Karve OC (E or F) or Timeless 0.78 OC

[StratMan]

i am looking to add an OC to my very small collection of razors. A DE89, Rockwell 6C and Timeless 0.95 SB.

Was originally looking at the timeless OC as I am super impressed with the quality and shaves the 0.95 SB gives me. Searching around i have found the 0.38 OC will be way to mild and the 0.78 may be a bit too much of an aggressive, blade forward razor to use as a daily driver.

I have previously used a Closed Karve on plate D. I found that i loved the look and feel of this razor but, although 'sufficient' i found the D plate to be a bit on the mild side for.

As a reference, the DE89 gets no use at all these days and find the rockwell on plate 6 is my go to when i used it.

I would love to hear all your experiences and points of view regarding these two razors to help make my mind up.

 

[Olegausany]

First of all Timeless Bronze .38 isn't OC, only .78 is. Be awarethat Bronze withsstock handle is heavy but you can use lighter handle, Maggard MRG for example, or titanium handle which will reduce overall razor weight and also will reduce aggressiveness.

 

[StratMan]

@Olegausany yeah sorry my bad.. 0.38 not in contention then.. not to worried about the weight. I have the 0.95 SS, not sure what it weighs but its def a heavy razor and i like that

 

[les24preludes]

I have three regular shavers:
Karve OC E plate, Yintal Bronze top cap, Wolfman Guerrilla handle (63g)
R41, Yintal Bronze top cap, titanium handle (49g)
Timeless Bronze OC .78, titanium handle (53g)

These are very efficient razors. All three shave very close and require the same technique - take your time, very little pressure, sloppy lather. As you can see from the above, I use titanium/lighter handles. I don't want the total weight over 100g. All three razors are optimised for my own personal taste, e.g. the handles are 15-16mm wide rather than the usual 12.8mm.

I find it hard to choose between the above and preferences are slight, but for pleasure of use I'd rank them R41, Timeless, Karve. Yes - the R41 is that good when optimised. The R41 does everything right - super dependable. The Timeless has a certain charm to it. The Karve is solid.

The Timeless Bronze head weighs 45g. The handle weighs 85g. That's a total of 129g. This isn't just heavy, this is very heavy. You'd need to be OK with that. I'm not - my titanium handle gives me a total weight of 98g and I'm not going beyond that. For me it was a lot to pay for just the head - Karve was better value but the R41 is my recommendation with your choice of handle.

 

[Mitzie]

Agreed -Mines with a tapered custom Russian(ebay) titanium handle 90mm length total weight 70g

 

[Joncr]

The Karve has never worked well for me. I have the C andf E plates and never get an irritation, blood free shave. It is a well made razor that many people love however. The Timeless SS, Titanium and Bronze are the best made, best shaving razors I own. The Bronze .78 is the most aggressive one Timeless makes, IMHO. I can get a BBS smooth shave with it, but would not use it every day/ Like some of my other aggressive razors, R41, Ikon Tech, CG Level3, it requires more focus and attention than I always want to bring to a morning shave.
FWIW a Gillette Slim or Fatboy on 9 will give plenty of blade feel, is plenty efficient, and can be found at significantly lower cost. They are also lighter and will last a lifetime.

 

[les24preludes]

The Bronze .78 is the most aggressive one Timeless makes, IMHO. I can get a BBS smooth shave with it, but would not use it every day/ Like some of my other aggressive razors, R41, Ikon Tech, CG Level3, it requires more focus and attention ... FWIW a Gillette Slim or Fatboy on 9 will give plenty of blade feel, is plenty efficient, and lower cost.

Yes - the Timeless Bronze OC .78 is their most efficient razor. I didn't find the OC .95 efficient enough, and it was too smooth, not enough blade feel. Others like that, but I want blade feel and audio feedback. The Slim on 9 is a good razor, no doubt, but not quite the same level of efficiency.

 

[Joncr]

Yes - the Timeless Bronze OC .78 is their most efficient razor. I didn't find the OC .95 efficient enough, and it was too smooth, not enough blade feel. Others like that, but I want blade feel and audio feedback. The Slim on 9 is a good razor, no doubt, but not quite the same level of efficiency.

sounds like we agree pretty much about the Timeless and Gillettes, I guess it comes down to personal preference and different beards, technique, prep, blades, lather, etc. Just goes to prove YMMV

 

[BigJ]

..
FWIW a Gillette Slim or Fatboy on 9 will give plenty of blade feel, is plenty efficient, and can be found at significantly lower cost. They are also lighter and will last a lifetime.

+1! Definitely worth trying these classics IMHO!!

(You should still have enough $ left to purchase another razor or two!)

 

[les24preludes]

If your level of efficiency is Rockwell on 6 and Timeless 0.95 SB, and if the Karve D SB isn't quite efficient enough, then I don't see any of the "classics" being efficient enough. You're at or beyond Gillette Old Type or Fatip OC. I have plenty of classics on the shelf, and these days they stay on the shelf. I don't even use my MMOC. MMCP or 1912 much either, and they're beyond Old Type/Fatip/Rockwell 6.

I keep coming back to the R41 with a better handle - just get the head and try it on your Timeless handle at first. Then go from there. At the very least, the R41 is the quickest way to find out if that level of efficiency is for you. If it is you are then looking at razors like CG Level 3 and the like. But as I said above, I find the R41 just as satisfying as the Bronze and Karve OC E plate. It's a modern classic.

 

[StratMan]

@les24preludes i currently have the SS 0.95 SB and its total weight comes to 127g (SB and base = 41g, 85mm barberpole handle = 86g) which is pretty close to the 129g of the timeless OC and i do like the heavy weight of that razor so no issue with weight.

The price is also not really an issue, in the end would cost me around $50 AUD in difference.

I agree that the 0.95 SB is very smooth, and i dont mind that but i guess i am looking to get an OC with more aggression to have the choice of variety. My only concern is the aggression levels of the timeless and the amount of blade feel.

Karve OC E Plate v Timeless 0.78 OC..

 

[StratMan]

@Big-J I tried one or both of these razors once in a pass-around. I think i only spent one shave at most with them which really isnt much time at all but i didnt bond with them that much. I really liked the Karve and was blown away by the wolfman, which i guess took away from these vintage razors.

 

[StratMan]

@Joncr the YMMV factor in this game amazes me. When i used the Karve it felt really smooth, and you cant get a good shave from it but can handle the 0.78OC and we both agree on the SS 0.95

The Karve has never worked well for me. I have the C andf E plates and never get an irritation, blood free shave. It is a well made razor that many people love however. The Timeless SS, Titanium and Bronze are the best made, best shaving razors I own. The Bronze .78 is the most aggressive one Timeless makes, IMHO. I can get a BBS smooth shave with it, but would not use it every day/ Like some of my other aggressive razors, R41, Ikon Tech, CG Level3, it requires more focus and attention than I always want to bring to a morning shave.
FWIW a Gillette Slim or Fatboy on 9 will give plenty of blade feel, is plenty efficient, and can be found at significantly lower cost. They are also lighter and will last a lifetime.

@Joncr the YMMV factor in this game amazes me. We both agree on the SS 0.95, disagree on the Karve so not sure how to approach your 0.78 OC comment lol but sounds like you rate it as more aggressive as the R41 and from what i have read it is quite an aggressive razor.

Not sure on the vintage razors, not sure they are as cheap here as they would be in the states.. and would prob need to get them restored on top, too hard basket for me

 

[Olegausany]

@les24preludes i currently have the SS 0.95 SB and its total weight comes to 127g (SB and base = 41g, 85mm barberpole handle = 86g) which is pretty close to the 129g of the timeless OC and i do like the heavy weight of that razor so no issue with weight.

The price is also not really an issue, in the end would cost me around $50 AUD in difference.

I agree that the 0.95 SB is very smooth, and i dont mind that but i guess i am looking to get an OC with more aggression to have the choice of variety. My only concern is the aggression levels of the timeless and the amount of blade feel.

Karve OC E Plate v Timeless 0.78 OC..

If you are looking for aggressive razor with a lot of blades feel Timeless Bronze OC with stock handle will definitely give you that

 

[StratMan]

hey @Olegausany i have no doubt in that, my only concern is i am not sure how much blade feel i can handle..

i once shaved with a fatip OC, not sure on the model but it has a wooden handle, and that had a lot of blade feel. so much so that i only did a two pass and for once did not chase BBS. Didnt pick the fatip up again.

That was my first foray into the OC, so maybe i should pick it up and shave a few times with it, see how it goes

 

[Olegausany]

hey @Olegausany i have no doubt in that, my only concern is i am not sure how much blade feel i can handle..

i once shaved with a fatip OC, not sure on the model but it has a wooden handle, and that had a lot of blade feel. so much so that i only did a two pass and for once did not chase BBS. Didnt pick the fatip up again.

That was my first foray into the OC, so maybe i should pick it up and shave a few times with it, see how it goes

I have tried multiple OC razors and they don't work well for me because of aggressiveness. But I managed to complete a shave with Timeless Bronze with some razorburn. Using lighter handle reduces aggressiveness but because of my sensitive skin I am selling the Bronze. For Fatip try to use angle close to 90 degree to reduce aggressiveness

 

[StratMan]

I have tried multiple OC razors and they don't work well for me because of aggressiveness. But I managed to complete a shave with Timeless Bronze with some razorburn. Using lighter handle reduces aggressiveness but because of my sensitive skin I am selling the Bronze. For Fatip try to use angle close to 90 degree to reduce aggressiveness

so handle more away from the face for the fatip? will give that a try and see.. cheers

 

[Olegausany]

so handle more away from the face for the fatip? will give that a try and see.. cheers

Far far away

 

[les24preludes]

To sum up a little...

Between Karve OC E plate and Timeless Bronze .78 I would take the Bronze because it's a slightly better feeling shave. More refined, not so neutral and solid. Same level of efficiency with the same weight handle.

The Bronze is not more aggressive than the R41 with the same weight handle, e.g. a titanium handle 53g. It is harder to shave with using the stock handle unless you are good at shaving with heavy razors.

With very efficient razors you will usually get blade feel. Rather than worrying about this, it's possible to use it to your advantage in developing technique, together with the audio feedback.

 

[Joncr]

@Joncr the YMMV factor in this game amazes me. When i used the Karve it felt really smooth, and you cant get a good shave from it but can handle the 0.78OC and we both agree on the SS 0.95



@Joncr the YMMV factor in this game amazes me. We both agree on the SS 0.95, disagree on the Karve so not sure how to approach your 0.78 OC comment lol but sounds like you rate it as more aggressive as the R41 and from what i have read it is quite an aggressive razor.

Not sure on the vintage razors, not sure they are as cheap here as they would be in the states.. and would prob need to get them restored on top, too hard basket for me

The different reactions to the same razor are amazing. But that is part of the fun of this hobby, at least for me. So much advice, so many reviews, but we all know our own reactions to a razor, blade, shave soap/cream, brush, AS may be very different. Of course the only rational answer to this is to buy everything and shave hourly, except when sleeping.