Congratulations!! Great to find your ‘destination’ razor!! 
Karve Diem
- Thread starter East coast shaver
- Start date
Big fan of the wide body top cap!
It and the Gamechanger .84 OC are currently my top two razors, very nice indeed
Congrats! What length handle did you get?
I recently acquired a brass Karve Christopher Bradley SB with the C plate. I chose the standard body over the wide body, but that was almost a flip of the coin. I really like it. Brass is much more appealing to me than stainless steel, and I think this razor has an understated elegance. I'm letting a patina develop naturally on mine, and agree that it adds to the charm.
So far, my best shaves have been with a Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow. I tried an Astra SP in it over the weekend, and it was for some reason a terrible shave, despite good prep with familiar products. I almost never get weepers anymore, but did with this combination, and the shave wasn't that close. The Astra was on its third outing, and had performed well for me in a Muhle Rocca. This morning I tried a Bic blade that had been used twice before. I'm new to Bic's though, so had no idea what to expect. The shave was good, close, but not the best. I'll be back to the yellow 7 O'Clocks next time around.
I recently acquired a brass Karve Christopher Bradley SB with the C plate. I chose the standard body over the wide body, but that was almost a flip of the coin. I really like it. Brass is much more appealing to me than stainless steel, and I think this razor has an understated elegance. I'm letting a patina develop naturally on mine, and agree that it adds to the charm.
So far, my best shaves have been with a Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow. I tried an Astra SP in it over the weekend, and it was for some reason a terrible shave, despite good prep with familiar products. I almost never get weepers anymore, but did with this combination, and the shave wasn't that close. The Astra was on its third outing, and had performed well for me in a Muhle Rocca. This morning I tried a Bic blade that had been used twice before. I'm new to Bic's though, so had no idea what to expect. The shave was good, close, but not the best. I'll be back to the yellow 7 O'Clocks next time around.
I have been gravitating towards my Karve D plate razor more often than anything else lately....It is the easiest to Drive in my den.
I had the original top cap, but when they announced the wide body I had to get it. I'm a head shaver and those blade tabs can scrape the backs of my ears and when an ear bleeds, it's a mess. I love razors that cover the blade tabs. I'm not the kind who'll snip them off like that one video as there are plenty of great razors that cover them.
Congrats on finding your "Grail" razor, it is a beauty!
Congrats on the recent acquisition!
I plan on ordering one of these in SS soon. Currently doing some research on the right set of plates for thick facial hair of at least 4-days worth of growth as I shave once 4 or 5 days, and I'd like to get one SB and one OC. It is becoming very frustrating to determine which plates would be suitable for my needs. I have been using a Murkur 37 C slant with Feather blades exclusively for the past few years and I find it too mild for my taste. I like a lawnmower so to speak that feels quite smooth at the same time, a right balance between aggressive and smooth.
I am gravitating towards a D plate in SB and a C one in OC. I would appreciate if any of Karve fans give their suggestions so that I can go ahead and purchase.
I plan on ordering one of these in SS soon. Currently doing some research on the right set of plates for thick facial hair of at least 4-days worth of growth as I shave once 4 or 5 days, and I'd like to get one SB and one OC. It is becoming very frustrating to determine which plates would be suitable for my needs. I have been using a Murkur 37 C slant with Feather blades exclusively for the past few years and I find it too mild for my taste. I like a lawnmower so to speak that feels quite smooth at the same time, a right balance between aggressive and smooth.
I am gravitating towards a D plate in SB and a C one in OC. I would appreciate if any of Karve fans give their suggestions so that I can go ahead and purchase.
I only own the SB with a C plate, and think, as you've already surmised, that it would be too mild for you. Not that I'd put it in the mild (e.g. DE89) category. But I find it a notch or two less aggressive than a 37 slant/Feather combo. Although now that I think about it, I've yet to try it with a Feather or Kai blade. Still, I think you want something further down the alphabet.
Thanks Jack for the feedback, precisely. I came across a thread where someone said that there is not a significant change with respect to aggressiveness from A's to D, and it is plate F that feels noticeably more aggressive than those.
So for me solid bar C is definitely out of question and I'll decide between D and F. For OC, it'll be C or D.
Congratulations! It is also my "grail" razor, too. Wide body cap, B plate, and the 3" handle. Within a few weeks, I sold or gifted all the others except 2 vintage Gillettes.
I love my Karve Mixed OC-C (Brass Cap and Short Handle, Stainless OC-C Baseplate). 
Another Karve fan here. I've had a CB in brass for a couple of years and have quite a few other razors. I used the Karve SB E plate yesterday and realized the long 4" handle is about my favorite handle of any I own. I would not personally recommend the OC unless you intend to be shaving a few days growth off.
I received my Karve Brass very recently after a very long journey. It's from another forum member. It's a 3-inch handle and came with the SB-D & F plate. It's not the wide-body cap. So far I have used it with the D plate thrice and wow..!! Paired with a good blade, the entire shaving experience was awesome. I initially thought it will have a problem right under the nose but nope...it was easily maneuverable. One of my top razors now... I will only try the F-plate after more shaves with the D but I must say even with the D plate, it was easy to find the angle and very smooth.
I wanted very much the OC-C plate though...
and it is just too expensive to buy it directly and ship over...
I wanted very much the OC-C plate though...
and it is just too expensive to buy it directly and ship over...
Purchased the Widebody Brass SB A plate with the 3.25” handle and stand then added the B and C SB plates. I love the look of the Brass Karve and may polish it in the future. This razor is one of my favorites with the B and C plates being my go to plates. I still am trying to figure out which plate I like most. Some days I get perfect BBS shaves with the C, then the next day I am cursed with weepers using the C. I then move to the B and again get perfect BBS shaves but feel I have to do more buffing than should be required. Oh the drama! Originally when I tried a friends Karve with the B plate I got weepers every shave and just couldn’t make it work. I am glad I didn’t rule out the Karve but wish I could dial in the shaves to find the perfect plate for daily use.
I am really contemplating this razor in an OC B or a SB C plate. In your experience how would this compare to a DE89, 34c or Tech? I am looking for something slightly more aggressive than these razor but not by a lot.
IMO you might want to move down a notch. I would say consider an OC A and SB B. The Karve does shave differently than a DE89 or Tech, can't speak for a 34C. I find the SB B more aggressive than a DE89, but that's my $.02 worth, others may differ. I have a SB C and don't seem to be able to make it my daily driver. It's very efficient, but seems to be too much for me daily.
Really hard to say except you yourself gotta judge based on your experience with your current razors and with reading about the various Karve plates review then make a decision. All I can help is to tell you...after contemplating for many months, I finally decided the plate for me is the SB-D.
I have the EJ89 and yes, it's a mild razor now (but not when I first got it) but paired with a feather it is not so mild and can give an efficient shave. Then I get a more aggressive Yaqi DLC & etc and prior to Karve, I am using the Game Changer 0.84 SB.
I was afraid the D plate would be too much but after a few shaves...I find that it was very very smooth with hardly any blade feel and so similar to the EJ89 or Game Changer 0.84 SB (when paired with a good blade). Truly YMMV thingy...
I wanted to get the OC-C plate too...but now contemplating the OC-D instead...
Thanks guys, I appreciate the input
I have exactly the same experience with the C plate. If I use it 2 consecutive days, I will have irritation.
