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Karve Overlander

First shave with the Overlander vs 2 day stubble. I paired it with a 3" Karve brass Gladius handle and a fresh 7 O'clock Yellow SharpEdge.

The razor is a smooth performer and I prefer the angle more than my Karve CB. Unfortunately, Mrs. Sweeney decided to run the washer in the bathroom precisely at this time so I was basically shaving deaf... no sense of audible feedback at all. A real shame on a 48+ hr shave.

I love the razor with one caveat: the shave itself is smooth with little blade feel but I detect a strange drag/friction, perhaps from the finish on the brass? Enough so that I began polishing the top cap and guard immediately after the shave and plan to see if it makes a difference tomorrow afternoon. In fact, after seeing all these beauties plated in nickel, gold and copper, I may end up sending it out to Chris for something shiny and slick.

A bit on the milder side for my taste, reminds me a bit of my Gamechanger 84 but there is no denying my face/skin feels wonderful now 4 hrs after shaving. Besides, I want at least one or two mild/medium efficient razors in the stable and I was aware of that characteristic when I made the purchase. Overall imo, the Overlander is a very nice offering from Karve Razors.

cheers
I had my first shave yesterday and I agree with your initial impressions - I detected some drag or mild suction. I am more of a cap rider so I did have to adjust my angle. Initially a bit to steep but figured it out. A good smooth and efficient shave overall. More efficient than the Karve cb c plate and .84 GC. We’ll see next shave prob tomorrow.
 
Just wanted to share a bit of razor eye candy. Received these photos from Chris Spencer today. Palladium for the Overlander and both handles. I'm loving how the Karve Gladius Handle turned out. Plus a little copper love for the Lupo 95 baseplate for a mixed metal look. Can't wait to shave with the Overlander again.

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cheers
 
Just wanted to share a bit of razor eye candy. Received these photos from Chris Spencer today. Palladium for the Overlander and both handles. I'm loving how the Karve Gladius Handle turned out. Plus a little copper love for the Lupo 95 baseplate for a mixed metal look. Can't wait to shave with the Overlander again.

View attachment 1458579

View attachment 1458580

cheers
Love these! And that Gladius! Man, now I wish I hadn't sold mine! Very nice!
 
Shave 2 today. This went better overall as I get used to it. 2 days thick growth. I felt like there was a bit more resistance in the first pass compared to other razors. I had a GSB loaded and then put in a Nacet. Still smooth but no difference. Pass 2 and 3 easy. Could have possibly stopped after pass 2 which is rare if I was in a hurry. So Efficiency is good. I am having challenges getting the bits under my nose. This is the steepest shaver I’ve used. Blade clamping is good but no better to me than the CB. I can’t go ATG any quicker with this razor so far.
 
I am having challenges getting the bits under my nose.
Me too. This is where the Overlander lags behind the Tatara Masamune, my only other DE. There’s too wide of a gap between the razor and blade edge. The option of a smaller cap/baseplate with exposed blade tabs like the CB would be a welcomed addition.
 
Me too. This is where the Overlander lags behind the Tatara Masamune, my only other DE. There’s too wide of a gap between the razor and blade edge. The option of a smaller cap/baseplate with exposed blade tabs like the CB would be a welcomed addition.
I agree. I have no problem with Cb. Plus it is more challenging removing the blade. YMMV.
 
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Loving 🥰 my Karve Overlander in Gold, Chris did a wonderful job! Shaves so much better and the drag is gone. Efficiency is definitely that of D CB and not C, smoother than C plate (maybe like a B plate) Plus I digg the Gold, so freaking shiny. Easy to clean and will enjoy it for many years to come! Here is the latest SOTD picture :)
 
Someone here compared the efficiency of the Overlander with that of the GC84.
My own lackluster experience with it places it around Mamba 70, which is way below what everyone else describe.

Which other razors would you compare its efficiency with?
If you don’t think it’s efficient enough move up to a more aggressive razor like Blackland Blackbird in Ti or Henson +++ Aggressive in Ti or Timeless .95Oc or Sb in Ti. Top tier level razors and I enjoy them for more of an aggressive shave yet smooth. Overlander is meant to be more of a daily driver. Also for me the plating made it more efficient, maybe its in my head lol. YMmV.
 
Someone here compared the efficiency of the Overlander with that of the GC84.
My own lackluster experience with it places it around Mamba 70, which is way below what everyone else describe.

Which other razors would you compare its efficiency with?
If you are only doing 1 pass WTG on 5 days growth I don't think the razor is for you.

I am not sure how people rate efficiency. I have not really paid attention to the efficiency of a razor after just one pass but I will note that I thought my Wolfman was particularly good wtg. Maybe a Vector too. I think large gap razors are the way for what you want.
 
If you don’t think it’s efficient enough move up to a more aggressive razor like Blackland Blackbird in Ti or Henson +++ Aggressive in Ti or Timeless .95Oc or Sb in Ti. Top tier level razors and I enjoy them for more of an aggressive shave yet smooth. Overlander is meant to be more of a daily driver. Also for me the plating made it more efficient, maybe its in my head lol. YMmV.
Yes, I think I said something along those lines in a later comment, that maybe the Overlander is "meant" for multiple passes and/or frequent shaves, despite its touted efficiency.

If you are only doing 1 pass WTG on 5 days growth I don't think the razor is for you.

I am not sure how people rate efficiency. I have not really paid attention to the efficiency of a razor after just one pass but I will note that I thought my Wolfman was particularly good wtg. Maybe a Vector too. I think large gap razors are the way for what you want.
With the exception of the Mamba 53, maybe, I haven't had any efficiency issues even with more days of growth. Obviously some razors will shave closer than others even if they all work, but the Overlander felt like it struggled cutting close to the skin.
Rather I think it's the combination of blade gap and exposure that is the "bottleneck" for Overlander - the Lupo 58 has no issue with that kind of growth, but it's more blade forward of course.

Either way it's useful to know that other users aren't overly surprised: if I would have had the same experience with a WR2 1.55 I'm sure the conclusion would be very different as to what the problem might be (i.e. a user error).
 
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All this talk about the Overlander's efficiency has me perplexed, given that the Henson medium was notably more efficient for me in my last shave - the blade presence was more prominent in the Henson even though the official specs say that the Overlander has a blade exposure of 0.07mm and the Henson 0.051mm. That's a 30% difference that should be clearly noticeable.

That difference, on paper, doesn't align with my experience, so I loaded my Overlander and Henson with used Feathers and proceeded with cutting a the side of a sheet of paper, to see which "bites" the paper easier and deeper.

The test confirmed what I had experienced with the shave: the Henson has a a small but a very noticeably larger exposure. Gently "shaving" the palm of the hand further confirms that, with the Henson having more blade feel than the Overlander. I even did the same test with the RR Mamba 70, as I referred to it in my shave report, and sure enough the Mamba "bites" more than the Overlander, and it feels more blade forward on the skin.

I would be very interested if other Overlander and Henson owners could repeat the test and report back.
 
All this talk about the Overlander's efficiency has me perplexed, given that the Henson medium was notably more efficient for me in my last shave - the blade presence was more prominent in the Henson even though the official specs say that the Overlander has a blade exposure of 0.07mm and the Henson 0.051mm. That's a 30% difference that should be clearly noticeable.

That difference, on paper, doesn't align with my experience, so I loaded my Overlander and Henson with used Feathers and proceeded with cutting a the side of a sheet of paper, to see which "bites" the paper easier and deeper.

The test confirmed what I had experienced with the shave: the Henson has a a small but a very noticeably larger exposure. Gently "shaving" the palm of the hand further confirms that, with the Henson having more blade feel than the Overlander. I even did the same test with the RR Mamba 70, as I referred to it in my shave report, and sure enough the Mamba "bites" more than the Overlander, and it feels more blade forward on the skin.

I would be very interested if other Overlander and Henson owners could repeat the test and report back.
I am not the least bit surprised, get the pitch forks and torches ready...

Karve has always, rightfully, been criticised for providing specs that don't match in the real world. I have had several discussions with people including close-up pictures over the years. Choosing a plate really is a guessing game with the CB. Based on previous experience, I estimated that the Overlander was going to come in with an exposure of 0.02, the same as the Henson Mild. It sounds like it might be even less like the CB C plate(neutral). Knowing the preferences of some people on here, the shave reports are kind of confusing so I had been waiting before making my usual stupid comments. Thanks for giving me the opportunity!
 
I am not the least bit surprised, get the pitch forks and torches ready...

Karve has always, rightfully, been criticised for providing specs that don't match in the real world. I have had several discussions with people including close-up pictures over the years. Choosing a plate really is a guessing game with the CB. Based on previous experience, I estimated that the Overlander was going to come in with an exposure of 0.02, the same as the Henson Mild. It sounds like it might be even less like the CB C plate(neutral). Knowing the preferences of some people on here, the shave reports are kind of confusing so I had been waiting before making my usual stupid comments. Thanks for giving me the opportunity!
The blade is > neutral, or else it wouldn't be able to cut the paper edge at all - I used the edge of a paper to ensure a completely straight line. But it's only a fraction positive - you have to be spot on for it to bite. It is very close to neutral though. That's why some reports of people shaving "steep" with the Overlander have me scratching my head - in my (admittedly very brief!) experience there is neither the gap nor the exposure required for a steep shave.

That's first I've ever heard of Karve not providing "genuine" specs. I wouldn't have bought it if the announced specs were in the 0.02mm range and with that narrow blade gap.
 
The blade is > neutral, or else it wouldn't be able to cut the paper edge at all - I used the edge of a paper to ensure a completely straight line. But it's only a fraction positive - you have to be spot on for it to bite. It is very close to neutral though. That's why some reports of people shaving "steep" with the Overlander have me scratching my head - in my (admittedly very brief!) experience there is neither the gap nor the exposure required for a steep shave.

That's first I've ever heard of Karve not providing "genuine" specs. I wouldn't have bought it if the announced specs were in the 0.02mm range and with that narrow blade gap.
I spent the better part of a year wanting to buy a CB and read all the different sources from when it was introduced, I wasn't looking for negatives just help. What I discovered, and others, is that the specs are some kind of "as designed, not as manufactured" nonsense. I don't want to go off on this thread, but they do have a bit of a deserved bad reputation for something else entirely and it's not to do with the razors. Personally, I got tired of the "buy three plates, sell two" concept and bought a Tatara. Most people here that bought the Overlander has several other razor including the Tatara. I feel like this is a very frustrating brand for people that aren't razor collectors. Maybe the razors work well, but how are you to even guess? Sorry you had to buy one to find out, I have been holding out for the stainless. Until your post.

I will go with 0.02 as your description sounds just like the Henson mild when trying to get it to catch. As you said, I don't know how people are getting good efficiency out of these without a massive gap.
 
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