Ikon SE razor coming out soon.

[kyproset]

My El-Jefe is in the mail, soon to arrive and I want to ask you gents which blade to try first. I have the Kai, the pro and super pro.
I do like the Schicks in my E4 injector if this is an indication to go by.

 

[matwho]

I've Used the El Jefe for 3 days now with the pro blade and I am getting excellent results. To get the same results with the Mongoose I need to use the super pro. Loading the blade is a lot easier than some of my 3 piece DEs E.g. Piccolo. For $20.00 this is a great razor.

 

[kyproset]

Thank you for the answer, I think I'll go with the pro myself. It seems Ikon do make their homework (apart from the aligning mishap) and their razors although not the most expensive they shave better than anticipated. I currently use the X3 slant and although it's also a blem, I have no complaints.

 

[DrYad3]

Got mine today, will test it tonight.

 

[jcorna01]

I couldn't get mine to tighten. I tried it a bunch of times and every time I gave the razor a little shake I could hear the blade rattle. Returned it for a refund without ever trying it. I understand they are selling them now as "seconds" but they tried to BS the first group of buyers and got called out.

 

[Lord Greystoke]

I've had the X3 for a month or two and didn't know it had an alignment problem until someone mentioned it on B&B. Looked at mine and sure enough, blade exposure is uneven, nor is it easy to tweak since the tabs are covered. But even when the blade is misaligned, the X3 shaves well. Go figure. Still looking forward to my El Jefe blem.

 

[spidey9]

I couldn't get mine to tighten. I tried it a bunch of times and every time I gave the razor a little shake I could hear the blade rattle. Returned it for a refund without ever trying it. I understand they are selling them now as "seconds" but they tried to BS the first group of buyers and got called out.

No BS involved at all. I was one of the first buyers, purchasing the razor for $35. Within a couple of days of receiving the razor, without any action on my part, I received a $15 refund.

From what I've heard, all of the original purchasers received this refund, and of course had the option of returning the razor for a complete refund if desired.

While it would have been better if the problem had been caught before any razors were shipped, given that it wasn't I'm quite satisfied with the way it was handled.

Yours is the first one I've heard of that would not lock the blade down even with the cap in the full rearward position. Mine locks the blade just fine providing that the tabs are hard against the rear of the slot, and for $20 I think it's a great razor.

--Bob

 

[jcorna01]

The lack of disclosure is my main complaint. In the end, it's fine, I was refunded my money. I just feel that a message on the site along the lines of "hey guys, slight manufacturing error/miscalculation, you're gonna have to play with the top cap and and blade to get it set correctly" would have been appropriate.

 

[kenloupa]

I also was an early buyer and got the $15 refund. I too have no problem locking the blade down on the El Jefe with the cap fully backward and the posts against the rear of the slots. The El Jefe is one of my favorite SE razors so far. I am getting great shaves with it. I have tried shaking it and no rattles are heard. The razor has a nice weight to it and looks and feels great, especially with the special edition 90 mm handle I got for it. I'll probably buy another one when they fix the blade posts.

 

[gvw755]

I couldn't get mine to tighten. I tried it a bunch of times and every time I gave the razor a little shake I could hear the blade rattle. Returned it for a refund without ever trying it. I understand they are selling them now as "seconds" but they tried to BS the first group of buyers and got called out.

Along with the head alignment problem, the other problem was that the post was too long to accommodate a lot of handles out there. The blade rattle problem is related to this as even though it feels that the handle is tightened, it may not be. As for the BS, I agree with Bob in that they probably did not know the extent of the problem until after it went out the door. Once they found out, they issued partial refunds to all and made generous offers on returns. A company trying to BS folks would not do this. I got a head when it was brought back up for sale at $20. At that time, they also did not say outright that folks were having major problems with alignment, but I knew what was going on and got one. Turned out to be a flawed but fine shaver worth $20 of my time and effort.

 

[jcorna01]

Ok, let me replace BS with inadequate or nonexistent QC.

 

[gvw755]

I've had the X3 for a month or two and didn't know it had an alignment problem until someone mentioned it on B&B. Looked at mine and sure enough, blade exposure is uneven, nor is it easy to tweak since the tabs are covered. But even when the blade is misaligned, the X3 shaves well. Go figure. Still looking forward to my El Jefe blem.

That "issue" with the uneven blade exposure for the X3 comes up with all the new slants on the market that severely torques the blade (and probably the older ones too). My X3 was like that and so was my PAA Bakelite, and RR Wunderbar. Folks that know things say that it is part of the design, which explains why all three of my slants all shave great. As they used to say when I was working with computers - It's not a flaw, it is a design enhancement.

 

[Iron City]

I received my El Jefe on Saturday and took it for a test drive yesterday. I shave with a Gem G Bar and thought I knew how to use a SE razor. I loaded a Feather Prol and screwed the head to an Ikon OSS handle and all aligned up with no issues.

I lathered up with Cella. I guess I couldn't get the angle right because it was scary aggressive and I had a couple of weepers when done. It spooked me a bit with how aggressive it was and I'm not sure when I will come back for round two.

YMMV

 

[gvw755]

I received my El Jefe on Saturday and took it for a test drive yesterday. I shave with a Gem G Bar and thought I knew how to use a SE razor. I loaded a Feather Prol and screwed the head to an Ikon OSS handle and all aligned up with no issues.

I lathered up with Cella. I guess I couldn't get the angle right because it was scary aggressive and I had a couple of weepers when done. It spooked me a bit with how aggressive it was and I'm not sure when I will come back for round two.

YMMV

Check the alignment again and remember to tighten the head so that there is no blade rattle. The first time I test shaved with the El Jefe, it was very aggressive. I loosened the head laid the back on the counter, tapped it a couple of times and then tightened it and it shaved great after that. Yes, finding the angle is important since the domed head does not give you a preferred angle like the Gems, Hawk, and Mongoose.

 

[Iron City]

Check the alignment again and remember to tighten the head so that there is no blade rattle. The first time I test shaved with the El Jefe, it was very aggressive. I loosened the head laid the back on the counter, tapped it a couple of times and then tightened it and it shaved great after that. Yes, finding the angle is important since the domed head does not give you a preferred angle like the Gems, Hawk, and Mongoose.

Gave it an another try and after much fiddling got everything aligned and tight. Much better shave this round, but whats a downer is they razor clogs up with cream and hair a good bit so I needed take it apart to clean it, and had to start over again with the dance.

 

[Lord Greystoke]

The first time I test shaved with the El Jefe, it was very aggressive. I loosened the head laid the back on the counter, tapped it a couple of times and then tightened it and it shaved great after that.

Same here on my first run. Scary aggressive. I got bitten a few times, despite the Kai Captain Mild blade I loaded into it. The blade play due to the undersized retention tabs is readily apparent. I didn't experience any blade rattle, but I suspect part of my problem with the razor's excessive aggression was that the blade was locked down at its forward limit. In other words, too much blade exposure.

At the end of my shave, I loosened the head as you did, allowed the blade to fall to its rear limit of travel and locked it down. I'll give it another run tomorrow.

Overall, El Jefe gave me a very close two-pass shave, but it wasn't particularly comfortable. I can't emphasize the no-pressure rule with this head enough. I could feel the blade as soon as the razor touched my skin.

 

[Feather-man]

My second shave went fine against 3 days of growth. El Jefe won't replace the Weck, but won't be put away and forgotten either.

 

[DrYad3]

If you put in the blade an tighten the handle all up side down, the blade will automatically fall into the downside position. And while screwing up the handle I push the head from behind with one finger as far as possible. Afterwards everything was perfectly aligned! My first shave though was still aggressive, more then with the Hawk. You have more angle variables with the Boss(Jefe), but it didn't gave me any razor burn, two little wheepers, but nothing special. When i´m used to it, it should give a perfect shave!

 

[mjclark]

I'm in UK and thanks to the guidance of [MENTION=86824]gvw755[/MENTION] I've got an El Jefe on its way.
I emailed Greg, got and paid the invoice and it was shipped out to U.K. all within 2 hours.

There's stuff on the Facebook page saying that because of the design issues, these razors aren't going out to distributors but IKon may come back to the project at a later date.
So is the El Jefe already discontinued and they're selling off the remaining stock?

In any case, I loved the Cobra so the idea of a very aggressive Artist Club safety razor is appealing.

I've got a Rocnel SE50 and although it's big powerful and efficient, it's very very well behaved.
I've got a Hawk coming too and there are widely differing opinions about that.
But the idea of an unruly quirky razor like the El Jefe sounds like something fun to add in to the mix.

The Shavecraft 104 Tech is unquestionably my favourite DE of all time, so the El Jefe might be amazing!

 

[mjclark]

I believe you will like it David.[emoji3] Shaves like a SE version of the Shavecraft Tech.

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!