Janus Razor Shaves
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The word on the street is that a number of buyers have been deeply disappointed with their Janus
razors and have returned them for a full refund.
For some perspective, this is the world's first "crowd sourced" toggle razor, with some users on shave forums
contributing to its design after the prototype was unveiled. The prototype itself seemed to be a good one,
but then came the tweaks made at the behest of shave gurus who wanted the dome lowered, a little more blade
feel etc etc....the end result was a razor that does not deliver what the prototype suggested. Some of the biggest criticism has been levelled at the finish which was wildly overpromised as "double mirror polish" a la Wolfman.
The entire batch of 50 razors at about $500+ a pop was spoken for fairly fast: fuelled considerably by glowing reviews of the prototype by the ones who had considerable say in the product's subsequent redesigning. And the trust they enjoy among the shaving fraternity.
Now it seems the prototype is being recalled into service, to be sent on a US tour for people to try, so they can see exactly how their expectations were not met. It seems like a rather 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.
I feel for the maker of this razor, he obviously had a vision and let others take control of it. Now he has to take
the consequences. Hope he does not lose heart and comes back with a product that is not compromised by
relying too heavily on groupthink.
razors and have returned them for a full refund.
For some perspective, this is the world's first "crowd sourced" toggle razor, with some users on shave forums
contributing to its design after the prototype was unveiled. The prototype itself seemed to be a good one,
but then came the tweaks made at the behest of shave gurus who wanted the dome lowered, a little more blade
feel etc etc....the end result was a razor that does not deliver what the prototype suggested. Some of the biggest criticism has been levelled at the finish which was wildly overpromised as "double mirror polish" a la Wolfman.
The entire batch of 50 razors at about $500+ a pop was spoken for fairly fast: fuelled considerably by glowing reviews of the prototype by the ones who had considerable say in the product's subsequent redesigning. And the trust they enjoy among the shaving fraternity.
Now it seems the prototype is being recalled into service, to be sent on a US tour for people to try, so they can see exactly how their expectations were not met. It seems like a rather 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.
I feel for the maker of this razor, he obviously had a vision and let others take control of it. Now he has to take
the consequences. Hope he does not lose heart and comes back with a product that is not compromised by
relying too heavily on groupthink.
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Yeah, seems Eric @ Janus set out to hand-make a Ferrari and wound up making an Edsel. Too many cooks in the kitchen is a phenomenon I've encountered too many times in my professional life. Likewise, I send him my best wishes and hope he can re-take the project and wind up with a product of which he is proud.
Got mine:
Prep: Took a hot shower, put a dab of shave oil on my 5 day beard and lathered up with my favorite soap made from Emu oil, coriander, and satsuma. I loaded a PolSilver blade and set the Janus Toggle on 3.
The shave: First swipe reveals much more blade feel, equivalent to me of a 5 or 6 setting on the F4 Toggle. I grabbed the F4 and put the same blade in to make sure I wasn't imagining it. Next I tried a new Feather blade, which is pretty aggressive by itself (2nd day is better imo). Unexpectedly it felt a bit more aggressive.
I switched back and forth between Janus and F4 with blades and settings. I got a great shave with no nicks or weepers. I always splash with astringent after a shave and the burn reveals a lot. It was not a "Home Alone" scream moment, pretty average for a close shave. A big plus I noticed right away is in problem areas where the F4 is too mild, the Janus Toggle took care of it with less effort. Chalk it up to having a more blade forward design I suppose.
I didn't have enough beard to test all the settings but here is my take:
2 - too mild
3 - perfect
4 - ok
5 - almost too aggressive for my tastes but tolerable
6 - too much blade for sure
Fit and Finish: I was expecting to see machine marks everywhere from other reviews. The only machine marks I see are on the toggle around the red dot where it was machined down to the end knob. They are not unsightly.
The doors open and close very tightly/exactly and are a mirror finish. No machine marks anywhere on the doors. Overall the finish is very good. The blade fits very snugly, the toggle has a firm feel. The adjustment ring is very tight and so is almost impossible to turn with wet, soapy fingers. Easier to go to higher settings, much harder to go to lower ones like 2 or 1. Sharper knurling would improve the grip on the ring and handle. As someone else mentioned the adjustment ring numbers are light and hard to read. They are etched? and appear light grey. The logo and serial number should likewise have a darker etch.
The F4 toggle weighs 88 grams, the Janus Toggle weighs 96 grams. It has a stockier profile with a thicker handle. The toggle knob is much bigger and easier to grasp. The Janus Toggle doors are much thicker than the F4, as well as the center post and crossbar. It feels good in the hand and seems stronger, more substantial.
Overall impression: Could use some improvement to dial back the aggression and tweaks to the settings, logo, and serial number etching but everything else is good to go. I will use it exclusively for a few weeks with various lengths of beard, other blades, and prep methods. After the first reviews I was a bit worried it would be too aggressive but so far I have no complaints. It's a keeper.
Prep: Took a hot shower, put a dab of shave oil on my 5 day beard and lathered up with my favorite soap made from Emu oil, coriander, and satsuma. I loaded a PolSilver blade and set the Janus Toggle on 3.
The shave: First swipe reveals much more blade feel, equivalent to me of a 5 or 6 setting on the F4 Toggle. I grabbed the F4 and put the same blade in to make sure I wasn't imagining it. Next I tried a new Feather blade, which is pretty aggressive by itself (2nd day is better imo). Unexpectedly it felt a bit more aggressive.
I switched back and forth between Janus and F4 with blades and settings. I got a great shave with no nicks or weepers. I always splash with astringent after a shave and the burn reveals a lot. It was not a "Home Alone" scream moment, pretty average for a close shave. A big plus I noticed right away is in problem areas where the F4 is too mild, the Janus Toggle took care of it with less effort. Chalk it up to having a more blade forward design I suppose.
I didn't have enough beard to test all the settings but here is my take:
2 - too mild
3 - perfect
4 - ok
5 - almost too aggressive for my tastes but tolerable
6 - too much blade for sure
Fit and Finish: I was expecting to see machine marks everywhere from other reviews. The only machine marks I see are on the toggle around the red dot where it was machined down to the end knob. They are not unsightly.
The doors open and close very tightly/exactly and are a mirror finish. No machine marks anywhere on the doors. Overall the finish is very good. The blade fits very snugly, the toggle has a firm feel. The adjustment ring is very tight and so is almost impossible to turn with wet, soapy fingers. Easier to go to higher settings, much harder to go to lower ones like 2 or 1. Sharper knurling would improve the grip on the ring and handle. As someone else mentioned the adjustment ring numbers are light and hard to read. They are etched? and appear light grey. The logo and serial number should likewise have a darker etch.
The F4 toggle weighs 88 grams, the Janus Toggle weighs 96 grams. It has a stockier profile with a thicker handle. The toggle knob is much bigger and easier to grasp. The Janus Toggle doors are much thicker than the F4, as well as the center post and crossbar. It feels good in the hand and seems stronger, more substantial.
Overall impression: Could use some improvement to dial back the aggression and tweaks to the settings, logo, and serial number etching but everything else is good to go. I will use it exclusively for a few weeks with various lengths of beard, other blades, and prep methods. After the first reviews I was a bit worried it would be too aggressive but so far I have no complaints. It's a keeper.
While I was posting my review some other folks chimed in. I don't get it. The razor is definitely more aggressive than the comparable setting on an F4 Toggle but to me not so much as to justify being returned. Instead of a 5 on the F4 I will set it on 3. I think I will ask Eric how many folks are opting to return theirs out of the 51 Limited Edition. If he is planning on sending out the prototype for more testing I volunteer since now I am very curious about what changes were made.
Being one of the initial reviewers of the Prototype and certainly not a “Shave Guru” I had no input or knowledge of the increase in blade exposure from the prototype to the release. I spoke with Eric about these changes yesterday explaining that for me the Prototype was extremely smooth and delivered a perfect level of efficiency as it was, which is why I supported him, and was the first to sign up to purchase one. Please do not speak of what you do not know about
Looks like if he opts for another run he will go back to the prototype specs. I'm happy with mine but didn't have a chance to try the prototype. Is there a huge difference in feel?
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.
The prototype had much less blade feel and was about 30g heavier. I did several comparison shaves at different levels with it against CG Lev2, RS10, Blackbird and Wolfman WR1 on another forum. The prototype was able to match or come close to the level of efficiency of these razors while being still very smooth. I shave daily so I really appreciated the smoothness but still being able to dial it up if I skipped a day or 2 of shaving. I believe the new release is an awesome piece of engineering by Eric and while there is some buyers unhappy with the finish I felt it was very good, Not great, but very good. I was only unhappy about the large increase in blade feel, which for me, is not desirable in a daily driver. In my initial review Of this release I stated if you are someone who likes blade feel this may be a razor for you.
“The entire batch of 50 razors at about $500+ a pop was spoken for fairly fast: fuelled considerably by glowing reviews of the prototype by the ones who had considerable say in the product's subsequent redesigning.”
@Tester28 I believe this was your statement above, and I am one of 3 people who wrote the reviews, the 2nd was my Son in law Bo who did one review so by your statement you are including us, which is a false statement. Have you ever spoke to or met Eric? Do you own a Janus? If not it is hearsay and not fact
@Tester28 I believe this was your statement above, and I am one of 3 people who wrote the reviews, the 2nd was my Son in law Bo who did one review so by your statement you are including us, which is a false statement. Have you ever spoke to or met Eric? Do you own a Janus? If not it is hearsay and not fact
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It is unfortunate how some individuals think they know "stuff" when they really do not:
1. world's first "crowd sourced" toggle = WRONG just read the 2 year blog on Janus and his emails/posts
2. tweaks at the behest of "shave gurus" - HAHA isn't everyone an expert here and which know it all likes to give everyone their unsolicited opinions and expertise on absolutely everything
3. overpromised double polish a la Wolfman - I don't think so and besides Wolfman is not the only razor that can provide a mirror polish ... the world of razors does not rotate around Wolfman
4. word on the street that buyers are returning the razor - since when is this a problem as other manufacturers (ie Blackland, Paradigm) offer 30 day no question refunds; it would seem by any rational measure to reflect an excellent customer service by a (new) artisan and be considered by most reasonable people to be a positive
The Janus razor and it's owner speak for themselves and Eric will respond to emails. He has engaged those interested wet shavers in the forums in an extremely professional manner. He does no deserve such blind accusations
1. world's first "crowd sourced" toggle = WRONG just read the 2 year blog on Janus and his emails/posts
2. tweaks at the behest of "shave gurus" - HAHA isn't everyone an expert here and which know it all likes to give everyone their unsolicited opinions and expertise on absolutely everything
3. overpromised double polish a la Wolfman - I don't think so and besides Wolfman is not the only razor that can provide a mirror polish ... the world of razors does not rotate around Wolfman
4. word on the street that buyers are returning the razor - since when is this a problem as other manufacturers (ie Blackland, Paradigm) offer 30 day no question refunds; it would seem by any rational measure to reflect an excellent customer service by a (new) artisan and be considered by most reasonable people to be a positive
The Janus razor and it's owner speak for themselves and Eric will respond to emails. He has engaged those interested wet shavers in the forums in an extremely professional manner. He does no deserve such blind accusations
I wasn't entirely sure who exactly the promoters of the razor were, but thanks for putting your hand up.
Writing any review of a prototype that is about to go to market counts as an endorsement, even though
the product specs later change.
It puts your name on the line whether you like it or not...and can influence readers.
This case is relevant as it shines a spotlight on how shavers and manufacturers work together
to market a product. It is in the public interest to know these matters.
Looks like I am that person. I don't particularly favor more blade feel but don't mind it either. I like it when I have more than a 2 day beard going. I have a Tuckaway I discovered with my initials on the case. That one is more aggressive than the F4 Toggle so I use a Feather and very hot water. Strangely enough the Feather feels better in aggressive razors to me. The F4 Toggle prep is cold water and a PolSilver. Go figure.
He certainly doesn't... no blind accusations have been levelled. I think he's a pretty earnest and honest first-timer
who didn't know much about wet shaving or razor design, and trusted a few individuals to tinker with
his prototype that was working fine.
You must have missed the comment above. The gap, exposure, etc. changes were made by Eric but not based on the tester feedback on the prototype. At least that is the way I read it.
==
It is unfortunate that the changes I made to the production razor made it worse compared to how the prototype performed. In hindsight, I should have just made the cosmetic changes (size, length, weight, etc) and left the angles, gaps and exposures the same.
==
No I dont think I missed anything...Of course HE made the changes as he was producing them....but they were based on feedback from who?
Anyway...looks like some in the forum would like to enforce a rule that no one can have a viewpoint unless they have met Eric or bought a Janus. Never mind the fact that an entire thread outlining all the detailed discussions that surround this razor exists for anyone to reference.
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.
Here is Eric’s response to @Tester28 on another forum
Tester28, I got feedback from several people and interpreted it on my own and made changes to the design. For those who have been following the updates, I shared in a detailed newsletter what I changed based on the feedback I got from several places. I don't think it is fair to imply that the changes are on Dra------d and Shavemd because it is not true. I own the changes. In fact, Dra-------d and Shavemdrequested refunds and I promptly honored their requests so we possibly can't be in on manufacturing together. I'm down with us continuing and keeping the discussion cordial.
Tester28, I got feedback from several people and interpreted it on my own and made changes to the design. For those who have been following the updates, I shared in a detailed newsletter what I changed based on the feedback I got from several places. I don't think it is fair to imply that the changes are on Dra------d and Shavemd because it is not true. I own the changes. In fact, Dra-------d and Shavemdrequested refunds and I promptly honored their requests so we possibly can't be in on manufacturing together. I'm down with us continuing and keeping the discussion cordial.
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Very good review. Reading other reviews, I’m a little confused that some seem to be returning it after a shave or two. I didn’t take the plunge with this razor but I think I’d give it a few more shaves before returning it if I did.
It took me a couple weeks to get a handle on my Timeless .95 OC, but kept at it and dialed it in. I’m really glad I gave it a chance and if I didn’t, it would have been my loss. Ultimately, I’m not faulting anyone with their decision to return it, it is your money as I also don’t fault people for paying the large sum to acquire it.
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