a slight Gillette sliding motion. That way it does a great job of BBS shave, yet no irritation.

I have never used guarded blades, as in my mind the guards on the blade would be getting in the way, causing dragging/tugging when you shave using Gillette slide, J-hooking or blade-buffing. I might be wrong, but this is what I imagine would happen.

 

[DaveHStone]

I don't have a hawk, so take this how you will, but in my vector there is a pretty significant difference between the different blades. I expect the pro supers will be a notable step up in the hawk as well.

I have both and they are totally different animals, as I am sure @never-stop-learning will confirm.

Hawk's head (as mentioned above) has almost no blade gap, thus a very small useful angle of attack.

Vector OTOH, has a rather large blade gap, so you can use it at practically any angle. You can shave steep, shallow and anything in between. Vector is ultimately intuitive and substantially more "aggressive" than the Hawk V3-SB.

 

[Zhang Doe]

I just got mine last month and have only used a Feather Professional in it. I find this generally quite mild, but in a good way. If I don't rush and I shave at a normal pace, this is a razor I can use for four days in a row (I never seem to end up shaving five days consecutively) without any concern of nicks or irritation.

There are a couple of spots on my cheeks, where I wish the shave was closer -- I can feel a tiny smidgeon of stubble after shaving, but on the whole it's okay. Great combination for daily use for a close, clean shave for work.

Next week, I will see if a Schick Proline works with it. If it's more efficient, I'm curious to see what the trade-offs are. Depending on that, I may eventually check and see how an A plate differs.

 

[UrbanHound]

I shave with the V3OC and have experimented with five blades - and I love the AC razor category as it allows so much room for experimentation in a way I find more meaningful than the truckloads of DE blades. Due to the blade feel inherent in the V3OC I started with guarded blades - The Feather SoftGuard, ProGuard, and the Kai MG. Of these three I have favored the SoftGuard overall but will be dabbling with another Kai MG which I felt did a yeoman's second place. I was not a fan at all of the shave with the ProGuard. I then 'upgraded' to a Kai Mild Pink and this was utterly unpleasant. Choppy and lots of drag with not enough oomph to move smoothly across the face and mow through whiskers.

Lastly I've thrown caution to the wind and tried a Schick ProLine. That was a very smooth shave but the blade feel was quite intense and I felt unable to truly relax and enjoy. I know some gents rather like being kept on their toes by a razor with a bit of bite - I don't think I am among them! But I cannot gainsay that it left my cheeks quite smooth by maybe just a hair over the guarded blades.

I will revisit the ProLine in the future I think. The V3OC is the most 'aggressive' razor in my den. I've been eyeing the new Lupo DC of late with all the buzz that razor is getting but worry that the .95 gap will be too much for me without the option of using a guarded blade like with an AC razor. Perhaps I'll inquire over there but I really do love AC razors.

 

[Batman]

Shick proline work very good in the Hawk v3 standard head. Very efficient shave!

This...


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[luv2shave]

This...


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The reason Batman doesn't cover his manly jawline with his mask...

The Batman approved Schick Proline blades - shave so smooth, you don't need a mask !

 

[luv2shave]

Lastly I've thrown caution to the wind and tried a Schick ProLine. That was a very smooth shave but the blade feel was quite intense and I felt unable to truly relax and enjoy.

I will revisit the ProLine in the future I think. The V3OC is the most 'aggressive' razor in my den.

This. I use a shick proline blade with the OC plate after several shaves with the standard V3 head.

The comb on the OC has wide gaps like the Jaws gamechanger and the narrow head width feels like a naked blade on face, but it gives one Helluva shave !

 

[Never Picked]

Are there any blade gaps listed? I have SA V3 "A" and OC. The Boti I have is listed as 1.5mm with a 0.15 exposure. The 2 Yaqi's I have are listed at 1.0mm and 1.2mm.
As far as blades, whichever ones fit in the razor I would suggest. I got some on AliExpress for $0.23 per blade. They are a copy of one of the mild Kai's.