Janus Razor Shaves

[Tester28]

The razors also did not move quickly. It took a month+ to get the 50 backers. The narrative you’ve crafted is eloquent, but for someone not involved in the process through testing or backing, it is also quite flawed.

This is not a personal attack. I’m just making sure the best information is available.

IMO 30+ days is a relatively quick timeframe to get 50 (X $500) people to back a project
(from an untested manufacturer with zero track record to speak of) – boosted by the manufactured
goodwill of shaving "gurus" egging other buyers on.

I don't need to be personally involved in the process of testing or backing to voice my thoughts,
specially when there is a public thread documenting the entire process for all to see.

Just so you know, I do not comment on these forums with allegiance to any individual or manufacturer.
I am a consumer like many and my opinions are exactly that...you are not being coerced to agree with them.
You may attack them, and I will defend them if I think the attack is unwarranted.

 

[Zwiehander]

Hopefully this setback will not discourage Eric too much and that he will be continuing his razor business after this. The world will definitely be improved by better and more diverse types of razors and modern iterations of adjustable toggle razors are thin on the ground!

One idea could be - since the prototype was liked by apparently everyone who demo'ed it, maybe eric can focus in the future on just reproducing the prototype without messing with any part of the razor. If it ain't broke, then change nuthin'...

 

[santamariasteve]

So it appears we have a new and an attractive toggle adjustable razor that is very aggressive in performance. So what's the problem?

Folks, the Merkur Futur also is aggressive at lower settings, and it is a tremendous razor. I have a tough beard, and I find a setting of only 1.5 on the Futur is perfect for me.

 

[HDSledge]

The first 2 pages of this thread were very positive. It went off the rails a bit after that.

"weak attempt to pacify a slightly irritated customer base and recuse some of the parties from the not so subtle role they played in its marketing "
"set out to hand-make a Ferrari and wound up making an Edsel. "
"boosted by the manufactured goodwill of shaving "gurus" egging other buyers on. "

Most of these comments were followed up with a nice comment but what good does it accomplish to hit someone with a rock then pat them on the head to make it hurt less?

As far as I know no one had anything but genuine good will, hope, and support for Eric. I didn't know you could "manufacture" goodwill. No one egged on any buyers or had any financial interest in the outcome. Those of us who backed him with cash were excited by the possibility of a modern Toggle and we were willing to wind up with nothing if the project failed. That's the whole story.

Eric faced the monumental task of bringing a new product to our market and he succeeded in spades. First time efforts on products with such complexity often fail outright but he succeeded. Not perfect? So what? Could you do what he did?

There have been harsh words by some folks who seem eager to make a great accomplishment seem like abject failure. We are all bound by our mutual love of our passion, shaving. We are friends, or at least should be. If you are not happy with your Janus Toggle you can get a refund but should be gracious in your commentary. If you didn't spring for one you have no right to disparage Eric or his efforts since you don't know firsthand how it performs.

Enjoy your shaves friends, whatever your choice of razor. May your nicks and weepers be few and far between.

 

[sm29]

The first 2 pages of this thread were very positive. It went off the rails a bit after that.

"weak attempt to pacify a slightly irritated customer base and recuse some of the parties from the not so subtle role they played in its marketing "
"set out to hand-make a Ferrari and wound up making an Edsel. "
"boosted by the manufactured goodwill of shaving "gurus" egging other buyers on. "

Most of these comments were followed up with a nice comment but what good does it accomplish to hit someone with a rock then pat them on the head to make it hurt less?

As far as I know no one had anything but genuine good will, hope, and support for Eric. I didn't know you could "manufacture" goodwill. No one egged on any buyers or had any financial interest in the outcome. Those of us who backed him with cash were excited by the possibility of a modern Toggle and we were willing to wind up with nothing if the project failed. That's the whole story.

Eric faced the monumental task of bringing a new product to our market and he succeeded in spades. First time efforts on products with such complexity often fail outright but he succeeded. Not perfect? So what? Could you do what he did?

There have been harsh words by some folks who seem eager to make a great accomplishment seem like abject failure. We are all bound by our mutual love of our passion, shaving. We are friends, or at least should be. If you are not happy with your Janus Toggle you can get a refund but should be gracious in your commentary. If you didn't spring for one you have no right to disparage Eric or his efforts since you don't know firsthand how it performs.

Enjoy your shaves friends, whatever your choice of razor. May your nicks and weepers be few and far between.

The razor wasn’t for me. I returned it. Eric refunded the purchase price promptly (even before he had the shipping confirmation). End of story. Nobody needs to be bad mouthed and nobody needs to silence those who didn’t like the razor. As someone who returned the razor, I only have good things to say about how Eric conducts himself.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

By universal accounts, the Janus proprietor is one honest, hardworking man with a shaving den full of integrity. I salute that.

 

[HDSledge]

More testing. One day beard. 2nd day Feather and 2nd day PolSilver. Hot towel instead of hot shower. Same prep otherwise.

Conclusions and observations:
I won't be using a Feather with this razor. Apparently the 5 day growth I had yesterday protected my face from the small nick I got today. I learned I will have to use a more gentle touch with the Janus Toggle. The PolSilver blade felt much better and no nicks.

I noticed that when I shave around my moustache and soul patch that the blade edge is farther away from the razor edge than with my other razors. It makes it hard to get a sharp cut line at the point I expect. The razor is wide enough to cover the sides of the blade, a bit too wide imo. This may have contributed to the nick. I don't know if this feature was part of the suggestions during prototype testing.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Used a Gillette Platinum and set it on #2 for just nearly 24 hours worth of growth. Excellent shave and the best one so far out of the first three. 2 passes plus a chin buff & the baby buttocks were in full display. Very close in feel to a Timeless .95 with just a little bit less blade feel. No nics, cuts or irritation to speak off. The razor just might be a low number setting whisker reducing assassin....

 

[HDSledge]

Used a Gillette Platinum and set it on #2 for just nearly 24 hours worth of growth. Excellent shave and the best one so far out of the first three. 2 passes plus a chin buff & the baby buttocks were in full display. Very close in feel to a Timeless .95 with just a little bit less blade feel. No nics, cuts or irritation to speak off. The razor just might be a low number setting whisker reducing assassin....

View attachment 1109265

"baby buttocks were in full display" That gave me a chuckle and a weird mental image of your face.

Very nice photo composition!

 

[kingfisher]

If you were not involved in the design process of the Janus, then there is no need to appear so defensive.
Everything I have stated in my post above is factual and I stand by it.

Except for the part where you said that all fifty razors sold out very quickly. That was certainly not the case. I know because I was on the fence and thinking about getting one, and kind of hoping to find them gone so the temptation would go away. Imagine my surprise when it took quite some time before they were all spoken for.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[GlazedBoker]

"baby buttocks were in full display" That gave me a chuckle and a weird mental image of your face.

Very nice photo composition!

Thank you.....

 

[Tester28]

This may have contributed to the nick. I don't know if this feature was part of the suggestions during prototype testing.
View attachment 1109236

That appears unlikely to me...but it is quite an oversight IMO.
Unless you are the only one who got a dud.
For me, it is critical that the edge of the blade goes to the edge of the razor...or it
becomes very tricky to get the hair that is present at the corner, and just below either nostril.

 

[prec1se]

That appears unlikely to me...but it is quite an oversight IMO.
Unless you are the only one who got a dud.
For me, it is critical that the edge of the blade goes to the edge of the razor...or it
becomes very tricky to get the hair that is present at the corner, and just below either nostril.

That oversight is also found on the Rockwell Model T.

 

[Tester28]

That oversight is also found on the Rockwell Model T.

Ohhh...I had no idea...whats a Rockwell anyways?

 

[HDSledge]

That oversight is also found on the Rockwell Model T.

Now that you mention it I have several razors which totally cover the blade edges in a similar fashion. Not a deal breaker by any means. Consider it a wish list item of possible improvements.

 

[romsitsa]

Iirc it had covered blade tabs right from the begining, it was one of the improvements over the Gillette design.
Without trying the Janus I can only speculate, but nicks can also be caused by the smooth bar. The head can slip to the side as it sometimes happen with my Swings.
One selling point/marketing gimmick of the first safety bar Gillettes was the non-slip bar (ridged).

Adam

 

[kingfisher]

That appears unlikely to me...but it is quite an oversight IMO.
Unless you are the only one who got a dud.
For me, it is critical that the edge of the blade goes to the edge of the razor...or it
becomes very tricky to get the hair that is present at the corner, and just below either nostril.

What are you talking about? The blade tabs obviously don't line up with the cutting edge of the blade. Therefore, all razors that cover the blade tabs have thus same 'oversight'.

It is a planned feature of the razor. Some people actually prefer to have the tabs covered. Accidental nicks in the moustache area are much more likely to occur with razors that do not have the tabs covered.

 

[Tester28]

What are you talking about? The blade tabs obviously don't line up with the cutting edge of the blade. Therefore, all razors that cover the blade tabs have thus same 'oversight'.

It is a planned feature of the razor. Some people actually prefer to have the tabs covered. Accidental nicks in the moustache area are much more likely to occur with razors that do not have the tabs covered.

Ok.

 

[HDSledge]

Iirc it had covered blade tabs right from the begining, it was one of the improvements over the Gillette design.
Without trying the Janus I can only speculate, but nicks can also be caused by the smooth bar. The head can slip to the side as it sometimes happen with my Swings.
One selling point/marketing gimmick of the first safety bar Gillettes was the non-slip bar (ridged).

Adam

The ridged bar makes sense.

I don't have a problem with the blade tab being exposed if it positions the blade corner closer to the end of the guard bar. The end of the guard bar is how I judge where the blade is. The extra space will take some getting used to. A common term here is "dialed in". I'm not there yet but working on it.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Today decided to go with a Lord Super Stainless blade and went up another 2 sizes and set it at #4. A bit more blade forward feel that still has a good smooth feel to it on each pass. Performed a 3 pass shave without any buffing or touch ups to get a BBS finish. The Lisa’s provided tremendous suds to give the blade & razor some serious glide and slickness to work with. No nics, cuts, weepers or irritation to speak of in the end. This is a really good shaver at the lower settings so far that have resulted in great long lasting shaves. I’ll skip a day and push it up another size or two and see if the smoothness starts to deteriorate or not.

Happy shaves, Gents....