Karve Diem

[Sweeney_]

I guess I'm extremely tardy to the Karve party but...

I ordered this at 1:12 am Thursday morning from Northern Alberta. It arrived in my driveway at 2:45 pm today via DHL. From Canada to NC in just over 25 hours. Not bad for free shipping. Good thing I delayed my shave today.

A lot of great info in this thread. cheers

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I finally got around to getting a Karve Christopher Bradley razor and have been using it for a while. I am profoundly impressed with it. I got the stainless steel version with OC ‘F’ plate and a 3.25” handle. It is a real joy to use, super-efficient, well-made, well-balanced…I love the way it feels in my hand and on my face. It gives me great shaves. I have ordered a second one in brass with solid bar ‘D’ plate and 3.75” handle for the days I feel like a milder shave. With the stainless steel selling for about (aboot?) CAD$150 and the brass at CAD$100 it’s such a great deal compared to other premium brands. And of course having so many options to tailor the razor or even buy multiple plates is a big plus.

I think I would rank this razor as one of my absolute favourites, with my Rocnel Sailor 2021 and Blackland Tradere OC. To my taste it may be above or at least a match for my H&S P076, Blackbird, Vector, Timeless razors. It is certainly at home in that company and, when you factor in that it costs only half the price of the cheapest of those, it must be one of the best buys I’ve ever made in the hobby.

I am left wondering why anyone who can afford it would not have one of these. Whatever else you like, how can there not be a Karve CB configuration that you would really like too? I didn’t fully appreciate how good they are until I got this one.

Anyway, interested in your thoughts since clearly many of you DO have one. And since it is bad form to post a thread without a photo…

 

[macintoshBR]

I can speak for myself, and the reason I don't have one is availability. Karve charges a $49 CAD to ship a razor to where I live, and no other retailers AFAIK offer the aluminum version, which attracts my interest. That's a no go for me

I would be willing to buy one in Aluminum, probably a A or B open comb plate.

The good new is, I don't need another razor, so I am cool

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Interesting that the shipping charge is so high for you. Of course you can also get them from some retailers, which may be different. Oddly the brass one I just ordered direct from Karve was only $18 for upgraded DHL shipping to Europe, and my order included a whole bunch of B&M soaps and a ceramic shaving bowl.

 

[Fletchtj]

I can speak for myself, and the reason I don't have one is availability. Karve charges a $49 CAD to ship a razor to where I live, and no other retailers AFAIK offer the aluminum version, which attracts my interest. That's a no go for me

I would be willing to buy one in Aluminum, probably a A or B open comb plate.

The good new is, I don't need another razor, so I am cool

That is a shame it costs so much to ship. We often talk about a “global” economy but for a small business like Karve and many of the other boutique manufacturers it isn’t easily accessed. I agree with Stinkykid but not sure I would pat 25% to 50% more for shipping. I was lucky enough to be able to pick one up.

 

[mynameisguyincognito]

With the stainless steel selling for about (aboot?) CAD$150 and the brass at CAD$100 it’s such a great deal compared to other premium brands.

The stainless steel version is $205 CAD.

 

[Peterv1]

Mainly because I'm Europe and there's not a single EU vendor, shipping cost + import tax turns a $90 razor into an $150 one

 

[Mr. Shavington]

The stainless steel version is $205 CAD.

Oops. Thanks for correcting me. Can’t edit my post any more - too late. I bought it from West Coast Shaving so it was USD, not CAD. Was USD 156 at the time.

 

[Pygmalion]

I finally got around to getting a Karve Christopher Bradley razor and have been using it for a while. I am profoundly impressed with it. I got the stainless steel version with OC ‘F’ plate and a 3.25” handle. It is a real joy to use, super-efficient, well-made, well-balanced…I love the way it feels in my hand and on my face. It gives me great shaves. I have ordered a second one in brass with solid bar ‘D’ plate and 3.75” handle for the days I feel like a milder shave. With the stainless steel selling for about (aboot?) CAD$150 and the brass at CAD$100 it’s such a great deal compared to other premium brands. And of course having so many options to tailor the razor or even buy multiple plates is a big plus.

I think I would rank this razor as one of my absolute favourites, with my Rocnel Sailor 2021 and Blackland Tradere OC. To my taste it may be above or at least a match for my H&S P076, Blackbird, Vector, Timeless razors. It is certainly at home in that company and, when you factor in that it costs only half the price of the cheapest of those, it must be one of the best buys I’ve ever made in the hobby.

I am left wondering why anyone who can afford it would not have one of these. Whatever else you like, how can there not be a Karve CB configuration that you would really like too? I didn’t fully appreciate how good they are until I got this one.

Anyway, interested in your thoughts since clearly many of you DO have one. And since it is bad form to post a thread without a photo…

View attachment 1353763

‘Cos I like my razors older than me…

 

[tankerjohn]

Sounds like a great razor. I'm glad you have found The One. That's exactly how I felt when I discovered the Gillette Red Tip. My shaving journey has taken me down the round of thoroughly enjoying vintage razors, so I guess that's mainly why I haven't gotten interested in modern DEs like the Karve. But I'm happy this hobby has so many niche's to explore it certainly seems like the market for modern stainless steel razors has really expanded a lot in the past few years.

 

[Bglayer]

Because here in the UK our government taxes us to death.Import duties and handling fees on top of postage fees from Canada.I'll give it a miss.

 

[FarmerTan]

‘Cos I like my razors older than me…

Mee too!

Just like my women! (Don't tell the War Department. We been gittin' along fine all day. Prolly cuz she's been bizzy splittin' wood while I've been werking so hard on B and B....)

 

[Toothpick]

Well since you asked…..

It is a real joy to use, super-efficient, well-made, well-balanced…I love the way it feels in my hand and on my face. It gives me great shaves.

Because I can get these results….

With the stainless steel selling for about (aboot?) CAD$150 and the brass at CAD$100

For a lot less than half the cost with my Gillette Tech, Slim, Superspeed, or Schick Injector.

 

[Bglayer]

Mee too!

Just like my women! (Don't tell the War Department. We been gittin' along fine all day. Prolly cuz she's been bizzy splittin' wood while I've been werking so hard on B and B....)

The war department I used to call mine the cruelty officer.

 

[Danuhoh]

I agree,

I recently purchased a brass one with the SB "C" plate and a 3.5" handle, it is an awesome razor. The build quality and balance are top notch, and I get very smooth BBS shaves. I also purchased a "D" plate, which I am currently enjoying.

 

[Guest2023]

I had C,D plates. I agree Karve is a good razor. but there are many modern razors which I prefer in similar price range like Rockwell 6S, GC 84, Henson and PAA Meta-4.

 

[Iridian]

Because I want the steel version and its pricey.
The single razor alone isn't. The frown comes after one added stainless steel stand, extra plates and stuff into the cart.

 

[noslen]

Got me one in copper while they had a few this past spring, have a closed comb D plate in the copper and an OC C plate in brass that I'm using with it these days....come to discover that I actually don't care much for it as an aggressive razor, I get along better with it's milder plates even though I generally prefer my razors on the more aggressive side.

 

[JPO]

I ordered a brass model with the oc f plate and the g plate. He sent me the stainless steel version. It is really smooth even with these efficient plates.

 

[FarmerTan]

Mee too!

Just like my women! (Don't tell the War Department. We been gittin' along fine all day. Prolly cuz she's been bizzy splittin' wood while I've been werking so hard on B and B....)

Here's some pics of our day. I was allowed to run the handle on the log splitter. She loves me!
And now we are about to eat tuna casserole. Life is good...